Over the past few years, stores have been opening on Thanksgiving night and diminishing the holiday.

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when stores mark down prices in hopes of bringing in major holiday shoppers.

Black Friday originated in 1869 when two investors drove up the price of gold, which resulted in a stock market crash. Since then, the tradition of stores marking down prices has evolved into what the public knows of it today, according to a Nov. 21 Business Insider article.

In 2013, stores began to open their doors to Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving, according to a Nov. 2013 Market Watch article. The reason behind it seemed to be stores’ needs to keep up with online sales. Thanksgiving was a big day for online shopping, and many retailers believed in order to compete they had to open up on Thanksgiving.

While there may be an economic benefit to opening up the day before Black Friday, it is not really worth it. Thanksgiving is a holiday when people are supposed to be with their families enjoying each others’ company; now, however, it has become a rushed-through meal some family members do not attend because they must have those sales.

At their roots, Black Friday and Thanksgiving are polar opposites. Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together and be thankful, and Black Friday is a retail-palooza, in which people spend way too much money on unnecessary items.

Opening stores on Thanksgiving overshadows the meaning of being thankful for what people have. It is in direct contrast with what Thanksgiving is about.

Menards is one of the select stores that remains closed on Thanksgiving. The store recognizes the value of the holiday and remained closed until Friday morning, according to the Menards 2018 Black Friday advertisement.

Regardless of economic gains, Black Friday should not begin until Friday. Stores need to start considering the families who shop as well as the workers who have to keep the store up and running. In order to open and run these major sales, they require a full staff. This means they are taking people away from their families during the holiday.