9 Retail Chains that Won't Ruin Thanksgiving, and 11 that Will

9 STORES THAT WON'T RUIN THANKSGIVING

Sunday by Mary Noble

Senior Editor

These stores will remain closed so that all employees can enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday:

• Costco: "Our employees work especially hard during the holiday season, and we simply believe that they deserve the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with their families," said Paul Latham, VP of marketing.
• Apple: CEO Tim Cook is reported to have cancelled plans to open some stores on Thanksgiving, saying that he wants Apple retail employees to see their families on the holiday.
• Radio Shack: The electronics outlet has been open on Thanksgiving in the past but decided against it this year, "in honor of Thanksgiving and the time-honored tradition of gathering with family and friends."
• Patagonia: The outdoor clothing retailer will stay closed "so our associates can celebrate the holiday with their family/friends."
• BJ's Wholesale Club: "Maybe call me old-fashioned, but I feel that it's an easy decision to make [to give employees a] nice holiday with their families," said Laura Sen, CEO.
• Nordstrom, REI, Burlington Coat Factory, American Girl: All will stay closed on Thanksgiving.

...AND 11 THAT WILL

These stores will "ruin" Thanksgiving for many workers:

• Kmart: Stores will open at 6am on Thanksgiving and stay open for 41 hours straight - all the way through midnight on Black Friday. The announcement drew a flood of angry statements on Kmart's Facebook page.
• Old Navy: More than 900 Old Navy stores will open at 9am on Thanksgiving day itself. 700 others will open at 7pm.
• Walmart: Opening at 6pm on Thanksgiving. "Walmart associates are really excited to work that day,"said Duncan Mac Naughton, executive vice president. Walmart workers sound less thrilled. "We get time and a half that day, but the next week, they cut hours, so we end up with the same paycheck," one employee told the Guardian.
• Best Buy: Opens 6pm.
• Toys R Us: Many stores are opening at 5pm.
• Staples: Opens 8pm on Thanksgiving. A petition asking Staples to stay closed on the holiday now has over 8,000 signatures. "From what I have observed, [holiday opening hours] don't really improve the sales or profits," one employees told ABC News. "There's no monetary reason to do so."
• Target: Opening at 8pm on Thanksgiving. One petition asking Target to allow all its workers a Thanksgiving holiday has over 377,000 signatures and counting. Another had over 200,000 signatures.
• JC Penney: Opening at 8pm on Thanksgiving. Back in 2011, JC Penney held out and kept stores closed on the holiday. "We wanted to give our associates Thanksgiving Day to spend with their families," said Bill Gentner, VP of marketing, at the time.
• Macy's, Kohl's, and Sears: Opening at 8pm. This is the first time Macy's has ever opened on Thanksgiving.