Thanksgiving shopping protests

[VeteranMom]

I'm seeing all the posts on facebook from various people saying they are boycotting Thanksgiving shopping.  It seems people are upset that retailers are making their employees work.  Most of the stores around here aren't opening until 6 p.m.  I'm not sure what the hours are in other cities.  I know the Target employees I talked to last year said they did not mind working on Thanksgiving and said they were getting overtime and holiday pay.  They seemed genuinely happy.  Also, a lot of them got hired on to do the seasonal work and purposely signed on to work just for the holiday season.  Why is everyone so upset about Thanksgiving shopping and emailing retailers to complain?  Will you shop on Thanksgiving?  What if you forgot dinner or potatoes rolls?  Will you skip going to the grocery store- just out of principle?            

[purplejackmama]

No I won't shop on thanksgiving. Ever. But mine is more of a general protest against consumerism and the constant obsession with more! stuff!!

 

I will say that the cashier at my Target this morning was super stressed out about having to work on Thanksgiving day. She said she is a single mom and new in town (has no other family). She has to come in at 5:00pm on Thursday and work until midnight. Then she's scheduled for 7:30am on Black Friday. She said that's tough on her kids, and I agree.

 

I applaud companies like REI. Closed on Black Friday but paying their employees. I'll be a customer for life. :)

[Bluegoat]

That isn't so much a factor here, but I think that speaking generally about holiday employment, it's a matter of the big picture rather than each individual's prference.

 

There will probably always be some individuals who are happy enough to make some extra cash.  Especially if they are already underpaid.

 

However - employers have a fair amount of power over employees.  It's a typical tactic to say "This is what the employees want" when it is something that will mean the employer has to give less to the employees.  Jobs that are taking up more and more of people's lives, so they can't do other things, are becoming a bigger part of the economy.  People cannot depend on weekly predictable time that family will also be off, or that they can take a class or join a club.  Now they can't depend on holidays either.  And the justification for it is always about money.  People who want these things will not be guaranteed  to be allowed not to take their scheduled shifts because they want a balanced life.  If they complain, people will say "they should take another job."

 

It isn't about quality of life, or that they just really want to be there selling whatever.  It's money for the employer, and they justify it by saying it makes more money for their employee.  That's the god we bow down to. 

 

It's pretty rich IMO to justify not giving people holidays because they are desperate for money because you pay shite wages.

[KungFuPanda]

My casual observation is that the people making the overtime are happy and the upper middle class people who have never worked on thanksgiving are outraged on their behalf. Also, the nurses and theater employees are rolling their eyes. I don't like to shop, so I don't have a dog in this fight.

[HomeAgain]

I won't be shopping on Thanksgiving.  It has been renamed Blursday in our house with as much as society is trying to cram in to one holiday that they're only using to serve as a kickoff for the next.  I'm tired of the Christmas Creep, the push for major consumerism - Verizon and their "Thanksgetting" ads, the dept stores telling you to shop sales on Mon & Tues, and don't forget to come back Thurs for Black Friday!

Just...no.  It's tiring to be bombarded all the time to BUYBUYBUY! Ick.  We've done some shopping, we'll hit up the mom & pop stores after T-day, but Thanksgiving we'll be spending at home.  We'll have a leisurely meal, watch the football game, put on a movie for the kids in the evening and give thanks for what we have this year.

 

 

[JustEm]

I don't really understand the upset but I also don't go shopping on Thanksgiving. Do people not realize that movie theaters have always been open on Thanksgiving? I've never heard anyone complain about that.

[Matryoshka]

I have never shopped on Thanksgiving and it wouldn't occur to me to do it.  I'm not even sure when it became a thing that any stores were open that day.  They definitely shouldn't be...

[Pawz4me]

I don't think I've ever in my life shopped on Thanksgiving.  Not because I'm trying to send some message, just 'cause I hate to shop.

 

I was chatting with a cashier at Walmart this morning who said she had to work Thanksgiving, so she and her DH were having their traditional meal tomorrow.  She didn't seem very bothered by it one way or another.

[HS Mom in NC]

I don't shop on Thanksgiving for Black Friday because I despise shopping and shopping those days would be even worse. I do most of my Christmas shopping online anyway.  I'm hosting Thanksgiving for a couple dozen people many years (including on Thursday) and attending 2 Thanksgivings other years. 

