Thanksgiving shopping protests

[Jean in Newcastle]

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.

Yup.  Why does it have to be a "protest"? 

[ChocolateReignRemix]

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.

Again, the service workers at movie theaters and sporting events do not receive better pay than retail workers.

[Mommy22alyns]

Again, the service workers at movie theaters and sporting events do not receive better pay than retail workers.

 

 

Again, note my last sentence.  Goodness.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

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.

+1

[ChocolateReignRemix]

Again, note my last sentence. Goodness.

Those are really big exceptions. Why aren't you raging on behalf of those workers?

[Guest]

I do not shop on Thanksgiving day, but I don't understand "outrage" over a store being open on Thanksgiving day. For one thing, not *EVERY* American celebrates Thanksgiving; others perhaps do but don't see family or friends on the actual day and don't particularly care about the actual day.

 

I am opposed to over-accummulation of stuff and the emphasis on buying more junk, however, I don't see a store being open on Thanksgiving or not as a major factor in the consumeristic mindset.

 

If an employee cannot work on Thanksgiving day because Great Aunt Maude only gets rolled out of the nursing home on that one day a year, then this employee should have put in the request for having off on Tgiving a month or two ago. Many professionals also work on TG, at least some years, but they don't whine and cry about how their boss is making them work TG. My sister was a flight attendant. Some years she just had TG dinner a different day.

[Reefgazer]

I'd actually like to see them all closed, for the reason plenty of posters have enumerated, but it doesn't rise to the level of anger.  I think the level of hostility toward retail shops open on major holidays is that they remind us of the worst of our mindless consumerism of crap nobody needs, where food stores sell (mostly) food and movie theaters sell an experience that we usually share with friends/family.

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.

 

[Mommy22alyns]

Those are really big exceptions. Why aren't you raging on behalf of those workers?

 

 

Um, I'm actually not raging.  I count them as retail/food service as well.

 

My point is not to boycott or rage, my point is, cut them a break.  You know, all that human kindness and compassion talk?

[Mommy22alyns]

I'd actually like to see them all closed, for the reason plenty of posters have enumerated, but it doesn't rise to the level of anger.  I think the level of hostility toward retail shops open on major holidays is that they remind us of the worst of our mindless consumerism of crap nobody needs, where food stores sell (mostly) food and movie theaters sell an experience that we usually share with friends/family.

 

 

Or we could just refer to this post, you said it perfectly!

[skimomma]

I'd actually like to see them all closed, for the reason plenty of posters have enumerated, but it doesn't rise to the level of anger.  I think the level of hostility toward retail shops open on major holidays is that they remind us of the worst of our mindless consumerism of crap nobody needs, where food stores sell (mostly) food and movie theaters sell an experience that we usually share with friends/family.

 

 

This is how I feel.  No real anger but do wish we prioritized different things as a society.

 

Plus I hate shopping anyway.

 

I do find it very ironic that we celebrate "being thankful" only to then feel compelled to push and shove to get more more MORE stuff.  It is embarrassing, frankly.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

Um, I'm actually not raging.  I count them as retail/food service as well.

 

My point is not to boycott or rage, my point is, cut them a break.  You know, all that human kindness and compassion talk?

 

So. . . don't go shopping.  I don't think I've ever shopped on Thanksgiving.  But I don't see it as a protest or even an act of kindness.  Unless I actually own a retail store, or was at least in management of one, I am only one small piece of the puzzle.  I don't see why our daily decisions have to be Statements. 

 

[redsquirrel]

I include movie theater workers in with retail and fast food workers.  I have done the job and it's the same level of job, same low pay, low control environment.

 

That said, I'm not on facebook and I'm not taking part of any 'protest'.  I don't shop etc on Thanksgiving or go to movies or go to sporting events etc, because I don't want to.  And you can believe that if I were in a restaurant I would be tipping VERY well.

[Holly]

I think the comparison to nurses and retail workers is pretty silly.  There is a huge difference between a medical emergency and wanting to save a few bucks on things we don't really need.  

 

I agree with others that my reasons for skipping the sales is that it's a ridiculous way to spend a day of giving thanks for what we have...It is embarrassing that we are so obsessed with having more.  I also don't care to take people from their families on Thanksgiving when we can easily wait a few more hours until Friday.  While I'm sure many don't mind, I imagine there are many who do mind.  

