Patch Poll: Should So Many Stores Open on Thanksgiving Day?

If you find yourself in need of some bedazzled jeans on Thanksgiving Day and just can't wait until the weekend, you're in luck this year. Michaels craft stores will be open starting at 4 p.m. that day, and Gap stores will be open until 8.

Some people will just be sitting down to their feast around that time, but stores are betting that many shoppers will have eaten their meal and cleared away the dishes by then, and will be happy for a reason to get out of the house.

For the stores to be open, though, someone has to drive in to work that day. An employee at a Target store has collected 190,000 signatures from people who say nobody should have to collect shopping carts or stock shelves on Thanksgiving Day. They argue the holiday is for families and should be protected from the mad consumer rush that follows.

What do you think? Should stores be open on Thanksgiving? Or should we all use the day to take a breath before the rush begins? Cast your vote in our poll.

And another question: Do you think a pair of jeans with a rhinestone Santa Claus on the back pocket is a good Christmas present for a sister-in-law?