I'm tired of the self-righteous attitude people have when they announce of FB that they're not shopping those days.  So? Neither do I but I don't need the world to know about it.  I only talk about my plans on those days when people specifically ask about it.  I don't announce of FB when I do my grocery shopping either. 

I'm also surprised by how many people announce that with not a single thought in their brains about how much many workers need the overtime and holiday pay to cover regular bills and maybe a modest Christmas.  Plenty of people are shopping Black Friday deals to make incredibly limited budgets stretch so their kids can have something for Christmas.  Jumping on the "don't shop a certain day" bandwagon could increase financial strain for some people if it actually succeeded.  And what about struggling businesses who could be facing letting employees go if they stay "in the red" because sales are down?  That's what "Black" Friday is-when many businesses finally start making a profit for the fiscal year.  When other people shop just isn't any of my business.

You can say whatever you want on the topic and post whatever you like on your FB page, but trying to get other people to stop what they're doing because you're not doing it is annoying.

My oldest will be working Thanksgiving evening (we'll do our meal at lunch time so she can enjoy family time) at her job at the retail mall because she's got to supplement her income as she starts her doula business; one of my brothers will be working on Thanksgiving because he works for the power company and it would be incredibly obnoxious to demand everyone stop using electricity so he can have the day off, and he's paying for a very expensive divorce from his ex-wife who was abusing the kids and his oldest daughter had a baby a month ago and the father has nothing to do with them; and  my step-dad used to work at the newspaper on Thanksgiving because it would've been obnoxious to insist no one have newspapers the next morning and the generous double time and a half pay covered a big chunk of Christmas for us that wouldn't have had otherwise.

[Guest]

My casual observation is that the people making the overtime are happy and the upper middle class people who have never worked on thanksgiving are outraged on their behalf. Also, the nurses and theater employees are rolling their eyes. I don't like to shop, so I don't have a dog in this fight.

 

Yeah and military.

 

My personal feeling is that employees should be able to take off work for the important days for their family. Whether those are tradtional holidays or not.

 

fwiw when I worked at target people signed up to work either tgiving or the day after. If you didn't put your name on the board one way or the other, they just sceduled you whenever they needed you.

 

Now, people mad about thanksgiving I kind of "get" in the abstract....but I wish folks would lay off people that shop on black friday. Duh that's when stuff is cheapest and loads of ppl have fun on black friday. Not *me,* so I don't take it personally, but I cringe when I see ppl (not here) implying or saying outright that bf shoppers are consumerist idiots and everything that's rong with the world today. Use all that negative energy to agitate for better jobs and pay in general, or something!

[Jean in Newcastle]

To me, grocery stores and pharmacies are in a different category than other retail stores.  I have no problem running to the grocery store or pharmacy if I run out of toilet paper or rolls or my child has a fever and needs some Tylenol.  I don't shop at other stores on Thanksgiving but I do agree that many employees at other stores are seasonal workers who do want to work as much as they can during this time especially if they get holiday pay. 

[AlmiraGulch]

Like others have said, i find the people who are outraged over retail workers having to work major holidays to be quite hypocritical, as there are loads of people who have always worked holidays and no one has ever said a word about it.

 

I kind of get the focus on retail, specifically, as it represents the hyper-consumerism of the country, but if no one went, they wouldn't be open.  And honestly, it's an issue year round, not just on holidays.  

 

My daughter has to work 5:00 - midnight on Thanksgiving.  She's thrilled, honestly, because she's really looking forward to the double time. I have a friend who works a professional job but also has tended bar for 20+ years, and she's working Thanksgiving this year, by choice.  She'll be taking in a bunch of food and making it a celebration for some of the "regulars" who just don't have any family to share the day with, and for those who feel the need to spend a little less time with theirs that day.

 

Meh...to each his own, I say.  

[VeteranMom]

That isn't so much a factor here, but I think that speaking generally about holiday employment, it's a matter of the big picture rather than each individual's prference.

 

There will probably always be some individuals who are happy enough to make some extra cash.  Especially if they are already underpaid.