 

We used to get some shopping done on Friday, but honestly after the move to Thanksgiving, I'm pretty disgusted by the whole Black Friday deal.  Not to mention Amazon has great deals, and I don't have to leave the house...or deal with people.   :lol:  I already have most of my shopping done and I'll be able to actually enjoy the holidays this year.  

Edited November 23, 2015 by Holly

[Word Nerd]

I saw that some are petitioning to have Black Friday declared a national holiday because they don't think anyone should have to/be allowed to work or shop then. I don't see the point, as many businesses remain open on national holidays anyway. I don't get Veterans Day, MLK Day, Presidents Day, etc. off just because banks, state/federal offices, and the post office are closed.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Word Nerd

[AlmiraGulch]

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.

 

I guess I'd argue the same point, but on the opposite side.  Retail is a job.  Every job has requirements.  Companies are in business to make money, and if they feel the need to be open on certain days to do so, then that's what they should do.  They are not non-profit organizations.  

 

Honestly, it makes no difference to me one way or another.  Lots of people end up working one day or another even though they don't want to.  Not every holiday and occasion has the same meaning for everyone.  Hell, I'm working on something with an observant Jewish co-worker that is due back to our client smack int he middle of Hannukah, when he typically doesn't work at all.  We're trying to get everything buttoned up before then, but it's unlikely due to the turnaround itme and our dependency of the client getting us information we need.  He's not thrilled, but he's not quitting.  Because it's his job.  He could actually have not worked this particular deal if he wanted,  because it is a religious holiday, but he won't. He works in Sales, and this is money for him, potentially. He can't control client-imposed due dates.

 

Also, I did work in retail for many years.  The Mother of All Retailers, actually.  We were not open on Thanksgiving day when I was there, but as Management we were all there just after midnight, along with a ton of our department managers and stockers, making sure all of the Black Friday doorbusters were ready to go. I've been almost trampled as I unlocked the doors, had to call the police when fights broke out of the last Toy of the Year, and worked until late into the eveing.  In retail, there is no such thing as Thanksgiving weekend off.  It wasn't my favorite thing, but I never questioned it.  It just was how it was.  My husband worked in retail now (he sells pianos).  He has not, nor will he ever, as long as he works in that business, have a weekend off between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It's just part of the gig.  

 

I don't understand what the problem is. 

[Guest]

I'm bummed that my local adult child, who is in retail, won't be able to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I wouldn't be shopping those days anyway so it's not a protest.

 

Please buy something from him. He gets a very small salary and is mostly paid in commission. He's a good kid who would have gotten good grades in college if the world wasn't the way the world is. He works hard all year and wants to pay his bills on time.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Guest

[AlmiraGulch]

For those of you saying you only shop online, how do you think those items get packaged and shipped?  They aren't getting the days off, either.  

 

My nephew is a manager at an Amazon warehouse in California.  They'll all be working, FedEx and UPS will still be picking up, the truck drivers will still be delivering shipments to the warhouses, and so on.  It's not because of what people are ordering that specific day.  It's the busiest time of the year, and just the way it is.  

 

ETA:  For what it's worth, I won't be shopping on Thanksgiving, or any day that weekend, for that matter, in person anyway, but that's because I hate shopping and don't do crowds.  I do have compassion for those who don't want to work but simply must, but no more than I have for people who have to work every other day in a job they don't like, but simply must.  Either one sucks.  

Edited November 23, 2015 by AlmiraGulch

[redsquirrel]

So. . . don't go shopping.  I don't think I've ever shopped on Thanksgiving.  But I don't see it as a protest or even an act of kindness.  Unless I actually own a retail store, or was at least in management of one, I am only one small piece of the puzzle.  I don't see why our daily decisions have to be Statements. 

 

 

Jean, to some extent I agree with you. I don't go out on holidays anyway, so I don't have a dog in this fight. If I spent a lot of time thinking about it, I would stay home on purpose, so if you want to call it a protest, go ahead.  It's an accidental one though.

