This holiday season is under way and these next few weeks are when consumers purchase the most each year. Last year consumers bought more than ever on Black Friday,  buying a total of $67.5 billion with an average of $403.35 per person according to Fundivo.com. But this holiday season, some businesses are refusing to open their doors on Thanksgiving day. It is becoming more common in retail for stores to open late Thanksgiving day rather than the day of Black Friday.

Video game retail giant Gamestop is one of many businesses refusing to open its doors on Thanksgiving day. The executive Vice President and President of U.S. Stores, Mike Buskey said, “We believe strongly that our customers and associates should have the opportunity to spend the Thanksgiving holiday relaxing with family and friends and not worrying with the stress of where to find the best shopping deals.” Along with Gamestop, 21 other stores and businesses are declining to open. However, this policy is nothing new for Gamestop because the retailer has been closed on Thanksgiving day for the past few years.

Former employee of retail mega-giant Walmart, Taylor Strong said, “I don’t think people should work on Thanksgiving so they can spend that time dedicated to their family and loved ones. Black Friday is the worst time to work retail, because the people forget that the workers are only human.” According to a BestBlackFriday.com survey of 502 U.S. adults found 54% dislike or strongly dislike stores remaining open on Thanksgiving with 60% saying they will not step foot in a store that day. The Madisonian newspaper adviser Jake Shockley said “It is kind of nice that retail giants are pushing back opening night to Friday, because Thanksgiving night should be a time for family and people shouldn’t have to work; also it forces people to buy that merchandise because they will be afraid that they will miss the deals.”