Revolt! New Hampshire Sears Owner Refuses to Open on Thanksgiving

Sears franchise owner Holly Cassiano in Plymouth said she got very angry when the Sears corporate office told her she had to be open on Thursday.

Major retailers are opening on Thanksgiving, but one Sears in New Hampshire is defying the trend.

Sears franchise owner Holly Cassiano in Plymouth said she got very angry when the Sears corporate office told her she had to be open on Thursday.

"We are not going to let corporate retailers rule over our family values and take this away from us," she told WMUR.

Unlike Sears stores across the country, which are set to open Thursday at 8 p.m., Cassiano’s store will open its doors at 6 a.m. on Black Friday. Customers will get the same deals, she assured.

"I value my employees enough that I wouldn't have them have to work on a day that's meant to be spent with family,"  Cassiano said.

She sent a letter to Sears stating her reasons for not opening, but she hasn't heard back, she told WMUR. Sears told NBC News in a statement, “We have encouraged all of our dealers and franchisees to be open on Thanksgiving evening because we believe that is what many consumers want.”

Leading fashion retailer Nordstrom will also stay closed on Thursday evening.  Signs posted in Nordstrom stores read, “HAPPY THANKSGIVING. We won't be decking our halls until Friday, November 29. Why? We just like the idea of celebrating one holiday at a time."

But other retailers are foregoing tradition and betting to increase holiday sales by opening early on Turkey Day.

Breaking a 155-year-old practice, Macy’s announced in October that it would open on Thursday at 8 p.m., joining Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s, JCPenney, Kmart, Old Navy and Toys”R”Us.

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