 

But, on a larger scale, turning a daily decision into a statement is all we really have.  We are a consumer society. That means we vote with our wallets. That is the ONLY power many of us have.  It is certainly the only power the individual has against a large multi-national corporation.  And yes, one little person's purchase doesn't make a difference one way or the other, but that is why people feel the need to make a statement about such things...because ONLY by making a statement and joining with others can it make a difference.

 

And really, what is wrong with it? You like it, you don't like it..fine. Join in or don't. But it really is the only small thing that a person can do.  If you don't like it, then you can comfort yourself with the idea that they won't make that much of a difference and it's no skin off your apple, right? If you do think it is a good idea, then you are welcome to go for it.

 

Jean, you didn't do this, I don't think, so fee free to ignore the following: I do think that nit-picking and trying to make the perfect the enemy of the good just sounds childish. It reminds me of my uncle going after the vegetarians in the family by telling them that if they 'really wanted to be good vegetarians' they shouldn't vaccinate their kids b/c vaccinations are tested on animals. So, if they vaccinated they were crap vegetarians and should just stop now because it's all a waste etc, etc.  We are all allowed to make choices.

[Mommy22alyns]

So. . . don't go shopping.  I don't think I've ever shopped on Thanksgiving.  But I don't see it as a protest or even an act of kindness.  Unless I actually own a retail store, or was at least in management of one, I am only one small piece of the puzzle.  I don't see why our daily decisions have to be Statements. 

 

 

 

You're completely missing my point.  I don't go shopping.  I also don't make a big deal about it on FB or anything.  I am clearly NOT trying to make it a Statement.  I just put in my 2 cents as a former retail worker.

 

Everyone seems to be reading more into my statements than I am actually saying. 

Edited November 23, 2015 by Mommy22alyns

[Jean in Newcastle]

Jean, to some extent I agree with you. I don't go out on holidays anyway, so I don't have a dog in this fight. If I spent a lot of time thinking about it, I would stay home on purpose, so if you want to call it a protest, go ahead.  It's an accidental one though.

 

But, on a larger scale, turning a daily decision into a statement is all we really have.  We are a consumer society. That means we vote with our wallets. That is the ONLY power many of us have.  It is certainly the only power the individual has against a large multi-national corporation.  And yes, one little person's purchase doesn't make a difference one way or the other, but that is why people feel the need to make a statement about such things...because ONLY by making a statement and joining with others can it make a difference.

 

And really, what is wrong with it? You like it, you don't like it..fine. Join in or don't. But it really is the only small thing that a person can do.  If you don't like it, then you can comfort yourself with the idea that they won't make that much of a difference and it's no skin off your apple, right? If you do think it is a good idea, then you are welcome to go for it.

 

Jean, you didn't do this, I don't think, so fee free to ignore the following: I do think that nit-picking and trying to make the perfect the enemy of the good just sounds childish. It reminds me of my uncle going after the vegetarians in the family by telling them that if they 'really wanted to be good vegetarians' they shouldn't vaccinate their kids b/c vaccinations are tested on animals. So, if they vaccinated they were crap vegetarians and should just stop now because it's all a waste etc, etc.  We are all allowed to make choices.

Oh, I don't care if someone wants to announce to the world that they are making a Statement but I do roll my eyes a bit.  Voting with your wallets has been how it's worked in our society all along so it's not like this is a new thing, you know?  And I'm sorry if I offend some, but my own personal opinion is that these Statements are a bit self important.  Choices are good.  Doing the best we can with the time and money we have is good.  I doubt I would even notice if businesses were closed on Thanksgiving! 

[clarkacademy]

I think they should be a volunteer thing. I remember people begging to work certain holidays for the extra pay etc. 

[regentrude]

I was at JCPenney today and, thinking of this thread, specifically asked the associate who helped me about Thanksgiving.

She said she hated having to work, and all other employees hate it as well. She was definitely unhappy about the store being open.

[IfIOnly]

The thing that bothers me is there are so many more important issues that I'd love to see people doing some grass roots movements for change rather than just discussion like health care reform. I could get behind the latter. We obviously can't boycott health care, but I'd love to see letter writing campaigns, picketing, and pressure in other ways for it all to change. Sorry for the rant. Just my honest reaction.

[Lolly]

I won't be out there. But, I won't be out there the entire weekend. Too crazy with traffic for my blood. I'll just sit in my house and eat pie.

