GameStop says they’ll be open on Thanksgiving because you asked

It was about three years ago when GameStop said they were "not" going to be open on Thanksgiving like all of the other big box retailers. CEO Paul Raines even sent out a statement saying "the move to keep [our] stores closed on Thanksgiving [is] out of respect for our associates and their families." If that wasn't already enough, Raines added the following statement, "Sometimes, we have to not let pressure from other retailers distract us from our values."

To nail that message home, GameStop reiterated that feeling only two years ago saying, "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."

So you may find it odd that GameStop has announced that they'll be changing that policy this year and will be open on Thanksgiving. The reason? A statement received by Kotaku from Corporate revealed that it was something associates and customers requested:

"To better serve our guests with their evolving holiday shopping needs, this year GameStop will open its stores for a shortened and limited time on Thanksgiving Day. Many of our store associates and guests have asked for this. We have heard their requests and are making an adjustment to our previous position on this topic.”

While this is not surprising, in terms of a business and profit standpoint, it's hard to see a company go back on such a devote promise to its employees. The question now is, who's going to go to GameStop instead of Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and Amazon?

GameStop said that it was customers and employees, who asked for this change. Customers, maybe, but employees? I have a real hard time imagining that an employee would choose to work on Thanksgiving, rather than spend it with family or even just getting a nice day off before the disaster that is Black Friday. But that's just me.