At 8:10 PM all hell breaks loose. Customers storm into Banana Republic, and the traditional commencement of Black Friday begins. I make my way to the fitting room feeling the desperation in the air as those around me look for their favorite items to be on sale. Every minute feels like an eternity; I wishing for nothing more than to be in the warmth of my own home, surrounded by the delightful smell of my aunt’s cooking and my uncle’s raunchy humor.

   Our society feels that saving money on everyday items is more important than being at home with those they love. The mere fact that, because of this, I wasn’t allowed to enjoy a time dedicated to family with my own family.infuriates me. Instead, I was feeding into the early bird specials of Black Friday.

   As time has progressed, the market has become increasingly competitive to put out the best deals in order to achieve the most profit from consumers. What used to be early morning Friday openings are now 3 p.m. openings on Thanksgiving.This Black “Friday” fever seems to be taking people away from their families earlier and earlier.I for one, cherish any moment I can spend with my extended family:Thanksgiving being one of those days. I believe that store doors should remain closed. The openings might mean deals for customers, but for employees working in retail, like me, it means being forced to miss out on family.

   Luckily, the backlash has already started. According to one study,opening early doesn’t necessarily mean more of a profit. In fact, research conducted by these major corporations came to the conclusion that, “In 2014, total sales for the Thanksgiving weekend fell 11 percent from the previous year, according to the most recent year-over-year comparison from the retail federation”(reacher firm of NPD Group).

   Many of the companies, too, are starting to change their approach.. In a New York Times article, Robert Riesbeck, chief executive of HHGregg said, “That is one of the reasons why we took the initiative of giving our associates Thanksgiving off, because we have seen that activity go down significantly on that day over the last couple of years.” Maybe some companies are motivated by this shrinking profits, but closing the doors and allowing families to come together on this national day is exactly the right thing to do. Office Depot, too, said that its decision to close came after weighing the “business and personal dynamics.A spokesman for Sears, Brian Hanover, said the company had made a similar evaluation,” according to Rachel Adams piece in New York Times.

   I personally don’t care if it’s business or actual good will. Companies that close on on Thanksgiving are where I’ll shop this year, and they should be where you go too.We as the consumers can take the initiative to shop at the large corporations that give their employees this national holiday off because of their belief in the idea of “family first” and that small action of putting the needs of others before profits is what we as a society should support. Stopping to take a look at those stores staying closed  from websites such as bewellbuzz and shopper insider we as the consumers are taking a small step in changing this for years to come.To better serve those that do work, fighting the urge to shop at stores helps other corporations to join the movment and close their doors on Thanksgiving.