The trend of retail chains staying closed for Thanksgiving seems to be gaining momentum. Wholesale giant Costco announced that they would shutter their doors on the holiday to allow their employees to spend Thanksgiving with their families.
Now the video game retail chain Gamestop has announced that they will do the same. 6,600 Gamestop locations in the U.S. will be closed this Thanksgiving, opening at midnight on Black Friday. The company issued a statement declaring their desire to “protect the family” and to allow employees and customers to enjoy the holiday with their loved ones.
Other large chains such as Walmart will be open on Thanksgiving. Critics are quick to point out that the U.S. does not require companies to offer paid holidays and that some chains use this as a way to force employees to come in so that they do not lose out on pay. Most stores claim that these holiday shifts are voluntary, but there are reports that dispute this claim.
Being open on Thanksgiving doesn’t seem to give retailers any appreciable boost in income. Most shoppers don’t go out on Thanksgiving, and many even go to bed early to prepare for Black Friday. Half of the public thinks that stores should not be open on Thanksgiving and a full 20% of the American public say that they will avoid frequenting a store that does so.