What do you think of retailers that will be open on Thanksgiving for xmas shopping?

[BabyBearsMom]

I saw this article: http://money.cnn.com/2013/11/05/pf/kmart-black-friday-customer-outrage/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

I definitely won't be shopping on Thanksgiving but I also won't be out on Black Friday either. People seem very angry about it according the article and I feel torn. On the one hand, it sucks if people want to spend the holiday with their family but can't. On the other hand, some of these people might need the money and assuming they get holiday pay for working on Thanksgiving, this might be a big help for them. So what do you think? Should stores be open on Thanksgiving or stay closed for the holiday? Will you be out shopping on Thanksgiving?

[anonomom]

I won't be shopping on TGiving or on Black Friday; I've never seen a deal great enough to justify the hassle. And I think it stinks for the employees who are forced to leave their families to work that day.

I wouldn't say I'm mad or outraged, though. I just think it's kind of sad.

[crl]

I won't be shopping on TGiving or on Black Friday; I've never seen a deal great enough to justify the hassle. And I think it stinks for the employees who are forced to leave their families to work that day.

I wouldn't say I'm mad or outraged, though. I just think it's kind of sad.
:yeahthat:

Catherine

[vonfirmath]

I saw this article: http://money.cnn.com/2013/11/05/pf/kmart-black-friday-customer-outrage/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

I definitely won't be shopping on Thanksgiving but I also won't be out on Black Friday either. People seem very angry about it according the article and I feel torn. On the one hand, it sucks if people want to spend the holiday with their family but can't. On the other hand, some of these people might need the money and assuming they get holiday pay for working on Thanksgiving, this might be a big help for them. So what do you think? Should stores be open on Thanksgiving or stay closed for the holiday? Will you be out shopping on Thanksgiving?

My friend works for a grocery store that is open half day on Thanksgiving. She gets holiday pay and LOVES it. (has for years) So the only difference is a few retailers will add to the number of businesses that stay open this day. Does anyone here remember when stores were not open on Sunday? We expect them to be now. There will likely come the day that Thanksgiving is the same.

She's divorced from the father of her first kid, and she always volunteered to work Thanksgiving and they did their family Thanksgiving even in the evening or the next day (She had Friday off.) They just worked the schedule around it. This allowed her oldest to do Thanksgiving with the ex that morning without any stress.

I will not be going out to shop on Thanksgiving day. But if this takes pressure off of the big crowds on Black Friday, maybe that will be good in other ways as well.

[indigo99]

I'm not happy about it. It's a family holiday and having to decide between your job or spending the day with your family (or trying to make your family work around your work schedule) isn't nice. I've always enjoyed garage sales, consignment sales etc so I kind of like Black Friday and am bummed when I don't really have anything to shop for. I have NOT liked that it keeps getting earlier and earlier though. Besides the worker aspect, now the shoppers will have to decide between getting the deals or changing their holiday plans. It's just bad all around.

[Pennylane]

I worked retail for years and just don't see the huge deal. We always tried to schedule the people that wanted the time and 1/2 pay on holidays and let the others off. There was always a few people that never wanted to work any holidays and threw fits , but IMHO then they shouldn't be in the retail business .

I won't be shopping either day , not because I'm angry , just because I hate the crowds!

Ann


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[AnnieW625]

When my DH worked in the grocery business (high school and college) they were always open from I believe 6 am until somewhere between 3 and 5 pm. Even Trader Joe's is open on Thanksgiving until at least 3 or they have been in the past. Those workers if UFCW get paid doubletime and sometimes DH ended up with triple time or doubletime and a half if he worked a certain shift. So it is not like they are getting paid their regular wage.

In regards to the KMart thing if that is what KMart wants to do then fine, but IMHO as long as the store is properly staffed they should have enough to people to work each shift so if you are working from 4 pm to 12 am then you have a lunch instead of dinner with your family. If you are religious and want to go to Thanksgiving service then be nice to your supervisor, and request a PM shift. Also KMart is really hurting for profits so I really think this is a latch ditch effort to keep the company afloat through the holidays and if following the trend of staying open for 41 hrs. is a trend then so be it. If you get a job in retail or grocery it is probably best to assume when you get the job that you will be working some holiday time on Thanksgiving.