 

The only person I know who will be working, at a walmart btw, is thrilled to death about it. He is so overly exuberant about getting holiday pay at his remarkably high wage (honestly, he started at $11 and is past $15 now without the holiday extra/he keeps getting promotions/not bad for a college kid/I'm surprised he's still attending class) for a retail job he has only held since this summer is almost funny.

[mims]

Just got a call from a lady in our church who is coming out of a very abusive marriage.  She is working so hard to provide a home for her daughter so just took a 2nd job at Shopko.  She is required to work Thanksgiving and has no place for her daughter (not too many babysitters or daycares for that day!).  Someone in our church will take her in but it just reinforces my no-shopping-on-holidays desire.

[mamajag]

My husband is gone half the year. We celebrate the holidays we can when he's home, and the others are rescheduled. We have yet to die or our family fall apart. We are preparing for Thanksgivingmas as I type.

 

I guess I'm just grateful he HAS a job. Thanksgiving and all.

[itsheresomewhere]

I loved working the holidays when I was single. It had an added benefit of getting me out of the family holiday arguedinner. Plus the extra pay was great. I do shop sometimes on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. I have never understood the protests on these things. Not everyone celebrates the same holiday.

[KungFuPanda]

For those of you saying you only shop online, how do you think those items get packaged and shipped?

 

 

Elves.

[SKL]

I don't do Black Friday.

 

I would shop on Thanksgiving if I needed something, just like any other day.  Of course I would try to buy ahead, knowing that a lot of stores are closed that day.  FTR I do very little shopping period, but when you need something, you need it.

 

Does anyone remember holiday shopping in the days before all this Black Friday ridiculousness?  I have warm, pleasant memories.  Have things changed a lot, or was I too young to realize how unpleasant it was back then?

[Guest]

I loved working the holidays when I was single. It had an added benefit of getting me out of the family holiday arguedinner. Plus the extra pay was great. I do shop sometimes on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. I have never understood the protests on these things. Not everyone celebrates the same holiday.

For sure. :D

[regentrude]

For those of you saying you only shop online, how do you think those items get packaged and shipped?  They aren't getting the days off, either.  

 

REI has announced that they will also not be processing and shipping online orders on Black Friday.

 

If one wants to take advantage of an online deal, that does not mean somebody has to pack and ship the order on that day. Most things people buy are not that time critical like urgent medications; it will be entirely sufficient if somebody packs and ships on the next regular business day. It would entirely suffice if the computer worked on the holiday. Computers don't eat Thanksgiving dinner and don't have families.

[AlmiraGulch]

Elves.

 

I was going to say in my post "Elves aren't doing the work," but I didn't want to ruin the magic for anyone.  

[AlmiraGulch]

REI has announced that they will also not be processing and shipping online orders on Black Friday.

 

If one wants to take advantage of an online deal, that does not mean somebody has to pack and ship the order on that day. Most things people buy are not that time critical like urgent medications; it will be entirely sufficient if somebody packs and ships on the next regular business day. It would entirely suffice if the computer worked on the holiday. Computers don't eat Thanksgiving dinner and don't have families.

 

That's great for REI, but they're the only one.  

 

Again, the vast majority of retailers and shippers will still be working Thanksgiving day, even if people aren't shopping.  There is a small window of opportunity to get those gifts out.  It's not necessarily what you buy that day, but what has been purchased previously in the season, that will be going out on Thanksgiving.  

 

I understand the sentiment, and I don't think it's a bad one.  I just think it's overblown.  

[LucyStoner]

I don't shop on Thanksgiving. It's not out of general principle against holiday shopping but a general principle that if I don't have it I can make due and save myself the hassle/trip. It's about being with my family. It's about the fact that I dislike the process of shopping. If I forgot something, it's unlikely to be critically important to me that day. What did people do before the stores were open on Thangsgiving? They got their shit together on Wednesday. Why would that be so hard? That said, I don't care if stores are open but open or not, I'm not going save for medical necessity.

 

My husband works Thursday----->at a hospital. Hospitals are critically important services. Dinner rolls and bafflingly cheap TVs? Not critically important.

