HOUSTON – Some call it the Thanksgiving Day creep, because the opening hours at many retailers are creeping up, from early in the morning on Black Friday to the night of Thanksgiving. Now many consumers have decided not to shop at all on Thursday.
Remember when Garden Ridge Pottery was one of the only stores to open at midnight on Black Friday morning? That was more than a decade ago. This year, some consumers are saying enough is enough.
"I mean, you can wait 12 hours to shop, for goodness sakes," said Sandra McKee.
She and her twin sister said they'd pledge not to shop on Thanksgiving in a heartbeat.
"Those poor people in there, they want to have Thanksgiving dinner with their family too," said Sally Justice, standing outside of a Kohl's store in Katy. "Something has to stay traditional."
Toys R Us was the first to open on Thanksgiving two years ago. Last year, Target, Walmart and Sears all followed suit. In recent weeks, Macys, Kohl's and JC Penney have all joined the Thanksgiving creep.
"It's good," said shopper Norma Orella.
Orellana is psyched to hit the stores early, but on Facebook thousands have shared this pledge: "Because I believe in family, I pledge to not shop on Thanksgiving. If I'm shopping, someone else is working and not spending time with their family."
"Thanksgiving to me is special," said Maria Garcia. "It doesn't mean shopping. It just means spending time with family and then cleaning up."
But when Local 2 asked viewers on Facebook about the pledge, we got more comments from people who don't mind the early hours.
Nick Bolton wrote "How about military? Anybody care about them? There are plenty of days I don't want to work but it's life, be blessed you have a job."
Bobbie Henderson posted "I get time and a half. I don't mind at all... Christmas money."
Not to be outdone, this year, Garden Ridge will be open from 8pm until 11pm on Thanksgiving this year.