I have shopped at Target on Black Friday before, but it has been a few years esp. since there have been some online deals, but the year I shopped at Target they had a bunch of $5 movie or TV show series deals so I bought a bunch of those and that was the bulk of my Christmas shopping and it wasn't all that busy. Now would I go to Wal Mart or even Macy's on Black Friday....no way, that is just crazy.

eta: I thought of emergency workers, retirement home or assisted living workers (my brother is one), health related people, cops, and firefighters, and the military they have no choice if they chose these career paths and my brother has says he likes working holidays because sometimes not everyone gets visitors on Christmas, esp. those who aren't Christian. Everyone needs someone to talk to on a major holiday esp. if family isn't close. These kind of jobs, plus retail aren't for everyone, but some people really like it and don't mind working. There have got to be people who would rather work than hear about Great Uncle Ned's 1975 fishing trip for the umpteenth time or deal with other family drama like who thinks the turkey is overcooked and the pecan pie is not sweet enough.

[Zukini]

The deals are hardly worth the risk... risks from being on the roads that early in the morning with everyone else trying to get somewhere, risk of having someone damage your car in their haste, risk of getting sick from the crowds. No thank you very much. I've seen enough craziness at Black Friday sales in the past. So I will be at home. Many deals can be had from the comfort and safety of my couch via the internets.

Plus I agree, folks should be allowed to stay home for the holiday. Stores and any business not providing an essential service should be closed, or workers at least given a REAL choice to decline working the holiday. It's like nothing is sacred any more. We've sacrificed family and community on the altar of profits... oh, and buying more stuff that let's face it, 98% of us do not really need.

[fivi2]

Haven't there always been movie theaters, gas stations, grocery stores etc open? I am pretty sure I have been to a skating rink on tg. Not to mention hospitals and other emergency services. I wont be out shopping but not because of this.

[carolinacool]

Well, I'll be there because I love to shop. LOL

That said, in high school I worked in a grocery store and we were open until 2 p.m. My last couple of years of high school, my mom worked at the hospital in admissions and worked the holiday. And DH and I met a newspaper where we both worked many holidays. He still works there and has worked Christmas Eve night for years now. So people working holidays is pretty normal for me. We just work around it.

[lkoala]

Plus I agree, folks should be allowed to stay home for the holiday. Stores and any business not providing an essential service should be closed, or workers at least given a REAL choice to decline working the holiday. It's like nothing is sacred any more. We've sacrificed family and community on the altar of profits... oh, and buying more stuff that let's face it, 98% of us do not really need.

:yeahthat:

Couldn't agree with you more. My Mom worked retail and they would require all employees to work on black Friday and it was getting ridiculous because the store would open earlier and earlier every year. So the employees would get Thanksgiving off but the stress of having to be at work at 2 in the morning would not make it very enjoyable.

[lhafer]

Well, I've worked retail in the past - and it doesn't matter to me either way. When I worked bedside as a nurse, we had rotating holiday schedules. So generally, if you were off for Thanksgiving day, you had to work Christmas day. I negotiated a deal where I worked both Thanksgiving day and Christmas Day in the same year, and had them both off the next year (and rotated it like that). It was easier that way so I didn't have to pick and choose family we saw on the holidays every year. The first year my daughter was born, I missed both Thanksgiving day and Christmas Day with her because it was my year to work both holidays. And it wasn't like I had the evening to enjoy a family function when I got home. I left for work at 5:45am and would get home around 8:30pm.

It's a day. Work around it. Many people in other fields do.

[brittone2]

It makes me really not want to have teenagers who work retail. I want to spend the day with them. Yes, there are lessons in working holidays, but I personally do not want my kids working on Thanksgiving day when they are teens. A lot of the other holidays? Meh. But I would be totally bummed if they had to work on Thanksgiving.

I remember years ago DH and I having that discussion as the video rental places (gah! that's like the stone age now...) were often open on Thanksgiving day. I always felt bad for the teens working and said to DH that I hope our kids don't work retail that requires hrs on Thanksgiving.

[waitingforgrace]

Doesn't bother me one bit. DH worked retail for years as an adult and preferred to work the holidays for extra pay. Our family was local so we just ate our "big" meal at a time that worked. For us, there's nothing magical about celebrating family time on that one day - it's a choice you make regardless of the day. For years now we have had celebrations on different days to accommodate extended family schedules, work schedules, etc.

And yes we'll probably go out shopping at some point that weekend because it's part of our family traditions.