 

However - employers have a fair amount of power over employees.  It's a typical tactic to say "This is what the employees want" when it is something that will mean the employer has to give less to the employees.  Jobs that are taking up more and more of people's lives, so they can't do other things, are becoming a bigger part of the economy.  People cannot depend on weekly predictable time that family will also be off, or that they can take a class or join a club.  Now they can't depend on holidays either.  And the justification for it is always about money.  People who want these things will not be guaranteed  to be allowed not to take their scheduled shifts because they want a balanced life.  If they complain, people will say "they should take another job."

 

It isn't about quality of life, or that they just really want to be there selling whatever.  It's money for the employer, and they justify it by saying it makes more money for their employee.  That's the god we bow down to. 

 

It's pretty rich IMO to justify not giving people holidays because they are desperate for money because you pay shite wages.

I agree that if given the choice most of the employees would prefer to have the day off.  I've worked shift work and have been at work on many major holidays, fwiw.  Do you think that the retailers are exploiting the customer as much as they are exploiting the worker?   

[MEmama]

I always used to volunteer to work on Thanksgiving--loved escaping family and getting extra pay! I don't tend to shop on that day but not out of principal. I think mandatory days for shops to be closed is fine, but I also don't have any issue with not having those rules. Nothing to get upset about, IMO.

[Bluegoat]

I'm military, and most of my family are in health care.  None of us are rolling our eyes.  We understand that there is a difference between a job where there is a real human requirement to have people do the job at all times, and one where there is not.  We need nurses in hospitals all the time, to keep people alive and healthy and comfortable, and its a positive good for society as a whole.  We do not need Walmart open all the time, and it isn't a benefit for society as a whole.

 

And - health care workers and military generally get higher pay, and benefits, compared to retail workers. 

 

I really don't understand how anyone in either of those kinds of work doesn't see how they are different qualitatively.  Working in a war zone or doing emergency surgery are the same kind of thing as selling shoes?

 

Food service and entertainment workers have always got the shaft on this.  In part I think that unlike shopping, it has always been a profession that operates during leisure times when everyone is off their regular work.  I think that unlike retail, you could argue that weird hours are really intrinsic to the work.  Entertainment has always been a challenging employment profile in many ways.

 

I would also point out that these kinds of holiday openings are often much better for corporate stores than locally owned small business, who often lose money and so fall further behind and fail, which in turn takes more money out of the community.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I mostly don't shop because...why would I want to. Yuck! Dh and I have worked in health care our entire adult lives, and hospitals don't close ( pesky sick people). My mom was a telephone operator when I was a kid. They always worked too.

Edited November 23, 2015 by joyofsix

[Guest]

Yes bluegoat we all understand that cashiers and nurses have different jobs :rolleyes:

 

But some people simply do not agree with you that it matters.

 

Is is provably to the detriment of society as a whole to have stores open on thanksgiving?

[Bluegoat]

I agree that if given the choice most of the employees would prefer to have the day off.  I've worked shift work and have been at work on many major holidays, fwiw.  Do you think that the retailers are exploiting the customer as much as they are exploiting the worker?   

 

Yeah, actually I do think so, but it's less of a power relationship.   I think the lack of real down time where we don't have to run around is a big part of our collective anxiety.  But it is hard to realize that in the middle of it.

[Murphy101]

I think it's stupid. If you don't want to shop, then don't.

 

Obviously they are opening bc they think many will. Most places don't stay open on days or hours when they expect not enough customers to cover the overhead for the time.

 

But many people are very grateful to work thanksgiving day. Double time for holiday pay is often something employees vie for bc they need the money.

 

And those who don't need the money that bad can often get off work bc of those who do.

 

My son will be working until 6pm thanksgiving and bc of that he gets holiday pay and they will let him have off Christmas Eve. Employees get to choose which they want to work. In four years, there's never been a conflict about it.

[marbel]

I don't shop on Thanksgiving or Black Friday - with the exception of needs, as in we need medicine or something for a sick person.  I guess I've been happy certain stores have been open if I find I forgot to buy sour cream or something for Thanksgiving, but that hasn't happened for years.

 

Of course there are always people who have to work holidays - for essential services.  My son is a new volunteer firefighter and he is expecting to go out on calls on Thanksgiving.  Bargain hunting is not essential.   I don't like the idea that people who want to be home with their families will be forced to work because people can't stop shopping.   OTOH if some people can get holiday pay and are happy to work... that's great.  Unfortunately it can be a hard choice for employers to make. 