 

I also don't shop Friday...crowds, shopping is unfun for me. I'm mixed on the whole Buy Nothing Day (and I say this as someone who was participating by non-participation from the start of the Adbusters campaign.)

 

My holiday schedule this week:

 

Now to Wednesday - finish making pies and make cranberry sauce. Plot the cooking method of my duck. Make all day sauce. Don't kill anyone over a special education issue we are having with the school district. Make fudge with kids.

 

Thursday- cook with friends, eat, hang out with friends and family.

 

Friday- take my sons and my 3 nieces and 1 nephew to a nature event.

 

Saturday- take the boys to rally in support of welcoming refugees.

 

I've done a little bit of holiday shopping thus far but I don't have that much to do overall. I'd like to get gifty type baskets together for my ILs this next week because they are coming to visit the next weekend after this one.

[LucyStoner]

I understand the sentiment, and I don't think it's a bad one. I just think it's overblown.

I agree. I think people focus on Buy Nothing for reasons and yearnings and needs they can't address that go far beyond any one day. So all these complex, far-reaching motivations get funneled into one relatively small and insignificant thing and it definitely feels proscribed, awkward and of limited utility. Edited November 24, 2015 by LucyStoner

[redsquirrel]

The thing that bothers me is there are so many more important issues that I'd love to see people doing some grass roots movements for change rather than just discussion like health care reform. I could get behind the latter. We obviously can't boycott health care, but I'd love to see letter writing campaigns, picketing, and pressure in other ways for it all to change. Sorry for the rant. Just my honest reaction.

 

There can be both.  Plenty of people are part of several different grassroots movements and feel strongly and take action on a number of different topics.  One does not rule out or take away from the other.  We can all do more than one thing.  And this particular issue only comes up once a year, so it is getting a lot of focus right now.  Then it goes back in its box until next year.

[SparklyUnicorn]

BTW a lot of people working retail are not paid extra for working on a holiday.  I never was.

 

I have mixed feelings.  One of the biggest downers I found with working on the holidays is that hardly anyone actually came into the store.  So it made for a very long, boring, and overall pointless time.

 

 

 

 

[IfIOnly]

There can be both. Plenty of people are part of several different grassroots movements and feel strongly and take action on a number of different topics. One does not rule out or take away from the other. We can all do more than one thing. And this particular issue only comes up once a year, so it is getting a lot of focus right now. Th

en it goes back in its box until next year.

Of course, it's a good discussion to be had. Just stating where I'm at with it this year. It just feels so trivial to me all things considered. That's said by someone who has never stood in a line on BF or even scouted for deals ahead of time. This year though, I did come across an online deal here at the forums but will be purchasing it on Sat. Edited November 24, 2015 by LavenderGirl

[bettyandbob]

BTW a lot of people working retail are not paid extra for working on a holiday. I never was.

.

I don't know anyone who gets extra pay. Additionally, people I know who work retail have no choice. They are expected to be available to work. They will be fired if they can't work and it doesn't matter if this is the last holiday with a family member who is end stage cancer.

 

It would be nice if stores had only staff who wanted to work the holiday, but that's not the case.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't know anyone who gets extra pay. Additionally, people I know who work retail have no choice. They are expected to be available to work. They will be fired if they can't work and it doesn't matter if this is the last holiday with a family member who is end stage cancer.

 

It would be nice if stores had only staff who wanted to work the holiday, but that's not the case.

 

Although some stores hire extra people around the holiday time.  These are people who do want to pick up some extra money around that time.  So it sometimes allows some of the regular staff to have the holiday off.  At least that was the case when I worked at TJ Maxx.  But extra pay?  Uh yeah no.  No extra pay.  So sitting there for 5 hours to the tune of minimum wage hardly seems worth it to miss a holiday.

[fdrinca]

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.

 

Yes! This is our situation exactly. I don't prefer to shop at all, and would like to spend the weekend with family, but the combination of DH off work + great sales seems to scream "time to stock up on essentials, Mama!" So we'll be getting new dishtowels, new pants for DH, and watercolor paper. 

 

That is, unless I'm delivering a baby...in which case, I'll be thankful for the hospital employees who are working over the holiday weekend :)

[vonfirmath]

I don't do Black Friday.

