Usually when one thinks about Thanksgiving, they think about eating an immense amount of food with their family or friends and then passing out from all of the consumed turkey. This year, some people are thinking about shopping on Thanksgiving. Holiday shoppers are expected to spend about 3.9 percent more this year than they did last year according to a National Retail Federation estimate. Because of this, a lot of stores like Macy’s, Best Buy, Target and Gap are opening around 6-8 p.m. Thanksgiving night. This is distorting the image of what Thanksgiving really is: families coming together. 

Thanksgiving is one of the fastest-growing shopping days online, meaning some retailers are losing business. Businesses might lose some profits, but with people working on Thanksgiving, time to spend with family might be lost. 

There are still a few stores against opening on a family-oriented holiday. The Head of Patagonia’s Retail Marketing, Vickie Achee, explained that their decision to keep their store closed is “so our associates can celebrate the holiday with their family/friends. This has been our tradition during our tenure in retail.” Costco, Nordstrom, REI, Burlington Coat Factory and American Girl have also confirmed being closed on Thanksgiving for the same reason. Let’s commend these stores for realizing what this holiday should really be about. 

The problem is that with competition between stores, places that aren’t open on Thanksgiving are losing sales. Also, there are some frustrated customers that want to shop but can’t because their store of choice isn’t open. As sad as it is for some people to work on Thanksgiving, some people need the money and so do the businesses. So this year, if you decide to go shopping, make it a family trip. Also, try to be kind to those working and be grateful that they’re spending their Thanksgiving working for you. Regardless if you’re staying in or shopping, try to spend time with your family this holiday.