 

To me, Thanksgiving is such a (US) American day that it seems proper that as many people as possible should be allowed to celebrate it.   Honestly, to me it seems more important than Christmas for stores to be closed, simply because there are plenty of people for whom Christmas means nothing.  (I don't mean that as a criticism - it's just...not everyone celebrates Christmas; for many people it's just another day.)  But I can't imagine living in a country and not wanting to celebrate the national Thanksgiving day.  But maybe I'd feel differently if I lived elsewhere.

 

ETA:  Ideally, only those people who wanted to work would have to work. So, those who wanted holiday pay, or those for whom the holiday is unimportant.  I doubt it could work out that way though.

 

 

Edited November 23, 2015 by marbel

[bettyandbob]

I don't like the blurring out of Thanksgiving. I'm happy for people who are glad to work, but I prefer a pause to focus on Thanksgiving not eat and shop.

 

I realize public safety and hospital staff must work. But no one needs to buy a flat screen TV on Thanksgiving.

 

So, I will be keeping focus on that.

 

Ds had the option to work. He's a lifeguard. Our community center is open until noon for people who need to stick routines. There's no OT pay, however it is a very popular day to work. I'm sort of OK with that because people getting exercise doesn't take away from the holiday focus and tell people they should be looking at a different holiday. I imagine some people are even thankful for the workout before they deal with in laws.

 

Besides the looking ahead, I don't like the message that the holiday people should be focused on is just about buying stuff.

[Murphy101]

Well I have a generalized hate of shopping regardless of the day of the year, so that anyone ever wants to go do it and gets enjoyment out of it is mildly beyond my understanding.

[regentrude]

I see a big difference between a run to the grocery store (after all, with everybody preparing a holiday meal, one might run out of ingredients) and shopping for shoes.

I will not shop on Thanksgiving (or, for that matter, on Black Friday), because I detest the underlying materialistic attitude of society. Most of us have way too much stuff. I hate the push to buy, buy, buy.

I can see the need for open grocery stores and pharmacies, but beyond this? We really can't manage one day without shopping for more stuff in this country?

 

(ETA:I come from a country where all stores are closed every Sunday, and we somehow survive.)

 

2nd ETA: I love REI's announcement that they opt out of the craziness.

Edited November 23, 2015 by regentrude

[gardenmom5]

I do not shop on thanksgiving.  I do not shop on black friday.

my college student ds is a regular target employee with limited hours because being a student comes first - he's very HAPPY he is NOT working on thanksgiving. it was also never even a question. he is also not going to be there at some obscene hour on friday because he will be working his normal schedule. (with a start time of like 3pm.)

 

his manager would have liked to close the store on thanksgiving - the corporate offices wont' allow it.

Edited November 23, 2015 by gardenmom5

[OneStepAtATime]

I won't be shopping on Thanksgiving because I hate shopping and have no interest in spending my holiday fighting crowds to buy more junk.  I also hate the push to buy, buy, buy.  Now if people need to work to make money, I get that.  I worked in a field that was nearly 24/7 on shifts so holidays were frequently just part of the landscape.  I appreciated that we got paid more money when working holiday shifts that were beyond our normal schedule.  Otherwise though, I just don't get why shopping has to be the big past time.  I would rather there were more community events to attend, or to spend more time at home with our families and neighbors.

[Guest]

1--"no one should shop at stores on X day..........for the workers."

2--"no one should shop on X day..........because I have enough crap already, and so does everyone else."

 

Naturally the workers have jobs that depend on ppl wanting more "enough crap already" the other 363 days of the year....and THAT'S ok because that's when I shop.

[Garga]

Kohls has their Black Friday prices going now. I popped into one this morning and got 2 robes for the boys for presents. There were no lines, no crowds. I guess because lots of people had to work? I wonder how that will play out for Kohls this year. Will people still be crowding their doors on Thurs night? Or will they be like me and have gotten what they needed to get from M-W this week?

 

I don't necessarily see the big deal that stores are open. Lots and lots and lots of places are open on holidays. So, on one hand, no big deal.

