If we’re being honest (and we like to stick to a policy of honesty as much as possible), we spend a lot of time being critical of the Black Friday culture at Postconsumers. And we think that we do that with good reason, and we suspect that most of you agree. But we also try to foster a sense of positivity around here. That’s why we wanted to make sure to take a moment and tip our hat to the stores that are starting to make a habit of closing on Thanksgiving rather than opening for early Black Friday sales. If it seems ridiculous that we should need to do this, it is. But that’s what the culture of consumerism has come to!

Why Close? It’s the Right Thing to Do.

Ok, probably in all honestly it’s not the right thing to do for all businesses. Holiday shopping is a real thing, and as much as we’d like to separate the holiday from the consumer element of the holiday, that’s probably not entirely possible. But some businesses have made a stance that it’s more important to them that their employees (and even their patrons) spend time relaxing with friends and family over the holiday and so they’ve decided to stay closed on Thanksgiving, which has actually become a huge shopping day.  Are those stores possibly giving up a ton of Black Friday revenue? It’s possible. In fact, it’s even probable. And if you look at the list of stores below that aren’t participating in opening on Thanksgiving  you may notice that one common theme is that they don’t necessarily rely on the type of extremely bargain-conscious shopper that heads out for Black Friday “door busters.” But they’re still losing business – and that’s what makes their decision so much more impressive. Of course, they’re also gaining great PR from communities of people who applaud their decision. And that’s worth future business. We’d like to see their gamble pay off, so of course we’re giving them face time here!

A Quick Note on Holiday Shopping

We’re aware that every time we talk about any kind of shopping in a positive light some of the Postconsumers community can become offended. We completely understand this because Postconsumers are nothing if not passionate. But it’s important to keep in mind that we consider postconsumerism a journey.  It’s not likely that an entire society of consumerists will give up shopping cold turkey (nor should they). So we like to encourage everybody to find their own place on the postconsumer scale of how much is enough. That may not mean giving up holiday shopping and holiday sales, but it may mean taking what for many is the big step of letting go of Black Friday culture. If that’s the case, we applaud that and want to provide information to help you on your way.

What Stores Don’t Open on Thanksgiving?

So what stores should you patronize if you do want to reward stores that are staying closed on Thanksgiving? Here’s the best list we were able to come up with. And please remember that policies may change from year to year, so be sure to check the store’s current stance on Black Friday openings!

Apple

American Girl

Bass Pro Shops

Bed, Bath and Beyond

Burlington Coat Factory

Cabella’s

Costco

Dillard’s

Home Depot

Lowes

Nordstrom

Marshall’s

Menard’s

Patagonia

Pep Boys

Pet Smart

Radio Shack

REI

Ross

Sam’s Club

Sierra Trading Post

TJ Maxx

Did we miss a store that’s closed on Thanksgiving and that you love and want to share? Tell us about it on the social media channels below.

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