In recent years, the Black Friday craze has inched further and further into Thanksgiving. With stores opening as early as 5 p.m. on Thursday, festive dinners are being overshadowed by shopping frenzies. Retailers like to point the blame at consumers—according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, almost six in 10 Americans plan to shop Thanksgiving weekend—but opening a day early also runs the risk of cannibalizing sales that could have been made on Friday. Furthermore, with stores open the day before, the idea of going shopping in the middle of the night for already picked-over merchandise seems unnecessary.
But there are still stores that allow workers to stay home and enjoy the holiday. We worked with Best Black Friday to find out which companies decided not to open on Thanksgiving.
1. DSW
In a status update on the company’s Facebook page, DSW said: “We’re closed for Thanksgiving so our associates can celebrate with friends and family.”
2. COSTCO
The warehouse club has always had a reputation for being good to their employees. This Thanksgiving, Costco’s nearly 150,000 employees will have the opportunity to spend the holiday with their families.
3. NORDSTROM
Nordstrom won’t be open for business on Thanksgiving, but some employees will still be coming in for work. “[F]or the past 40+ years, some of our employees work on Thanksgiving eve and into the wee hours of the morning on Thanksgiving Day to decorate our stores with our holiday trim. This is mostly a group of employees who have volunteered to be there and some bring along relatives or friends to join in,” a spokesperson told ThinkProgress in 2014. “We’ll also have a small team working in our Nordstrom.com Call Centers on Thanksgiving to serve the many customers who shop online that day.”
4. DILLARD’S
In 2014, Dillard’s spokesperson told ThinkProgress, “We choose to remain closed on Thanksgiving in longstanding tradition of honoring of our customers’ and associates’ time with family.”
5. BJ’S WHOLESALE CLUB
BJ’s Wholesale Club has confirmed they will be closed Thanksgiving. In 2013, their CEO told The Huffington Post, “call me old-fashioned, but I feel that it’s an easy decision to make [to stay closed on Thanksgiving].”
6. BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY
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The retailer has made a point of staying closed for the past two years as well.
7. REI
REI will not be open for Thanksgiving or Black Friday. Because the sporting goods retailer says that they “believe that being outside makes our lives better,” their CEO is “paying our employees to head outside.”
8. AMERICAN GIRL
You will have to wait until Friday to pick up a doll.
9. CRATE & BARREL
Crate & Barrel employees will be staying home on Thanksgiving this year.
10. JO-ANN FABRICS AND CRAFTS
“Out of respect to our Team Members and their families, Jo-Ann stores will not be open Thanksgiving Day,” Travis Smith, then-CEO and president of Jo-Ann Stores, Inc., said in 2011. “We ask a lot from our Team Members during the holidays, and Thanksgiving Day is a valued tradition for many families. We believe it is important for our Team Members to be able to spend this time with their loved ones.” The tradition continues this year.
11. T.J. MAXX
“We feel so strongly about our employees spending Thanksgiving with their families,” said spokeswoman Doreen Thompson. “And we don’t anticipate this changing in the future.”
12. MARSHALLS
Marshalls, like T.J. Maxx, is owned by TJX and will therefore also be closed.
13. PIER 1 IMPORTS
Pier 1 Imports decided to stay closed for the holiday.
14. PUBLIX
You’ll have to buy your last-minute Thanksgiving fixings somewhere else.
15. SIERRA TRADING POST
“As in past years, Sierra Trading Post stores will be closed on Thanksgiving so our Associates can enjoy the holiday with family and friends,” said spokesperson Juliette Rule.
16. BARNES & NOBLE
Barnes & Noble wants their employees to enjoy the holiday with their families.
17. SAM’S CLUB
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Sam’s Club is closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
18. IKEA
Most IKEA locations in the U.S. will be closed on Thanksgiving so employees can spend time with family and friends. So if you’re craving Swedish meatballs instead of turkey (or, you know, you really need an ottoman), you’ll have to wait it out.
19. THE HOME DEPOT
The Home Depot stays closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
20. PATAGONIA
When asked why in 2014, a spokesperson responded,“It’s a holiday—we’re closed!”
21. STAPLES
Staples was open in previous years, but changed their mind beginning last year. “We want our customers and associates to enjoy Thanksgiving their own way,” said Demos Parneros, president, North American stores and online. “On Thanksgiving Day, customers can shop from home on Staples.com and then continue their shopping in stores starting at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.”
22. GAMESTOP
“We believe strongly that our customers and associates should have the opportunity to spend the Thanksgiving holiday relaxing with family and friends, and not worrying with the stress of where to find the best shopping deals. We know this is in stark contrast to what many other retailers are doing, but we are taking a stance to protect family time during this important holiday,” Mike Buskey, executive vice president and president of U.S. Stores, said in a press release last year.
23. LOWE’S
The hardware giant has decided to give its employees the day off to spend with their families.
24. GUITAR CENTER
The musical instrument retailer will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. The rocking will recommence on Friday morning.
25. MALL OF AMERICA
The overwhelming majority of stores housed in the Minnesota mecca of retail will be closed for Thanksgiving. “We are so pleased that our tenants have embraced this opportunity to give their employees the day to enjoy Thanksgiving with their families and friends,” mall spokesman Dan Jasper said in an email to the Star Tribune.
26. THE CONTAINER STORE
Last year, The Container Store issued a statement expressing its hope that the holiday would give employees the chance to “recharge and renew and come back to work ready to take on the holiday season.“
27. NEIMAN MARCUS
The luxury department store will be closed for Thanksgiving. But if you’re so inclined, you can buy Thanksgiving dinner from them for a neat $495.
28. PETCO
PETCO employees will be spending the holiday home with their own cats and dogs.
29. OUTDOOR RESEARCH
On its website, the outdoor apparel and gear company said it would be joining REI in its #OptOutside initiative, and will be closed on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
30. OFFICE DEPOT
In a press release, Troy Rice, chief operating officer of North America for Office Depot, Inc. said: “As we evaluated our store hours for this holiday and weighed the business and personal considerations, we decided it was best to provide our associates with the day off to spend time with family and friends by closing our retail stores on Thanksgiving Day.”
This is just a fraction of the list of stores deciding to stay closed on Thanksgiving. Check out of the full list on Best Black Friday.
November 21, 2016 – 8:00pm