[TwinFoxes]

Well, I'll be there because I love to shop. LOL

That said, in high school I worked in a grocery store and we were open until 2 p.m. My last couple of years of high school, my mom worked at the hospital in admissions and worked the holiday. And DH and I met a newspaper where we both worked many holidays. He still works there and has worked Christmas Eve night for years now. So people working holidays is pretty normal for me. We just work around it.

See you at the mall! I've been the last few years with my MIL and SILs and DN, and with friends. We don't go to Walmart or anywhere insane, we go to the mall/department store. It's been really fun. And add me to the list of people who've had to work on lots of holidays. (Best thing about freelancing, I only work holidays if I want to). But I knew when I chose my career the hours wouldn't be typical MF 9-5.

[elliput]

We always tried to schedule the people that wanted the time and 1/2 pay on holidays and let the others off.

You meant double time (2X) and not half pay, right? ;)

I can see how it has both pluses and minuses. If the employees are being compensated with double (or triple) time and volunteer to work, then they are getting a positive deal. There are some people who don't work on Thanksgiving Day, but do have to report back to work on Friday who would probably like the opportunity to do some shopping on Thursday.

[KrisM]

You meant double time (2X) and not half pay, right? ;)

I can see how it has both pluses and minuses. If the employees are being compensated with double (or triple) time and volunteer to work, then they are getting a positive deal. There are some people who don't work on Thanksgiving Day, but do have to report back to work on Friday who would probably like the opportunity to do some shopping on Thursday.

Think she meant time and a half, or 1.5X times pay.

I don't mind a lot. I didn't work retail, but if I did, I'd like the money. To me, it's a day. We never see DH's family on the holidays, and that's just how it is. The one year, we did drive to them for Christmas, my family just celebrated a few days early.

[Momit]

I'm not outraged or anything, but I do feel bad for the people who have to work. Most of my Black Friday deal shopping is online anyway. DH is the one who loves the Black Friday craziness. We usually go out for a while for fun if we're with my parents and they can stay home with DS.

[Ceepa]

I think it's sad that one of the few holidays that isn't consumer-based is being chipped away for the sake of the bottom line. And we're big Black Friday shoppers.

[TwinFoxes]

Does anyone here remember when stores were not open on Sunday?

No, but California doesn't really have blue laws. When I lived in London "Sunday trading" was still illegal, but a few major chains had just started breaking the law. I'm not sure the status of those laws now. I think they've been repealed.

[carolinacool]

I didn't know blue laws still exist in some form. Four years ago, we and some friends were driving down to Myrtle Beach, S.C. As soon as we crossed over into South Carolina, our friend's car got a flat tire. Luckily, we found out that we were only a couple of miles away from a Super Walmart with a tire and lube shop that was open on Sunday morning. So they start working on the car, and the girls all go to the restroom. After we came out, we were headed toward the makeup/beauty aisles to kill time, and we hear DH and the other guy with us start yelling to get our attention. Turns out, you couldn't go in the general merchandise part of the store until noon on Sundays. That's when we noticed the aisles were blocked off with rope. The guys had jumped the right to go to the electronics department and had gotten yelled at. LOL People were allowed in the grocery store section.

[mommy111]

Obsessive shoppers get to shop more and retail people get to make time and a half or double for extra cash. In this economy, getting extra opportunities to earn especially around the holidays is a bonus to many. It's a win-win. Although you'd have to pull my teeth to get me to go shopping at a store then

[maybeebaby08]

It doesn't bother I worked in restaurants through high school & college and holidays were mandatory. When I was hired I was told I had to work holidays, and don't accept the job if you can't. Everyone is complaining about retail stores being open but a lot of people have to work. Thanksgiving was one of the worst holidays to work in a restaurant, it would be all day from 11-9, large parties who were out for a special occasion and didn't tip well. I'm in MA and the stores aren't allowed to open until 12:01, so the employees have to stay up all night and don't get holiday pay. Most of the retail employees I've talked to have said they would rather come in at 8 and get holiday pay then come in at 12.

[AngelaS]

I hate it. In another ten years, Thanksgiving will become a major shopping day instead of a day to give thanks for the things we already have. I seldom go Black Friday shopping and refuse to shop on Thanksgiving.

[wellyes]

Hopefully shoppers won't come out in droves and this won't continue.
I think a lot of Black Friday shoppers do it because of family tradition & bonding with someone they "always" shop with that day........ moving it up may not change plans for all those die-hards.

