There’s been a lot of buzz in the past weeks about which big stores are going to open in the evening on Thanksgiving Day to give consumers an extra edge on their holiday shopping. And, I’m sure that some of you are already planning your shopping strategy for this time period. However, as the owner of Stan’s Fit For Your Feet & New Balance Milwaukee, I am taking a stand to announce that our Stan’s and New Balance Milwaukee locations WILL NOT BE open on Thanksgiving Day.
Right now, I’m sure some of you are thinking it’s an unwise decision, which is why I decided to write this blog post. As a family business, I feel strongly (like I’m sure many other local business owners do) that Thanksgiving Day is one of the few days left in the year where we can enjoy our family and friends while giving thanks for all that we have. To me, it’s all about family and business values. These values seem to be eroding all the time.
Our family wants to have the opportunity to celebrate on this special day, and we want to give all of our hardworking employees the chance to do this as well. We don’t want them having to worry about reporting to work that night. We’re putting all of our families first for a mere 24 hours so you can continue to receive exceptional service every other day you walk into our stores, because in my opinion, happy employees mean happy customers. There’s no denying the two go hand in hand. When you treat your employees with respect they take pride in their jobs and are glad to provide great customer service. This is something my dad instilled in me from the day he opened Stan’s back in 1950.
I’m also happy to report that all three of our Stan’s stores, as well as our New Balance Stores, will be open at 9:30 a.m. on Black Friday. Plus, to thank each of you for your loyalty and for buying local, we will be doing a Black Friday Balloon Bonanza Event from Friday, November 29 – Sunday, December 1. In other words, you’ll be able to get great deals all weekend, during our regular hours! The Bonanza Event will give you a wonderful chance to win dollars off your purchases, merchandise and more. It’s a great promotion and I hope you’ll stop by to take advantage of it!
Jim Sajdak is president of Stan’s Fit For Your Feet & New Balance Milwaukee.
