New Black Friday wrinkle: midnight (or even late TG) store openings
I'm sure you've been hearing how Target has been planning to open its stores at midnight on Black Friday (and for the past few years some electronics stores have already been open late on Thanksgiving night). I admit to mixed feelings about this: on the one hand, if I were inclined to fight the BF crowds (IRL yay for online shopping!!), I'd find it easier to stay up late, go to a store opening at midnight, get what I want and then hit the hay around 2 am and sleep late, than to go to bed early and get up at 3 am to go to a store opening at 4. On the other hand, I feel for the employees who have to give up part of their holiday to get ready for the opening. My boss Prof. x was for many years a MAJOR workaholic who would have loved to have us work 365 days a year (although he's now quite elderly, slowing down and not pressuring us so much), so for me all holidays are ABSOLUTELY. NOT. FREAKING. NEGOTIABLE. (You see ads saying "So-and-so will be closed on [insert holiday] so that our associates may enjoy the day with family and friends": I used to think that was such a "duuuuuuh" statement but now I'm not so sure. And yes, I know, stores are in business to make a profit, not to cater to the feelings of their customers or their "associates", and if they can do it on the backs of the all-day suckers who'll come in at midnight or 4 am they will.)
How do you feel? If you do BF shopping, would it be easier for you to stay up late and go to bed afterward, or go to bed early and get up early? Or do you think this whole BF is a load of baloney and stores should just go back to opening on that day at the same time they would on any other day, and let their employees and customers have their Thanksgiving and get a good night's sleep?
I go out on Black Friday every year and I find the fact that stores are opening on Thanksgiving to be atrocious and I refuse to go to any store on Thanksgiving. I'm not going to give a store my money on Thanksgiving so hopefully I can send a message that giving their employees ONE FREAKING DAY OFF won't kill them.
I know it's retail and I know retail workers know that they might have to work holidays, but I've been there. I know how working can tear you away from your family and the missed precious moments that you find out about when you get home and feel so removed from it all.
My fiancee is working on Thanksgiving, but he works in a grocery store so it's expected that they'll just be open...but is it necessarily to be open late? He's missing Thanksgiving because of it and I really, really doubt that beyond the afternoon that anyone is going to really come out anyway! I understand a grocery store being open in the morning as people are going to want to pick up last minute things, but close in the afternoon so that people can go to their families!
I've looked at the Black Friday/Thanksgiving deals anyway and they're not that great to begin with this year. I'm probably going to go out later in the morning to Best Buy to pick up some games and movies, but I think I'll just do the rest of my shopping online.
It's getting crazy how Thanksgiving is becoming a "shopping day." I find it troubling.
I think it's disgusting that they're doing this to their employees. I've never shopped on black Friday to begin with, but I certainly wont start now.
Of course, the worst jobs pay the least and expect the most from you...and then they take away your family time, on top of that. Most retail, restaurant and hotel employees work holidays, so they're no stranger to this corporate greed. Every crap job I've ever had expected us to work every day of the year except Christmas.
I've never understood why it's so hard for people to stay home on holidays. Isn't that what the holidays are for?
One of my friend's husband is a manager at Target. Every year he has to leave Thanksgivign stuff early to go home and get to sleep so he can ready the store before Black Friday. I think even the 2 am 3 am and such is outrageous. The people who work retail don't even get Labor Day off and they are the most underpaid workers out there with low pay and little to no benefits. Enough is enough. There need to be more laws to protect these workers.
I used to work at Michael's Arts and Crafts which I believe was the very first retail store (at least here in Houston) to actually open Thanksgiving day. I worked there the first year they did it. Sure, we grumbled a bit, but the store managers did make a sincere attempt to make sure that people were scheduled at the best times for their family holidays. Early shifts for people who did Thanksgiving dinner, and late ones for those who did Thanksgiving earlier.
I guess it's just expected in retail and I certainly never heard people screaming and yelling about it and certainly not implying that they needed to be protected in some way. It really just isn't quite that big a deal. In fact, the biggest thing I heard complaints about was that some people wouldn't be able to do THEIR Black Friday shopping.
That said, while I love Black Friday, I do not go to places open on Thanksgiving. Midnight is more than fine by me and I just love going. Usually I don't even buy much. It is definitely much, much easier for me to stay up all night shopping than to get up at 4, so I am glad that more places are open at midnight. I am already looking at ads and mostly they suck, but there are a few things we really need and I am excited yet again this year!
I love Black Friday! I usually got with my sister-in-law and we have so much fun! This year my mom will be joining us and that will make more special
Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. The business is responding to the customers. If the employees don't like it, they can find somewhere else to work. If they can't find anther job, then they ought to what is required (as long as it is not illegal and doesn't violate labor laws).
In high school and through about 1/2 of college, I worked at Jack In the Box and we were open 24/7 (except for a hurricane.... And that was only because no workers would come in). I worked many an most holidays. The only times I didn't was when we went on vacations. I worked just about every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not the easy morning shifts either, but the crazy busy afternoon/night shifts. Did it suck not to spend the entire day with my family and boyfriend? Yup. I got paid time and a half and I needed the money as I had a horse.
All that said, if you do go out on a holiday and the business is short staffed, be nice. The employees are doing the best they can (generally speaking) and a sour additude doesn't help.
I go BF shopping every year with my family...it's a Thanksgiving tradition. I have noticed over the years that stores were competing to see who could open earlier. Now they've taken it to a whole new level of opening the night before.
Every year KMart is open on Thanksgiving day and they have specials that day only. I do feel bad for the employees that have to work that day because they need a job and need the money, but you know what, I buy stuff that I need that I couldn't afford at full prices. I do the majority of my big ticket items around Thanksgiving and will continue to do so.
I will also continue to thank the people who are working on Thanksgiving and BF!
New Black Friday wrinkle: midnight (or even late TG) store openings
