AFA Christmas Shopping Guide: Which Companies to Patronize Or Shun

Black Friday is a week away, the biggest retail sales day of the year when Americans begin the annual frenzy of buying stuff for Christmas.

Here is American Family Association (AFA)’s Christmas buying guide: the Naughty-or-Nice 2015 Retailer List.

AFA divides top U.S. retailers into 4 color-coded groups:

1. Blue: Businesses rated 5 stars by AFA for promoting and celebrating Christmas on an exceptional basis.
2. Green: Companies that are Christmas-friendly for using the word “Christmas” on a regular basis.
3. Yellow: Companies that refer to and use the word “Christmas” infrequently, or in a single advertising medium, but not in others.
4. Red: Companies that do not recognize Christmas, although they may use “Christmas” sparingly in a single or unique product description.

Here are the Blue or exceptional businesses:

• AFA Online Store
• Cracker Barrel
• Hobby Lobby
• Lowe’s
• Michael’s Stores
• Wal-Mart

Here are the Green Christmas-friendly companies:

• Ace Hardware
• Amazon.com
• Banana Republic
• Bass Pro Shops
• Bed Bath & Beyond
• Belk
• Big Lots
• Books-A-Million
• Cabela’s
• Dick’s Sporting Goods
• Dillards
• Do-It-Best Hardware
• Dollar General
• Gap, Inc.
• H.E.B. Stores
• HSN.com
• Hallmark
• Hancock Fabrics
• Harris Teeter Stores
• Home Depot
• Hy-Vee Stores
• JCPenney
• JoAnn Fabrics
• Kmart
• Kohl’s
• Kroger
• L.L. Bean
• Macy’s
• Marshalls
• Meijer
• Menard’s
• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom
• Old Navy
• Pier One Imports
• ProFlowers.com
• Publix
• QVC.com
• Rite Aid
• Sam’s Club
• Scheels Sporting Goods
• Sears
• Super D Drug
• Target
• TJ Maxx
• Toys R Us
• Zappos.com

Here are the Yellow or marginal businesses:

• 1-800-Flowers.com
• Academy Sports + Outdoors
• Bath & Body Works
• Best Buy
• Cooking.com
• CVS Pharmacy
• Fred’s
• Safeway
• Starbucks
• True Value
• UncommonGoods.com
• Walgreens
• Whole Foods

Here are the Red companies — DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY!

• Barnes & Noble
• Family Dollar
• Foot Locker
• The Limited
• Maurice’s
• Office Depot
• Office Max
• Pet Smart
• Staples
• Stein Mart
• Supervalu
• Victoria’s Secret

H/t FOTM’s MomOfIV

~Eowyn