Every year, many families gather together to eat, play some football in the fall weather, and to be grateful. The American holiday Thanksgiving is the epitome of autumn. It’s a tradition to celebrate it for some, but an inconvenience to others. Not everyone wants to embrace the company of 40 relatives nitpicking at their lives for three hours, or to eat a grand meal made up to celebrate virtually nothing. Stores shouldn’t be closed on Thanksgiving for those people who want the opportunity to work an extra day, on a holiday that really doesn’t hold any importance to them.

“If I had a job, I wouldn’t mind working on Thanksgiving. I don’t think it’s a special day, and it would just be another day that I had to go to work,” senior Chris Henao said.

Many that oppose the open status of stores on Halloween call it business greediness. Frankly, that’s exactly what they’re doing. Being greedy. People want to shop on Thanksgiving. Whether that’s the way a mother and daughter spend their quality time together, or people want to get ahead on holiday deals, there are consumers everywhere on Thanksgiving. Retail stores should be open to supply this demand.

Restaurants should also remain open on Thanksgiving. If people are out shopping, people are out eating. And that’s only a small portion of the market.

“My family goes out to eat for Thanksgiving, we don’t like to cook that much food. It’s a nice way to go out and celebrate the holiday,” said senior Othmane Kerfal.

Many groups go to restaurants to eat their Thanksgiving meal. Whether they don’t want to spend days cooking a meal, or they just want to get their groups out of the house, restaurants need to be open to service these wants. It’s good for business and it’s good for the employees.

People need to work on Thanksgiving to keep these stores open, whether they be retail or restaurant. It is just another day at the job for some, and if the employees make their money off of tips or commission, it could even be a great day on the job. The general public shops on Thanksgiving, and employees need to be there to service them.

“I love to shop on Thanksgiving. I can buy the things I need for the winter season, and there are always good deals because it’s Black Friday weekend,” said sophomore Haley Moss. “I would rather go Thanksgiving than on Black Friday because the stores get more crowded than they already are and I can get the stuff I want without it being sold out.

Thanksgiving celebrates the first harvest of the new world, and is simply used as a day to reunite with family. People can do that any day of the year, it doesn’t have to be the last Thursday of every November. Also, Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday. No law prevents stores from opening and making their employees work, and there shouldn’t be.

People should be working on Thanksgiving. It is a prime day for business. Many people go shopping due to the big deals, and many go out to eat to celebrate with their families. The employees need to be there to keep the stores running. Instead of stuffing their faces with turkey and cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving, many people should be able to and will be stuffing their pockets with cash.