- Macy’s, JCPenney, and Kohl’s are being slammed for opening their doors on Thanksgiving.
- On Thursday, Twitter lit up with complaints about retailers encroaching on the holiday and calls for shoppers to boycott these stores.
- This year, at least 77 retailers – including Costco, TJ Maxx, and Nordstrom – said they would keep stores closed on Thanksgiving.
Customers are revolting against Thanksgiving opening hours.
Several retailers – including Macy’s, JCPenney, Kohl’s, and Best Buy – opened their doors on Thanksgiving to offer early Black Friday deals. And in the eyes of some customers, it’s backfiring.
On Thursday, Twitter lit up with complaints about retailers encroaching on the holiday, and many customers asked for fellow shoppers to boycott the stores.
https://twitter.com/Michigan_1974/status/1065632499127054336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Shame on all companies for being open on Thanksgiving, all because you want to make the money off of Black Friday. Thanksgiving is a family day and you guys take that away from people. Black Friday is suppose to be Friday#thanksgiving #bestbuy #jcpenney #kohls #kmart #macys
— Joseph Litty (@jlitty87) November 22, 2018
https://twitter.com/xVinceVandalx/status/1065754124774514688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
@jcpenney should be ashamed for taking families away from each other by opening doors at 2pm. You are a major player in capitalist greed and make me sick. #boycott #FamilyHolidays
— Synowka (@nevets1353) November 22, 2018
https://twitter.com/MadisonGangloff/status/1065728054088077312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
According to data gathered by BestBlackFriday.com, at least 77 retailers said they would keep stores closed on Thanksgiving this year. Several said it was because they wanted to give employees time to spend with family.
Other stores, such as REI, are even staying closed for Black Friday.
"It's the right ethical move. It's the right business move," the CEO of REI, Jerry Stritzke, previously told Business Insider. "I think retail for brands is about community."
He added: "If you're open on Thanksgiving, it's hard not to pitch yourself as a greedy bastard."
Stritzke said retailers put themselves in an uncomfortable position by competing purely on value. Winning customers based solely on lower prices or on opening earlier, he said, builds a transactional relationship that can easily be undercut and leave retailers scrambling.
More on Black Friday 2018:
- Walmart is trying desperately to contain the Black Friday chaos by creating what customers are calling a 'maze' - but photos reveal a wild shopping fiasco
- Black Friday deals sold out at stores like Walmart and Target before Friday even began - and people are furious
- Furious shoppers faced off against crashing websites on Thanksgiving Day - and it reveals a massive evolution of Black Friday shopping
- Walmart says it's offering thousands more deals than last year on Cyber Monday in a direct shot at Amazon's most valuable day
- Walmart shoppers are complaining that stores are running out of iPhones as Black Friday sales begin