Target’s mission is, “to help all families discover the joy of everyday life.”

Except on Thanksgiving, that is.

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest American holidays of family togetherness. The meaning of the holiday is to give thanks for what we have and to spend precious time with the ones who mean the most to us, and those that we may only see once or twice a year. And then the next day we go out and buy things, lots of things!

But Target just can’t wait that long to get your money. Instead, Target opens at 5:00 pm on Thanksgiving Day, the time when most families are gathered together, settled into their homes and giving thanks for each other and what’s most important in their lives. Target employees, on the other hand, are putting on red shirts and bidding their families goodbye. Telling them that maybe they’ll get to see them next year.

Target is blatantly telling its employees that it’s not important for them to be with their loved ones on Thanksgiving.

But something more insidious is happening here. Target is salivating so badly for your money that it’s swindling you into thinking that where you need to be on Thanksgiving, instead of at home with family and friends, is inside a Target store, buying their products. That if you just wait a mere 15 hours until Black Friday, you might miss a deal!

Don’t fall for it. If you truly want to discover the joy of everyday life on Thanksgiving Day, and want to tell Target that you think its employees deserve the same, stay away from Target on November 28th. It will still be there on the 29th.