Workers angry as Black Friday creeps into Thanksgiving

Nashua Telegraph ^ | 11/18/11 | Kavita Kumar

[Libloather]

Workers angry as Black Friday creeps into Thanksgiving
By Kavita Kumar
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Friday, November 18, 2011

ST. LOUIS – Lyndsey Shaw has been on the front lines of Black Friday in years past, helping to open the Best Buy store in Brentwood, Mo., by 5 a.m.

But when Best Buy decided to follow other retailers this year in moving up its opening time to midnight on Thanksgiving, Shaw worried she would have to miss her family’s tradition of going out to see Christmas lights after their holiday dinner.

“We don’t usually get everything cleaned up and out the door until 10 p.m.,” she said.

Fortunately, her supervisor allowed her to work a Friday afternoon shift instead.

But with several other retailers, including Macy’s, Kohl’s and Target, also opening at midnight for the first time, a groundswell of protest has been brewing among people who worry that not all retail employees will be as lucky and that some will have to skip out early on family gatherings.

And moreover, critics assert, the earlier opening times are encroaching too much on a holiday that should be reserved for family – not for shopping.

[mass55th]

I worked a job for 25 years where the only guaranteed holiday was when it fell on your day off, and days off rotated each week. Weekends off only came around every fifth and sixth week. If you needed a specific day off, you were encouraged to swap your shift with a co-worker. Of course you’d have to pay them back. When I had 23 years under my belt, I was stuck working 16 hours straight on Christmas Day. Having to work double shifts, weekends, and holidays was a part of the paycheck. If you didn’t want to do it, you found another career. How many holidays and family celebrations have the men and woman of our armed forces missed over the years. These people should be ashamed of themselves, and be grateful they at least have a job.

[dog breath]

The factories have shut down in many places, it is either work retail, drive a truck or work in some capacity for the local, state or federal governments.

[PapaBear3625]

I think it was last year, maybe the year before, Target did a couple hours on Thanksgiving afternoon, don’t think it was successful. But definitely if the crowds had shown up everybody would be doing it this year.

I would think that opening for Thanksgiving 6am til noon would generate a lot of interest, without cutting too much into Thanksgiving dinner plans.

[cableguymn]

Kmart has been open on turkey day for a few years now... hmmm..

I do my black Friday shopping on line. Tag it for in store pickup and pick it up near the end of Friday. If I can’t do this, I don’t need the item that bad.

[oh8eleven]

Black Friday is out of control.
I agree completely. The apologists will say that this is the only time the company HAS to make their profits, to which I say ... BS.
The Christmas shopping season is about six weeks long. If you can't make a profit during the other 46 weeks you're open, then you deserve to go out of business.

[knittnmom]

Same here. I do more and more of my shopping on line.

[buccaneer81]

People can’t cope with the silliest things. This is their biggest problem??

Giving up family time as a medical professional or first responder is part of the game, and fairly compensated for. It's also necessary for the greater good. For retail workers, it's a chance to trade family time for a rollicking shift of insults, abuse and anger.

Part of being conservative means honoring, enjoying and caring for family. There is no need for retailers to open before 6:00 AM on Friday.

[oh8eleven]

How many holidays and family celebrations have the men and woman of our armed forces missed over the years.
I was never home for any holiday in the three years I was in the Marine Corps. But I haven't missed once since.
People in retail have to work many holidays each year - year after year after year.

[Notary Sojac]

Part of being conservative means honoring, enjoying and caring for family.

Got that right!!

Some business says that employees can't wear a cross or a US flag pin and people here on FR go completely ballistic. I've seen it a dozen times.

But the same business says employees can't have Thanksgiving with their families, and the response here is "Suck it up, Bunky, it's root, hog, or die".

[VaRepublican]

Who cares, and who are you to tell a company when they should and should not be open. Don’t freaking go if you don’t want to.

[VanDeKoik]

I hated my college job at Tar-jay during this time.

Had to be there at 5AM till 2 the day after Thanksgiving just to be trampled, cursed at, and berated by a bunch of future broke people loading up on crap from China.

I feel sorry for those workers that are there today. It is no fun at all.

[dfwgator]

We need doctors and police to work, but the world will go on if people can’t get their big screen TV at 5 AM in the morning.

[buccaneer81]

Absolutely. I miss the ‘70s more each day.

[buccaneer81]

Excellent point.

[buccaneer81]

Nice. I imagine that’s how you treat the help on Black Friday, too.

[Night Hides Not]

It’s safer to go to an “Occupy” protest than it is to shop on Black Friday.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Retail employees complaining about working on the most profitable day of the year is like accountants complaining about missing out on the early April flowers.

[jjm2111]

Ditto.