[SnuggleBuggles]

We used to always go to the movies on Thanksgiving (still do some years). Not really different. I felt a twinge of guilt for the workers.

[khalloc]

I think grocery stores should be opened for part of the time at least on Thanksgiving. but I dont think other stores like department stores, electronics stores, toy stores should be opened that day. Its pretty outrageous.

I think black friday in general is crazy. Do you HAVE to open your store at midnight? Cant you just open at your regular time? I never shop on black friday though. It seems like it would put me in a bad mood and be too much of a headache.

[egoldber]

but some people really like it and don't mind working. There have got to be people who would rather work than hear about Great Uncle Ned's 1975 fishing trip for the umpteenth time or deal with other family drama like who thinks the turkey is overcooked and the pecan pie is not sweet enough.

I agree. Not everyone has a Norman Rockwell family that is all happiness and light. Many people want the money or are happy for an excuse to be late / leave early for a family function. Goodness knows I would have as a teen.

Also, for non-salaried people, Thanksgiving is generally NOT a paid holiday. If you don't work, you don't get paid.

ETA: I'm not a Black Friday shopper in general. If I go out, it's late in the day after crowds have died down. Honestly, after 1.5 days of extended family "togetherness" we're all pretty eager to get out of the house!

[aa2mama]

Plus I agree, folks should be allowed to stay home for the holiday. Stores and any business not providing an essential service should be closed, or workers at least given a REAL choice to decline working the holiday. It's like nothing is sacred any more. We've sacrificed family and community on the altar of profits... oh, and buying more stuff that let's face it, 98% of us do not really need.

:yeahthat: DH's full-time day job is an essential 24-7/365 days a year job where he rotates holidays while his second part-time job is in retail. So far his store is not open on Thanksgiving Day, and I hope that it never does. I want to spend Thanksgiving with family if possible, not padding the store's pocket. Many of the cashiers at the store are university students and away for the school vacation so it falls on the other employees to cover.

[carolinacool]

OK. Bumping up an old thread, but maybe this should be a bitching post. :ROTFLMAO:

I'm actually sort of irritated by the amount of outrage I'm seeing about this on my Facebook page. I seriously hope all those people have been similarly bothered by grocery stores, restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, skating rinks, nightclubs, gas stations, and other "non-essential" businesses that have been open on Thanksgiving for years and years. And newsflash - I know that our Kmart, at least, has been open on Thanksgiving for many years - long before Walmart did it.

And it would nice if people actually mentioned all those folks, instead of complaining about not shoppers taking a day off from "buying crap from China." I guess watching a movie filmed on an L.A. studio lot is A-OK for the holidays.

Rant over. LOL

[citymama]

The part that annoys me is turning this holiday into a consumer frenzy. We're not talking gas stations and drugstores and emergency services staying open on TG. We're talking about Walmart upping its sales figures by beating its competitors BF start times and making employees work on this family holiday in order to do so. Sure, some employees will like getting the holiday pay, but many, many will not, and will feel pressured to work on this day. And yeah, it sucks that time and a half at WM is still not a living wage. Now that part I am outraged about.



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[carolinacool]

On my list, I tried to avoid listing any company that was open for essential reasons (hospitals, travel industry, media, rescue personnel). I guess gas stations could fall in that category as well. I guess my larger point was lots of people have to work on Thanksgiving and make less than stellar wages - the woman pulling a 10-hour shift at Cracker Barrel or the guy taking tickets at the movie theater likely aren't living high on the hog, either.

I guess I don't understand why some businesses are seeming to get more of a "break" than others this year.

[hellokitty]

I'm not a fan of this new trend. It's completely profit driven by the corporate world and ppl are falling for it hook, line and sinker. Dh and I are in healthcare and hate working holidays. He is on call both thanksgiving and Christmas this yr and so we end up having to host since we cannot go out of town to go to family. When I worked, it was mandatory to work a certain number of holidays as well. If you have no local family, it means that you don't don't get to see them at all. Or else you end up having to host a house full of guests every time.

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[TxCat]

On my list, I tried to avoid listing any company that was open for essential reasons (hospitals, travel industry, media, rescue personnel). I guess gas stations could fall in that category as well. I guess my larger point was lots of people have to work on Thanksgiving and make less than stellar wages - the woman pulling a 10-hour shift at Cracker Barrel or the guy taking tickets at the movie theater likely aren't living high on the hog, either.

I guess I don't understand why some businesses are seeming to get more of a "break" than others this year.

