Nowadays, we have candy corn in August, Christmas trees in September and Peeps in January. If one thing is certain, it’s that Americans have become totally holiday obsessed and completely impatient. That being said, brands cannot wait to extract some extra value from this need for instant gratification. That time of the year is upon us, time for the most famed marketing event and unofficial holiday, Black Friday. Love it or hate it, it’s not going anywhere.

Though some find fault in the day itself (probably attributed the accumulated 90 injuries and seven deaths), an overwhelming majority find fault with retailers who try to push Black Friday into Thanksgiving Day. This takes away from the true meaning of the holiday, forcing retail workers to plan their holiday celebrations around work hours, leaving their family and friends behind. This year, Michael’s Crafts, JCPenney and other not-so-festive retailers are knee-deep in the annual bidding war over who will open earliest on Thanksgiving Day. Just when you thought JCPenney reached the lowest of low by opening at 5pm on Thanksgiving, it turns out Michael’s Crafts will set the new standard, by opening at 4pm. That’s before football games come to a close, the pumpkin pie is served, or the turkey coma starts to kick in (before some families have even taken their first bite).

But it’s not just the brands who can’t wait to open their doors that are trying to take advantage of this holiday. While 2014 is certainly not the first time retailers have taken a stand against the Thanksgiving madness, there is a growing list of retailers who choose to stay closed on Thanksgiving; many have been releasing statements to show how much they value the holiday and their employees, indirectly shaming the retailers that elect to stay open along the way. For example, a spokesperson from TJX (parent company for TJ Maxx and Marshalls) announced the following:

We consider ourselves an Associate-friendly Company, and, we are pleased to give our Associates the time to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.

Can’t argue with that – who would you rather work for, TJ Maxx or JCPenney? Of course, in competitive markets like these, being open and making a splash on the biggest shopping day of the year can mean life or death, especially when you’ve had a history of mishaps and poor decisions. Still, corporations should recognize the sacrifices being made by their employees and be thankful for their contribution. Whether that comes in the form of time-and-a-half or turkey legs at cash registers, we will have to wait and see.

You can see a full list of Thursday and Friday store openings here.