We’re REALISTS that actually understand how the world works and HAS worked for a long time. Do you actually think just because a store is closed today means nobody is working? Do you think those displays that’ll be on the floor tomorrow put themselves up?
The fact of the matter is retail workers have worked Thanksgiving forever. The only thing that’s changed is which employees show up when.
And none of this precludes family. People that are stuck working today schedule around it. I’ve had Thanksgiving dinner with my sister-in-law the nurse on Friday or even Saturday before. The family that wants to get together will find the time, the family that doesn’t find the time was probably not getting together anyway.
“Traditional” Thanksgiving includes people working, you just never bothered to notice before. A “traditional” Cowboys football game is happening right now, that’s people working. A “traditional” Lions game happened earlier, people working. A “traditional” parade preceded that, people working. People work on Thanksgiving, not just critical infrastructure people, regular people. Some people like it, often times these jobs offer shift differential, and if it’s a tipping industry holiday customers tend to trip pretty well. All of this might have happened before without you interacting with them or thinking through the implications, but there they were, on the job, for probably your entire life.
Displays on the floor, shift differential, big day for tipping. That's all this discussion boils down to, for you. Hm.
Sorry ...but might it shock you that I worked retail for over 35 years? Small store, big store etc. I worked as cashier, a front end confidential, store manager, area manager, and distric sales manager...as far as I’m concerned you stick your REALIST greed elsewhere. Quite frankly I have been wondering when retail workers would finally get greedy about their family time. There is nothing on that store shelf that is more important than family.
There was a time when Wednesday night came and we shut it down...and told our employees to go home, have a good Thanksgiving and we’ll see you all bright and early Friday morning.
I am a realist and a company or manager needs to respect the worker. You want happy workers on your shopping experience? It sure isn’t going to be that one that had to start working tonight, missed the dessert, or had to try and find a babysitter.
Oh and when’s the last time you tipped your local Walmart worker, drug store clerk, or how about that Macy’s salesperson?
I give your posting #16 a thumbs-up! You nailed it.
I once worked for an airline and often worked on holidays. It was no big deal and family made adjustments sometimes.
Same occurred later when I worked for a high-tech defense contractor (TI) and we worked 15 hours a day, 7 days a week for about 6 months. Almost got fired there when I took a day off to be in my little sister’s wedding.