I agree with you. A lot of restaurants have been open Thanksgiving for years, to take advantage of a perceived business need where people don't want to cook, be at home, etc. Same with movie theaters. Majority of those workers aren't getting holiday pay.


I'm not a fan of this new trend. It's completely profit driven by the corporate world and ppl are falling for it hook, line and sinker. Dh and I are in healthcare and hate working holidays. He is on call both thanksgiving and Christmas this yr and so we end up having to host since we cannot go out of town to go to family. When I worked, it was mandatory to work a certain number of holidays as well. If you have no local family, it means that you don't don't get to see them at all. Or else you end up having to host a house full of guests every time.

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I don't love working holidays, but it's not the end of the world either. I actually have some very fond memories of the big potluck dinners we would have, nurses, doctors, techs, etc., all together. And, there was no family drama!

[♥ms.pacman♥]

dh & i had a long argument/disucsson on this other day. he was one of the ones that felt pretty angered by companies being open on thanksgiving. he sees it as companies "forcing' people to work on a beloved all-American holiday that should be family only, just so the company can try to make more $$. i argued though, some people might need the money and would jump at the opportunity to work on thanksgiving. Also, not everyone cares about Thanksgiving, really.

i don't know. i think dh is the of the mindset that everyone things Thanksgiving is the hugest deal ever and it's only spent with family. i don't think everyone sees it like that. i for one, think Thanksgiving is my LEAST favorite holiday. I hate the obligations to either travel to visit family or host a dinner and thus have to deal with preparing all the food, cleaning up the house, etc. I don't care about the food, and requisite dishes you HAVE to have and taking joy in trying to put yourself in a food-coma. Not a fan of turkey. And i HATE watching football. I'd rather go out to eat at a nice restaurant and call it a day. :bag So I could totally see someone, especially a younger person jumping at the opportunity to work thanksgiving day and earn a bit of cash rather than having to deal with family drama. DH cannot grasp this concept at all.

[AngB]

I probably won't shop that day but I don't have a problem with it. Two of my siblings are managers at QT (the gas station/convenience store.) They actually don't get paid badly to begin with--they make more than I did as a teacher, for sure, and they have some decent benefits. (My brother just got an ipad 3 for his 10 year anniversary plus a bunch of other stuff. My sister won an all expenses trip to Hawaii for two. That's rough.) They both usually volunteer to work on Thanksgiving and at least 1 day of Christmas (either Eve or Day) and they get paid well for it. There stores usually have more volunteers than people needed, for holidays, because they get at least 1.5x and some holidays 2x pay.

My mom figures out a time when everyone is off (this time it's the next day) and has her own Thanksgiving for our immediate family. DH and I are usually jealous of my siblings because they miss out on all the extended family drama with my aunts and grandparents and cousins and stuff. We do the same thing for Christmas.

[nfceagles]

dh & i had a long argument/disucsson on this other day. he was one of the ones that felt pretty angered by companies being open on thanksgiving. he sees it as companies "forcing' people to work on a beloved all-American holiday that should be family only, just so the company can try to make more $$. i argued though, some people might need the money and would jump at the opportunity to work on thanksgiving. Also, not everyone cares about Thanksgiving, really.

i don't know. i think dh is the of the mindset that everyone things Thanksgiving is the hugest deal ever and it's only spent with family. i don't think everyone sees it like that. i for one, think Thanksgiving is my LEAST favorite holiday. I hate the obligations to either travel to visit family or host a dinner and thus have to deal with preparing all the food, cleaning up the house, etc. I don't care about the food, and requisite dishes you HAVE to have and taking joy in trying to put yourself in a food-coma. Not a fan of turkey. And i HATE watching football. I'd rather go out to eat at a nice restaurant and call it a day. :bag So I could totally see someone, especially a younger person jumping at the opportunity to work thanksgiving day and earn a bit of cash rather than having to deal with family drama. DH cannot grasp this concept at all.

You sound just like DH and I. I just don't see the big deal about Thanksgiving. Blech! A holiday where I have to either travel or cook all day. Not what I consider a holiday. And Turkey's ok, but nothing to build a holiday around. I'd rather eat pizza than turkey any day of the week. Fortunately for me, we have decided not to travel this year and DH has agreed to smoke ribs instead of having turkey.