 

But, on the other hand it's a change. And people don't like change. And there's something sacred about Thanskgiving and Christmas and we all want everyone at home. People who usually work on Tgiving or Christmas do so because their job is vital. I worked every single holiday for years before I had kids and worked for the government. I let my coworkers with kids have the days off and I raked in the money with my overtime/holiday and sometimes nighttime pay as well. I could make triple-quadrulple salary for that day if it was on a weekend and I was on the night shift. My dad worked there, too, one Thanksgiving and we had Thanksgiving dinner in the cafeteria together. Turkey and gravy.

 

Personally, I don't like the idea of people having to work retail on Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's not a vital service. So I won't buy on Thanksgiving--at least not in the store. I will buy online. But for all I know, some poor computer guy is stuck at work to handle any computer issues that come up with online buying. But since online buying is available 24 hours, I kinda think that they'd be stuck there anyway because there would always be a few people buying on Thanksgiving, whether or not there are sales.

 

I wish that they'd go back to opening stores for Black Friday around 8 or 9 on Friday morning and be done with it. All this opening at midnnight or at 6 the night before wears me out.

 

But the deals are amazing. I'll be getting sheets and blankets and towels this year. Instead of $90 for the sheets, I'll be paying only $15. I can't afford $90 sheets. To me the Black Friday sales aren't about getting more, more, more. They're about buying the things we need anyway, only waiting to get them on Black Friday. Some things go on my list in January or February and I just do without until BF rolls around. In my home it's not consumerism. It's being thrifty. My son has worn his slightly too small jeans for the past month, and we're waiting until Friday to get new ones one sale. Then I can afford to get him an extra pair.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Garga

[Bluegoat]

Yes bluegoat we all understand that cashiers and nurses have different jobs :rolleyes:

 

But some people simply do not agree with you that it matters.

 

Is is provably to the detriment of society as a whole to have stores open on thanksgiving?

 

If its different, than what is the point of bringing it up?  Really?  It sounds like sour grapes - "we have to work on the holiday, why should they get a day off".  How about, "you can go on doing your necessary job but we'll pay you like a retail employee."

 

I don't say "well, I could get blown up at my job, so I don't care about it when other types of employment aren't made as safe as possible."

[unsinkable]

No I won't shop on thanksgiving. Ever. But mine is more of a general protest against consumerism and the constant obsession with more! stuff!!

 

I will say that the cashier at my Target this morning was super stressed out about having to work on Thanksgiving day. She said she is a single mom and new in town (has no other family). She has to come in at 5:00pm on Thursday and work until midnight. Then she's scheduled for 7:30am on Black Friday. She said that's tough on her kids, and I agree.

 

I applaud companies like REI. Closed on Black Friday but paying their employees. I'll be a customer for life. :)

 

I know the Targets in this area told their employees to check their schedules for 'clopening' shifts that are close together and to bring them to the attention of management.

 

They don't like to do that but sometimes it slips thru and they try to fix it by spreading out the shifts.

[gardenmom5]

there are certain fields that are 24/7 where that's just the way it is - and needs to be. e.g. emergency services, hospitals, etc. things that support infrastructure.  we did have a local dot person who chose to vacation on christmas instead of dealing with AN EMERGENCY.  they lost their job - and rightfully so. (and so did the mayor who hired them.)

 

toy stores? no.  discount stores? no.  grocery stores (around here they usually close early.).  I respect costco for refusing to be open on holidays. (and closing early on 'eve's')

 

years ago I started shopping early, my goal is always to be done by thanksgiving.  or, at least the middle of dec.  (I still have a few large items.)  I prefer shopping online, and can do that anytime.

Edited November 23, 2015 by gardenmom5

[Arcadia]

My friends and I worked as seasonal workers for retail before college started decades ago. The double pay for after 9pm and for seasonal holidays are so worth it for paying college miscellaneous expenses. Working 9pm to 1am was same pay as 10am to 6pm and we could still go for short courses in the day.

 

We go window shopping on Thanksgiving as my kids have early December birthdays and we have no relatives here. We were at the outlets during the weekend and people were mainly buying clothes and shoes.

[Guest]

If its different, than what is the point of bringing it up?  Really?  It sounds like sour grapes - "we have to work on the holiday, why should they get a day off".  How about, "you can go on doing your necessary job but we'll pay you like a retail employee."

 

I don't say "well, I could get blown up at my job, so I don't care about it when other types of employment aren't made as safe as possible."

 

No, you misunderstand.

