Costco Says 'Happy Thanksgiving' to Employees

Every year Thanksgiving is becoming less about spending time with family and giving thanks, and more about shopping for the biggest deals at chain stores. The Black Friday tradition has steadily been the busiest shopping day of the year, but now brick-and-mortar stores are feeling the pressure to open earlier to keep up with its online competitors. One retailer that refuses to give in to this profit-driven temptation, however, is Costco, who will close on Thanksgiving because the company believes that its employees deserve to have the day off to spend with family. It's a great reminder of what the holiday should be about, and Costco employees will surely be thankful for the day off.

When asked why Costco is resisting the trend to open on Thanksgiving, the company told website ThinkProgress:

Our employees work especially hard during the holiday season and we simply believe that they deserve the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with their families. Nothing more complicated than that.

For a retail chain as gargantuan as Costco, that response sounds refreshingly human. Because of this employees-first attitude, the chain's nearly 127,000 workers will be able to spend Thanksgiving with their families and stay for the entire duration of dinner.

That mentality is an exception among retailers these days — Black Friday sales continue to influence and tighten store policies and schedules. Some stores are open all day to fully capitalize on Black Friday shopping. Take a look at the rare exceptions who are closing for Thanksgiving, along with those whose doors will be wide open.

Stores That Give Their Employees the Day Off

Besides Costco, at least four other major chains are closing on Thanksgiving. Apparel stores Burlington and Dillard's, sporting goods chain REI, and kids retailer American Girl are all giving their employees a day off to spend with their families. Like Costco, Dillard's has a very simple and selfless explanation for their decision to close. They told ThinkProgress:

We choose to remain closed on Thanksgiving in longstanding tradition of honoring of our customers’ and associates’ time with family.

Sounds like these companies have their priorities in order.

Stores That Will Be Open

The list of stores who choose to open on Thanksgiving is much longer. Some of the biggest names include Walmart, Kmart, Target, Staples, Macy's, Michaels, Best Buy, Toys "R" Us, Office Max, Sears, Kohl's, and JCPenney.

Macy's just announced that the chain will open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving (right in the middle of dinnertime), two hours earlier this year. Their reasoning? Last year, its Herald Square store broke records for Thanksgiving weekend shopping with 15,000 people lined up outside. Guess shoppers also tend to forget the holiday spirit.But where will employees not catch a break? Walmart. The mammoth retailer's nearly one million employees will be working all day on Thanksgiving. Images: Getty Images (2)