Some 140 million bargain-hunting customers will descend on retailers on Thanksgiving Day, so-called Black Friday, and throughout next weekend — or at least those who haven’t shopped already or by early next week will head for the shops. Not so long ago most stores remained closed on Thanksgiving Day, on the assumption that families preferred to spend the holiday enjoying uninterrupted togetherness, downing some 46 million turkeys and watching football. No longer. Walmart, Macy’s, and many others are opening their doors on the holiday.

But not all retailers will do the same. Nordstrom’s will remain shuttered, as will Costco, the nation’s second largest retailer after Walmart. Costco is closed because “it is the right thing to do for our employees,” chief financial officer Richard Galanti told the press. Tony Bartel, president of GameStop, a chain of 4,600 stores selling new and used video games and the like, agrees. “For us, it’s a matter of principle….It’s called ‘protecting the family.’” Brave move by a man whose firm’s third-quarter earnings and prospects have disappointed investors and is facing new competition in the used video game market from Walmart, which last month began selling used games in 1,700 of its stores. The 4,600-store Ace Hardware chain took the highest ground of all, announcing it would not open until Friday, “Some things are more important than money.” No list of such things was provided.