 

The rolling-eyes sentiment is directed at people who have taken it upon themselves to coomplain on behalf of retail workers while simultaneously giving themselves moral bonus points for taking a stand by doing what they are obviously inclined to do already: stay home on tgiving.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

My casual observation is that the people making the overtime are happy and the upper middle class people who have never worked on thanksgiving are outraged on their behalf. Also, the nurses and theater employees are rolling their eyes. I don't like to shop, so I don't have a dog in this fight.

I agree with this. I think a better thing to protest is the fact that many retailers do not give more than a week's schedule at a time with varying shifts and also cancel people's shifts on very short notice. This makes it impossible to hold second jobs or further your education or plan. Plus many do not pay living wages. This is where the outrage should be.

 

As for working on holidays, as long as they pay time and half and have a system of rotating holidays so that a person does not have to work both Christmas and Thanksgiving, then I think it is OK. That is what we did as nurses.

[Bluegoat]

No, you misunderstand.

 

The rolling-eyes sentiment is directed at people who have taken it upon themselves to coomplain on behalf of retail workers while simultaneously giving themselves moral bonus points for taking a stand by doing what they are obviously inclined to do already: stay home on tgiving.

 

Ah, I see.

 

I think a few people at least were saying they won't shop because they don't want to, but they also think whatever about the the implications for workers rights more generally.  I think that's fair.  And i wouldn't assume none of them have any connection to that work themselves, lots of people work retail at some point, or have family that do. 

 

I also think though that for many people the two things - concern about workers rights and not wanting to be involved in shopping on holidays - come from the same place, which is a concerns about consumerism and the idea that monetary concerns are the best arbiter of what is good practice.  It's hard to look at the effects of consumerism and not feel put off about the created hysteria of the holiday season.  And yet it is still hard for most people not to be affected by it, and its difficult if not impossible to completely drop out of it. 

[gardenmom5]

I know the Targets in this area told their employees to check their schedules for 'clopening' shifts that are close together and to bring them to the attention of management.

 

They don't like to do that but sometimes it slips thru and they try to fix it by spreading out the shifts.

 

yeah - when they're dealing with a large number of employees, and a large number have varying schedules - it is very easy to have one (or more) slip through the cracks.  the scheduler doens't know if no one tells them.  she should bring it up.  and I believe there is also a legal requirement (at least in some jurisdictions) for a certian number of hours off (eight?) before they can be scheduled for another shift.

[Junie]

Kohls has their Black Friday prices going now. I popped into one this morning and got 2 robes for the boys for presents. There were no lines, no crowds. I guess because lots of people had to work? I wonder how that will play out for Kohls this year. Will people still be crowding their doors on Thurs night? Or will they be like me and have gotten what they needed to get from M-W this week?

 

I don't necessarily see the big deal that stores are open. Lots and lots and lots of places are open on holidays. So, on one hand, no big deal.

 

But, on the other hand it's a change. And people don't like change. And there's something sacred about Thanskgiving and Christmas and we all want everyone at home. People who usually work on Tgiving or Christmas do so because their job is vital. I worked every single holiday for years before I had kids and worked for the government. I let my coworkers with kids have the days off and I raked in the money with my overtime/holiday and sometimes nighttime pay as well. I could make triple-quadrulple salary for that day if it was on a weekend and I was on the night shift. My dad worked there, too, one Thanksgiving and we had Thanksgiving dinner in the cafeteria together. Turkey and gravy.

 

Personally, I don't like the idea of people having to work retail on Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's not a vital service. So I won't buy on Thanksgiving--at least not in the store. I will buy online. But for all I know, some poor computer guy is stuck at work to handle any computer issues that come up with online buying. But since online buying is available 24 hours, I kinda think that they'd be stuck there anyway because there would always be a few people buying on Thanksgiving, whether or not there are sales.

 

I wish that they'd go back to opening stores for Black Friday around 8 or 9 on Friday morning and be done with it. All this opening at midnnight or at 6 the night before wears me out.

 

But the deals are amazing. I'll be getting sheets and blankets and towels this year. Instead of $90 for the sheets, I'll be paying only $15. I can't afford $90 sheets. To me the Black Friday sales aren't about getting more, more, more. They're about buying the things we need anyway, only waiting to get them on Black Friday. Some things go on my list in January or February and I just do without until BF rolls around. In my home it's not consumerism. It's being thrifty. My son has worn his slightly too small jeans for the past month, and we're waiting until Friday to get new ones one sale. Then I can afford to get him an extra pair.

