Retail Chain Raises White Flag In War On Thanksgiving

Walmart has taken the lead in the infuriating War on Thanksgiving. We are heartened to learn, on the other hand, of one retail chain’s decision to cease fire and surrender:

While Walmart, Target, and other stores will open earlier than ever this Black Friday, opening the doors on Thanksgiving Day and giving workers little choice but to go without their holiday, a few have resisted. That includes Radio Shack, which told ThinkProgress that after testing Thanksgiving hours in past years, the electronics store found that both customers and employees preferred normal Black Friday hours and the day off from shopping.

“In honor of Thanksgiving and the time-honored tradition of gathering with family and friends, RadioShack will open doors on Friday, November 29, starting at 8 a.m. until 9 p.m.,” a RadioShack spokesperson said. “RadioShack’s opening time was carefully assessed to include the needs of our customers, our business and our store teams and is determined on key insights and shopping patterns. RadioShack tested early opening on Thanksgiving in past years and found our customers and associates preferred a Black Friday opening.”

MarketWatch notes that stores’ new strategy to open earlier may not even pay off. Even though stores opened early last year, they had disappointing sales during the holiday season. If the U.S. were to catch up to the rest of the world, then employees would not only have a day off, but they would be paid for holiday time, too.

By: dave-dr-gonzo

David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.

* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.