 

I would shop on Thanksgiving if I needed something, just like any other day.  Of course I would try to buy ahead, knowing that a lot of stores are closed that day.  FTR I do very little shopping period, but when you need something, you need it.

 

Does anyone remember holiday shopping in the days before all this Black Friday ridiculousness?  I have warm, pleasant memories.  Have things changed a lot, or was I too young to realize how unpleasant it was back then?

 

As far back as I remember, Black Friday was a BIG day. I remember when I was a child hearing of fights in the store over Cabbage PAtch Kid one year.

 

[bettyandbob]

As far back as I remember, Black Friday was a BIG day. I remember when I was a child hearing of fights in the store over Cabbage PAtch Kid one year.

I remember those fights, but I was in college I think.

 

I don't remember black Friday as a big sale day when I was a kid. My family usually didn't shop that weekend at all. I remember it as you might go to the mall to check out what the stores had and see the pretty displays. It was not about frenzied shopping.

[SKL]

I go back farther than Cabbage Patch dolls, LOL.

 

I don't know how long Black Friday has been a "thing" in the majority of stores.

 

I do remember the news showing some ladies fighting over some underwear that was on sale.  (Which, at the time, was ridiculous and funny and not the norm.)  Maybe the media has contributed to the growing sense of frenzy.

 

I just accidentally went shopping one Friday years ago, to get something I needed.  It was horrible.  Never again.  Back to civilization please.

[Word Nerd]

We used to go shopping on Black Friday, long before I ever heard it referred to by name. It was busy, but not much different from shopping on any weekend in December in my experience. We don't usually go anywhere that day, but the last time I was out on a Black Friday afternoon, I didn't see any crazy behavior, as the big doorbusters were over much earlier.

[marbel]

As far back as I remember, Black Friday was a BIG day. I remember when I was a child hearing of fights in the store over Cabbage PAtch Kid one year.

 

 I think my brother was in one of those Cabbage Patch kids fights.  :-)

 

I don't remember when BF became a thing, but it wasn't during my childhood or even maybe my young adulthood.  

 

OK, I had to look. Wikipedia says early 2000s.  I would have thought it was a little earlier than that.

 

It seems every year it picks up steam and gets bigger (and to my mind, uglier).   And, what I'm reading about people stocking up on good, necessary stuff doesn't square with what I see in the ads and what other people talk about, kwim?   If I saw ads for things I really needed, at really good prices, I'd be in.  But as it is, it seems like it's all electronics, tvs, and clothing that no one here wants or needs.  

 

But also, I get edgy in crowds.  Trader Joe's yesterday was bad enough.  I felt like I was constantly being pushed out of the way at the cheese area.  Really, people, it takes time to find the right cheese. 

[MBM]

A little off-topic but what is the name of the app (I think it's an app, not sure) that can track when a particular item is being sold at a low price?

[redsquirrel]

Of course, it's a good discussion to be had. Just stating where I'm at with it this year. It just feels so trivial to me all things considered. That's said by someone who has never stood in a line on BF or even scouted for deals ahead of time. This year though, I did come across an online deal here at the forums but will be purchasing it on Sat.

 

That's fine that you feel that way.  I don't take issue with it at all. FWIW, I am not arguing with you or trying to change your mind or anything.  And FTR, I have never even considered going shopping on Black Friday and certainly wouldn't go on Thanksgiving.

 

So, my reaction to calling it trivial, not an augment, just a different reaction, is to see it as part of a larger movement of support for low wage workers. To me, this is part of supporting a living wage, family leave, paid sick day and affordable health care for all people.  To me, respect for family time is part of that. 

[brehon]

As far back as I remember, Black Friday was a BIG day. I remember when I was a child hearing of fights in the store over Cabbage PAtch Kid one year.

LOL! I, erm, pre-date the Cabbage Patch doll frenzy. I remember what we now call Black Friday being a day to watch a couple of games and going out to look at the stores' holiday displays. I don't recall a lot of wild shopping, though there might have been some.

[HomeAgain]

Well, it turns out Blursday shopping will be a bust for many here.  My little desert is expecting rain and thunderstorms from Thurs-Sunday, and when it rains the population tends to just.stay.home.  I will be surprised if the stores are any busier than usual those days.