:iagree:

 

 Dh and I usually go shopping together to get great Black Friday deals.  With 6 kids, it helps to be able to buy Christmas gifts at a discount.  And, like Garga said, we also get things that we need -- at a huge discount.

 

A lot of people argue that Thanksgiving should be about spending time with family.  Dh and I love the time that we get to spend together while family are in town to babysit the kids.

 

And truthfully, I like shopping on Thursday evening better than I liked getting up at 3 a.m. on Friday...

[mom2scouts]

My son has to work on Thanksgiving from 5 pm until midnight. No, he's not thrilled about it. He needs the job and the money so he'll do it without much complaint. Normally, he would hang out and spend time with his adult brothers that he doesn't get to see frequently. While some employees are happy about working on Thanksgiving, many aren't given a choice if they want to keep their jobs.

 

I have never shopped on Thanksgiving or Black Friday and I don't plan to start now.

[vonfirmath]

I don't really understand the upset but I also don't go shopping on Thanksgiving. Do people not realize that movie theaters have always been open on Thanksgiving? I've never heard anyone complain about that.

 

We went to Frozen on Thanksgiving a couple years ago -- get my son out of the house while daughter napped and Dad fixed the turkey and rolls. (yes, we do things odd in our house)

 

This year I will be shopping on Thanksgiving because that is when we will be with my sister and able to go. We'll do a midday meal then the kids will stay home with the dads while my sister and I go out and shop.  Friday we get up and head home again.

Edited November 23, 2015 by vonfirmath

[gardenmom5]

I agree with this. I think a better thing to protest is the fact that many retailers do not give more than a week's schedule at a time with varying shifts and also cancel people's shifts on very short notice. This makes it impossible to hold second jobs or further your education or plan.

 

I have two who worked large chain retail while students.  both of their employers took into account their class schedule while scheduling their shifts.  one even attended school out of state - they held her job so she never had to look for one when she was home - she was scheduled. 

 

employers would be foolish to make it tough for a good employee to attend classes as that would increase their turnover.

[Southern Ivy]

I agree with this. I think a better thing to protest is the fact that many retailers do not give more than a week's schedule at a time with varying shifts and also cancel people's shifts on very short notice. This makes it impossible to hold second jobs or further your education or plan. Plus many do not pay living wages. This is where the outrage should be.

 

As for working on holidays, as long as they pay time and half and have a system of rotating holidays so that a person does not have to work both Christmas and Thanksgiving, then I think it is OK. That is what we did as nurses.

I've worked retail for years - as a primary job and as a secondary job. My employers have always worked around my other jobs and school schedules. Also, they have never just canceled a shift on short notice. That is poor management, imho. 

 

 

 

In regards to shopping on Thanksgiving, I don't understand the need to fight the crowds to buy more stuff. But, then again, I'm not opposed to going to the grocery store or to see a movie on Thanksgiving. So, I certainly can't be one to boycott. ;)

 

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I have two who worked large chain retail while students.  both of their employers took into account their class schedule while scheduling their shifts.  one even attended school out of state - they held her job so she never had to look for one when she was home - she was scheduled. 

 

employers would be foolish to make it tough for a good employee to attend classes as that would increase their turnover.

That is good for them but there are still many retailers like Walmart who are notorious for giving only a week or two of schedules at a time with varying shifts. I have read numerous articles on this problem as well as the short notice of cancellation of shifts. here is just one of many articles I have read on this problem:

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/08/the-next-labor-fight-is-over-when-you-work-not-how-much-you-make/

[Bluegoat]

It's also increasingly common for employers to not guarantee a number of hours per week but to expect people to be available for any possible shifts. So - you may not get any hours in a given week and you still can't make other plans to make money or take a class.

[mims]

No shopping on holidays for me (and I'm odd enough to include Sundays)

 

1. The loss of family time, family structure.  I work with the poor and struggling all the time.  The loss of family meal times, days off like Sunday as a family, and of course the holidays have really affected their family units.  I would venture to say that many I have worked with have experienced divorce and family splits because of the loss of concentrated family time together over the years.

 

2. Consumerism.  Is it really helping us all to disappear or overshadow a day of thanks by time spent buying more and more?

