Employees at the Deptford Mall are petitioning the retail outlet to stay closed on Thanksgiving.
DEPTFORD TWP. -- Gloucester County's largest retail outlet, the Deptford Mall, is scheduled to open Thanksgiving night at 6 p.m., but some of its employees are trying to change that.
In a Change.Org petition titled "Do Not Open Deptford Mall on Thanksgiving Day," an open letter to Jim Mackey -- the mall's senior property manager -- asks for management to consider the families of those who work in the mall's stores.
"It is taking people away from a holiday that is based around spending time with friends and family," the letter reads.
The mall is scheduled to be open from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. Thanksgiving evening and then reopening at 6 a.m. for Black Friday, according to Lori Belsito, Deptford Mall's marketing manager.
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While management had no comment on the petition, Belsito added that the mall's hours are in accordance with when its anchor stores -- Boscov's, Macy's JC Penney and Sears -- will be open.
"Not all retailers will be open and not all retailers will be required to the open," she said. "If a retailer decides not to open they have that option. We understand their concerns, but if the anchor stores are going to be opening early we are too."
Laura Smith, the person responsible for starting the petition was not able to be reached for comment.
As brick-and-mortar retailers continue to see increasing competition from online retail outlets, and Deptford itself has seen extensive competition from the new Gloucester Township outlet stores, many locations have begun opening earlier each year for the biggest shopping day of the year.
Kristina Groody, a department supervisor at JC Penney, said while she would like to be at home for the holiday, she understands they have to open early in order to stay competitive in the market.
In her 14 years of working for the retailer last year was the first she had to be on Thanksgiving night.
"If you work retail you sign up for crazy hours, days, nights, weekends, holidays, etc," she said. "The competition is everywhere and if companies want to survive then they have to follow the competition....Thanksgiving is a day where we are thankful for what we have and without my job, a retail job, I wouldn't be thankful for much."
The petition currently has 239 supporters toward its goal of 500 on the online petition site.
Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@southjerseymedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.