Via Fox News:

The National Labor Relations Board said Friday that due to the ‘complex’ legal issue,  it will issue a ruling next week on Walmart’s request for an injunction against union-backed worker protests at store locations on Thanksgiving night and Black Friday.

But while the NLRB considers the request, the world’s largest retailer called this year’s Black Friday a success even though union-backed protests broke out at some locations over worker conditions and wages.

Dave Tovar, a company spokesman, said the discounter learned from shoppers that they want to start shopping right after Thanksgiving dinner. Then they want time to sleep before they wake up and head back to the stores.

The move appeared to be paying off. Walmart said in a statement Friday that stores saw larger crowds then last year. The company also downplayed the number of protests and called it a “union-funded publicity stunt.”

“Only 26 protests occurred at stores last night and many of them did not include any Walmart associates,” the store said in a statement. It estimated that less than 50 associates participated in the protests.

The exact number of associates in the protests at the stores is difficult to independently verify.