Give Thanks, Not Hours

12% approval, 62% disapproval

It may seem like retailers have to be open on Thanks- giving now, the same way that it seems like they have to outsource work to lower-paying countries, limit employment to avoid paying full-time benefits, and cut pay rates by any legal measure. Looking at the dozens of stores that are jumping in on the trend, the tone of what's open is striking: price-first retailers like Walmart, Target, Family Dollar, Kmart, Sears, Dollar General and Big Lots, for the most part. More upscale retailers like Costco, REI and Nordstrom's have done well with PR about how they aren't making the move. Particularly when there's just an online way to shop for those who just have to get their shop on.

A small point: Thanksgiving isn't an expensive holiday. Turkey's pretty cheap, the side dishes don't have to be over the top, and you can honestly feed a lot of people for not very much. There's no reason to bring gifts, spend on accouterments, or do anything more economically difficult than travel, which isn't even universal. It has been, in a country with an increasing amount of sensitivity about such things, a class-free holiday.

In my opinion, it's cruel to remind the disadvantaged of their issues on this day. Putting them in front of others who feel like they have to shop to stretch their dollars on this day is just doubling down on the sadness. What used to be a quiet day before the storm of Q4 is now just another part of Q4, and discourages

It is not my place, as a marketing and advertising consultant, to convince my clients about matters of business ethics. But what I can tell you is that a significant percentage of the audience finds this deplorable, and it's not the portion of the audience that you want to alienate.

Being open during non-traditional hours does not go anything beneficial for your brand. It does not make you seem more inclusive, excited to serve the public, or the place to be for the hottest sales and best options. Instead, it make you look desperate, bottom dollar, unable to make your numbers in any other way, and abusive to your workers. Or unable to hire and retain anyone with any better options.

If your sales are flat with expanded hours, that's not a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, and be thankful that you didn't lose anything to your more aggressive competitors. Instead, it's actually a disaster. Your expenses are up, your turnover for anything but the bottom percentage of your work force will rise, and you've conditioned the buyers to expect even lower prices later.

That's what a race to the bottom looks like, and why it's not something you can win.

Or want to enter.

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