GameStop Joins List Of Retailers Staying Closed On Thanksgiving

Game retailer GameStop announced Monday that its physical stores will stay closed on Thanksgiving Day, joining several other retailers, including Staples, who have decided to stay closed rather than compete for sales.

GameStop's decision goes against the recent trend by retailers to stay open on the holiday. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has traditionally been when retailers offer big sales just to get people in the door. But as competition for sales has increased, more retailers have decided to stay open on Thanksgiving as well. It's been dubbed "Black Friday creep."

ALSO READ: Black Friday Creep Turning Off Shoppers Who Would Rather Spend Thanksgiving With Family

Why has GameStop decided to stay closed? It says the decision was made to protect the family and do "the right thing to disrupt the emerging trend in the retail industry of taking away holidays from customers and associates."

In a press release on its website GameStop 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. We know this is in stark contrast to what many other retailers are doing, but we are taking a stance to protect family time during this important holiday."

Fortune reports the company plans to open its U.S. stores at 5 a.m. local time on Friday. They also plan to have special events before and on Black Friday in order to stay competitive.