 

And yes, there are necessary jobs and always have been but when we can keep those balanced (trading off holidays worked, etc.) it benefits the family as a whole and therefore society as a whole

[Peaceful Isle]

I don't usually shop on thanksgiving because I am too busy shoving my face full of yummy food. 

 

I don't have a view one way or another on this topic. Those working, are most likely getting overtime. My dh had to work some holidays before, and we just celebrated the holiday before or after the day he worked, or when he came home. I did like the extra pay :) 

 

 

[redsquirrel]

I've worked retail for years - as a primary job and as a secondary job. My employers have always worked around my other jobs and school schedules. Also, they have never just canceled a shift on short notice. That is poor management, imho. 

 

 

 

In regards to shopping on Thanksgiving, I don't understand the need to fight the crowds to buy more stuff. But, then again, I'm not opposed to going to the grocery store or to see a movie on Thanksgiving. So, I certainly can't be one to boycott. ;)

 

 

Wow, you are lucky.  I am just about 50 years old and have worked many retail jobs, starting back when I was 16. I have always had shifts cancelled as I walked in the door, or places that didn't give you a set schedule but expected you to call every day and see if you were required to work, other places that scheduled you for a particular shift, but reserved the right to make you stay a second shift without any notice, etc.  My experience is that having a disposable job leads you to being treated like a disposable employee.

 

As someone who grew up in a house of people who have had to work weekends b/c it was necessary for their job, I don't think any of them take any joy at the idea of people being away from their family on holidays for things like shopping or movies etc.  They also got paid holiday pay, not something that I ever got at McDonalds or some stupid clothing store, like The Gap, or when I worked at a movie theater. 

 

I've never gone shopping or really anywhere out of the house on Thanksgiving because, who has the time? There is cooking and cleaning and talking to relatives... I am always so happy to sink into bed at the end of the day.

 

Of course, I am also the type of person who got all her Thanksgiving day shopping done last Thursday. I don't have to step into a store until Monday, 11/30. That is when I need to go grocery shopping again.

[OH_Homeschooler]

I had never really cared much about this, and the posts in my timeline don't bug me. I guess I have a general sympathy for those who have to work on Thanksgiving but don't want to. I have run to the grocery store on Thanksgiving in the past. And now that I think about it, I can understand why a lot of people simply wouldn't mind working on Thanksgiving: Kids home from college or high school kids for example. It's a good way to make some money and they're probably bored sitting around at home all day anyway. Like others, I've known nurses and others who had to work on Thanksgiving and no one felt it was a major human rights violation. And I guess when I think about the people posting about in on FB, well yeah, they are the same people who do 95% of their shopping on Amazon anyway. 

[Samm]

I don't see anyone protesting that coaches, ESPN camera people, concession sellers, ticket takers, and NCAA, NBA, NFL, and NHL players have to work on Thxgvg.

[Mommy22alyns]

This is my problem with this argument that comes up every single year.  Retail is a **** job.  Plain and simple.  Pretty much every single other job where people have to work every Thanksgiving has better pay, better benefits, and/or is actually literally necessary.  Almost 100% of the time, nobody NEEDS to shop on Thanksgiving.

 

I have worked many, many years in retail, and I think a lot of people have no clue what it's actually like.  I'd love to see everyone be required to work a couple of years in retail and/or food service so they might be a little nicer to the workers.

 

Please note my qualifiers above, because I'm not going to argue with nitpickers.

[Reefgazer]

I've been boycotting Thanksgiving shopping for decades - I hate the mob mentality of let's get our ass to Wal-Mart to save a nickel on some cheap piece of Chinese-made plastic crap.  If I forget bread or potatoes, I go without; it's not like I'm going to starve and the neighbors probably have a few I can borrow.

[kewb]

I am always baffled by the amount of anger towards retail stores being open on Thanksgiving. I don't see that level of outrage for the kid taking tickets at the movie theater. Or for the wait staff working at the restaurant where you decided to have thanksgiving instead of cooking. Or the supermarket being open because you forgot something.

I don't shop on thanksgiving and I don't go out shopping on black Friday because there is nothing I need that badly.

I do think it is unnecessary for retail stores to be open on Thanksgiving but if people didn't shop the stores would be closed.

Edited November 23, 2015 by kewb