[swissair81]

I do not go shopping on Thanksgiving or Black Friday. Not only that, I refuse to step into a mall or large shopping center between Thanksgiving and New Years. There are too many people, and it is more enjoyable to either stay home and shop from my couch or go to small neighborhood stores that I want to stay in business.
ETA: I worked every legal holiday when I was working in nursing full time. It was part of my agreement with my bosses to allow me to not have to work on Saturday. The other part was showing up every Sunday. I know how grateful my coworkers were when they were lucky enough to be off Thanksgiving. Luckily for them, we only have to work every other holiday, and the other one was Christmas. So everyone got something off. Also, the hospital was careful that we all got time and a half if we had to work, all shifts on holidays are only 8 hours long, and if the census was low they started calling people off. I'm assuming Walmart isn't quite as generous.

[pb&j]

Having worked in the airlines for a number of years, and coming from a medical family, I have a hard time getting upset over people having to work holidays. It is what it is. Trade your shift if you can or plan around it. Nobody gave a crap when I was making $19K/yr (yes, that was my salary as a first officer my first year flying for an airline) flying them around on Xmas and Thanksgiving, or that DH was making $8/hr throwing their bags. People in restaurants have been working holidays forever. I am deeply thankful that the Denny's in Oklahoma City was open on Thanksgiving day 2002, or I would have gone hungry as I was on an airline overnight, far away from my family. And the Burlington, VT hotel restaurant that was open Christmas Day of that year, same story.

Suddenly it's inhumane for retail to be open that day? Maybe I'm a jerk, but this doesn't even make my radar.

[SnuggleBuggles]

It just doesn't bother me much. I like holidays where everything is shut down just because I like the idea of slowing down and nothing to do. But, I also hit my social tolerance after 4-8 hours and am happy to head to the movies after dinner. We've done that a lot and it's often quite fun! With shopping, you can at least chat with people so more social than a movie. I worked retail in the past and worked many holidays. Never my favorite thing but not terrible.

[KLD313]

I don't think it's a big deal and I'm definitely not outraged. Also, stores aren't open all day so there's no reason you cant still do something before you have to go to work. I remember working Easter Sunday when I was a teenager working in an gift shop/office supply store. I didn't like it but I did it.

[wellyes]

My thought is, how would you feel if you boss told you you had to work on Thanksgiving? Happy to make a few extra bucks? Most of us would say "no," and I think most retail workers would too. Particularly when time and a half ends up being an extra $5/hour or so.

I also read that Wal-Mart has been manipulating hours to reduce bonus holiday pay http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/11/22/2983301/walmart-thanksgiving-pay/ while talking about how excited their employees are for a chance to make extra money. Slimy.

[vonfirmath]

I worked Thanksgiving, every other year for a while, by choice. (The Big UT/A&M game is Thanksgiving game. I work it when its in town) No holiday bonus either.

[gymnbomb]

We just got home from Target and they had signs on their doors stating that they will not be open on Thanksgiving due to state law, and will open at 1 a.m. on Nov. 29. I do, however, recall shopping at CVS on Thanksgiving a few years ago so this must vary depending on the type of store with drugstores being exempt? Either that or it's a new law.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Having worked in the airlines for a number of years, and coming from a medical family, I have a hard time getting upset over people having to work holidays. It is what it is. Trade your shift if you can or plan around it. Nobody gave a crap when I was making $19K/yr (yes, that was my salary as a first officer my first year flying for an airline) flying them around on Xmas and Thanksgiving, or that DH was making $8/hr throwing their bags. People in restaurants have been working holidays forever. I am deeply thankful that the Denny's in Oklahoma City was open on Thanksgiving day 2002, or I would have gone hungry as I was on an airline overnight, far away from my family. And the Burlington, VT hotel restaurant that was open Christmas Day of that year, same story.

Suddenly it's inhumane for retail to be open that day? Maybe I'm a jerk, but this doesn't even make my radar.

I am so with you. I have the same outlook on this. I don't get how working on a holiday triggers such an outrage. Lots of people on this board (myself included) have had to work weekends/nights/holidays when it wasn't convenient, and most of the time not getting paid overtime or whatnot.

I am not from medical or airline background though my parents & i were/are immigrants and i guess from that I am able to understand that not everybody has the same traditions or holds certain holidays to the same regard as many here. For example in most Latin American countries, Christmas is celebrated on the evening/midnight on the 24th. So the 25th, aside from any "hangover" is like any other day. one thing that came tradition for our family is we would go out for Chinese food for lunch on Christmas Day, in San Francisco. And it's not like we were the only ones there.

