Open on Thanksgiving - Are American Businesses Greedy or Smart?

Thanksgiving in America is a national holiday that has been celebrated for the past 149 years. Historically, it has been a time for families to gather and share the blessings of the year. Good food, great company, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and NFL football have been staples for decades. Black Friday, the official "kick-off" of the Christmas shopping season, has been the biggest sales day of the year since the 1960s and while some stores see shoppers lining up as early as Thanksgiving morning, the stores themselves have remained closed until at least until after midnight. At least that is how it was until 2012.

According to retail sales expert, Barbara Farfan, "The biggest managerial decision of the year for U.S. retail industry leaders is when to open stores and start Black Friday weekend sales." Last year, retail giant Walmart made a decision that started a shift in the "when" of Black Friday by opening on Thanksgiving Day. Over 200 retail chains and countless malls across the country joined them. The sales numbers must have been extraordinary because 2013 is seeing even more stores ditching the turkey and cranberry sauce for big sales. Stores that are quick to proclaim their "family values" are leaving the kids to fend for themselves because mom and dad are busy at work.

Some of the major retailers that will be open on Thanksgiving Day are:

• 7 For All Mankind
• Aeropostale
• Aerosoles
• AIX Armani Exchange
• Aldo
• American Eagle Outfitters
• Ann Taylor
• Au Bon Pain
• Banana Republic
• BareMinerals
• Bealls
• Belk
• Big Lots
• Bon-Ton
• Bose
• Calvin Klein
• China Taste
• Chloe
• Claire's Accessories
• Coach & Coach Men's
• Crocs
• Desert Moon
• Diesel
• DKNY
• Elizabeth Arden
• Fossil
• Furla
• Gander Mountain
• Geox
• G.H. Bass & Co.
• Goody's
• Gucci
• Guess Accessories
• Ilori Eyewear Boutique
• Izod
• jcpenney
• J.Crew
• Jockey
• Johnson & Murphy
• Kasper
• Kate Spade New York
• Kenneth Cole
• Kmart
• Lacoste
• Le Creuset
• L'Occitane
• Levi's
• Macy's
• Maidenform
• Michael Kors
• Movado Company Store
• Nautica & NauticaKids
• Office Depot
• Old Navy
• PacSun
• Peebles
• Pizza Italia
• Puma
• Reebok
• Rockport
• Salvatore Ferragamo
• Samsonite
• Sarar
• Saucony
• Sears & Sears Outlet
• Shopko
• Skechers
• Solstice Sunglass
• Sony
• Superdry
• Sunglass Hut
• Sunglass Station
• Staples
• Subway / Pretzel Time
• Swarovski
• The Children's Place
• The Gap
• Thomas Pink
• Timberland
• Tommy Hilfiger
• Tory Burch
• Toys 'R Us
• Tumi
• UGG Australia
• Under Armour
• Van Heusen
• Walgreens
• Walmart

What about the people who work for those companies? Because they work retail, does that mean that their families are less important than the families of doctors, lawyers or CPAs? Are they less deserving of a holiday break than the inmates who pick up your garbage? It is a sad day in America when an incarcerated felon gets a day off from garbage collection but the clerk at Walmart has to go to work.

The CEOs of these companies will, no doubt, be at home on Thanksgiving enjoying the holiday with their families. Yet they made the decisions to have their stores open and their employees busy at work. So are U.S. companies greedy or smart? If your answer to that question is greedy, there is only one way you can get their attention and let them know what you think ... Don't Shop at Their Stores on Thanksgiving! Stay at home and enjoy your family just like the CEOs are enjoying theirs.

Tags : Thanksgiving