[wellyes]

Chinese Food on Christmas Day is a pretty famous and well-known tradition, aka "Jewish Christmas".

[TwinFoxes]

My thought is, how would you feel if you boss told you you had to work on Thanksgiving? Happy to make a few extra bucks? Most of us would say "no," and I think most retail workers would too. Particularly when time and a half ends up being an extra $5/hour or so.



I've had two jobs where I've had to work on Thanksgiving. The first was at a large luxury hotel right out of college. People were falling all over themselves to work on holidays. The managers had a sign-up, and then tried to divvy holidays up because there were people that tried to work every single holiday to make double time. And we got holidays as paid days off! So it really was about the $$. Housekeepers, valets, etc, people making the least amount of money were typically the ones who REALLY wanted to work extra.

My "real" job, where everyone has a college degree, and many have advanced degrees, people don't really like working it, but get over it. It's Christmas that people hate to work, followed by New Year's Day (party people in the house!). July 4th is also surprisingly popular to take off.

Clearly, I'm with the "eh" no big deal contingent. I think an extra $5 an hour is a LOT to some people. $40 is a grocery trip for some (8 hour shift). If I really thought people were bemoaning the fact that they didn't get to spend Thanksgiving with their families, I'd feel different. But I just don't. I also agree with Beth, not everyone has a loving family they want to spend all day with. I would have been the first one to volunteer as a teen! If you have a dysfunctional family, you're ready to be gone by the time the stores open. My mom and I often escaped to a movie, if a mall had been open, we probably would have gone there.

Walmart has issues whether it's Thanksgiving or not.

FWIW, I'll be out on BF, but no plans to go out on Thanksgiving.

[wellyes]

I'm thinking of my DH's aunt who works at WalMart. She has 2 grown daughters and her 1st grandson is 10 months old. She also cooks thanksgiving for her 2 parents who are in their early 90s. She is slightly developmentally delayed. I don't know if she is scheduled to work T-day but I hope not. I know she wasn't expecting it to be open when she got the job years ago, and I know she definitely does not have a say on what days she is scheduled to work.

[carolinacool]

July 4th is also surprisingly popular to take off.

No, I totally get that! My first job out of college was working as a copy editor at a newspaper, so my regular schedule was nights, weekends AND holidays. Triple whammy! But July 4th was totally a holiday that I requested off each year.

Because we worked evenings, the holiday request schedule included Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, NY Eve and New Year's Day. Keep in mind I was in my early 20s, but NY Eve was my first choice, followed by NY Day and Christmas Eve. Thanksgiving didn't rank for me. DH and I started dating shortly after I started working, so we would go to the Thanksgiving buffet at a hotel and head to work. As we both got seniority, our days off shifted to Friday and Saturday, so in that case it did make sense to ask for Thanksgiving because we could actually leave town and go to my parents' house.

But we ended up working a lot of Christmas Eves and Christmas nights. And like I mentioned earlier in the thread, DH is still at the paper and still works Christmas Eve nights all the time.

[PZMommy]

My dad worked retail for over 20 years and just retired last year. Going in he knew he would have to work Black Friday. However working thanksgiving Day was not a requirement when he started. He had no desire to work Thanksgiving Day no matter what the pay was. He much rather spend the day with family. He retired the week before Thanksgiving, so he could avoid the whole mess.

Some professions you go into you know you will be required to work holidays. Retail never used to be that way. I don't think a worker should have to work on a holiday if they don't want to. However, many retail workers may not get much of a choice.

[LD92599]

Does anyone here remember when stores were not open on Sunday? We expect them to be now. There will likely come the day that Thanksgiving is the same.

Our county in NJ is the last that still has sunday blue laws! There's one town in particular within the county that is MUCH more protective of their sunday blue laws.

[maestramommy]

I won't be shopping on TGiving or on Black Friday; I've never seen a deal great enough to justify the hassle. And I think it stinks for the employees who are forced to leave their families to work that day.

I wouldn't say I'm mad or outraged, though. I just think it's kind of sad.

Pretty much that. One of my friends is extremely tempted to hit Target on Black Thursday (as she called it) because they are offering a great deal on the new ipad. Really? Is that how they are getting people in the door? And it's not like they pay their employees an amazing wage, but then they still have to work? It's just sad. I'm not that old but I remember when nothing was open on Thanksgiving Day.