Black Thursday

[author_by_night]

So a lot of stores are going to be opening the Thursday of Thanksgiving. Color me not impressed.

I hate to say it, but I can actually understand it from a few angles. One of the stores opening is RadioShack. In the era of Netflix and iTunes and netflix, how well do you think they're doing? They're probably struggling a little.  I can see why they'd decide to open. I can also see why some people would want to work - not everyone's holidays are spent with their families. Or maybe they are, but won't mind an excuse to slip out for a few hours. You've gotta admit there can be a lot of drama over the holidays, or even if not drama, clashes in interest. Not everyone enjoys football. And then there's people who see their families a lot, and need the extra money more.

On the other hand, I still think it's wrong. These workers don't really have a choice. They're being forced to. And for some of them this will also mean cancelled plans (and flights, which they've already spent money on) because now they have to work when they thought they wouldn't have to. Some of them never get to see their family otherwise. Not everyone's family lives next door. Many people live at least some distance away from family these days. And I think it's sad that people will buy into it, and don't even consider that it's not fair for those who have to work.

What's wrong with Black Friday the way it was? I mean, I never got it anyway (one of those things you don't get if you don't grow up with it, and having been raised in Europe until middle school I wasn't at all familiar with the concept), but still, that already likely posed challenges to people who'd wanted to travel. Still, it was an agreed upon shopping holiday. Thanksgiving is a holiday - a national one at that, not simply a religious holiday. You shouldn't be allowed to make people work.

My least favorite argument is this: "Doctors and police officers have to work." There is a dire need for them. Also, they weren't hired under the illusion that they'd have holidays off. Until last year (maybe two years?), employees of those stores were, some of them up until recently because those stores had previously refused to open. Even waiters and waitresses take jobs in the food industry knowing they may have to work holidays, because holidays tend to involve food.

And the thing is, there's a lot of people who will remember and like the businesses that remain closed. I wish they'd take that into consideration. They're still pushing away certain consumers. If their only goal is to draw them, why not just open on Black Friday like they did before?


 

Comments

[bemkah.livejournal.com]

Something I find hard to understand is the fact that employees in retail in the US don't get a choice. You get a choice here if you want to work on a public holiday or not, and then you get time and a half as an incentive. I mean, how does that foster a good relationship between employer and employee if employer is basically the tyrant forcing you away from your loved ones? I've heard some people on my Facebook page saying they work until midnight and then they work again at 7am the next day. Here that would be illegal - you'd need at least 8 hours between shifts. I just think that's incredibly irresponsible and, given the shocking wages, slave labour really.

[blpurdom.livejournal.com]

When I was in college, I waited tables at a restaurant in the big shopping mall downtown, which was always closed on Thanksgiving. I think it's still closed on Thanksgiving, but stores that can be accessed from the street obviously don't have to abide by the mall hours and can be open if they want to but have access to the mall blocked by security gates. I just don't understand why it's so urgent to get people into stores one day early or to go do your shopping one day early. Of course, I'm not in a situation financially where I'm super concerned about these stores' so-called "door busters" (whatever those are--I'm honestly not clear on what the hell that even means), so I suppose I can't identify with a desperation to get the absolute rock-bottom prices on everything in sight.

But honestly, if those same people went online and Googled stuff to look for bargains and websites where they wouldn't have to pay shipping (and in many cases, sales tax) they'd probably get even better prices without making folks work on the holiday, without burning fossil fuel to reach the mall, and without taking the chance that you walk all over the place and sort through a ton of stuff and still don't get what you want.

It simply feels like the same people are being victimized on all sides in this--the folks who are in the sort of jobs that mean they can't ask off from work are probably the same ones who feel like they can't afford to do Christmas shopping unless they get everything on sale, so if they win the job-hours lottery and do get to take off, they're liable to be the first ones through the door on Thanksgiving. If these stores want to have a good Christmas shopping season, they might try paying their own employees better and staying closed on the holiday. Then their employees would have more money to spend and a lot of shoppers would patronize the store specifically because they appreciated it not being open on the holiday.

[vivaciousmuse.livejournal.com]

I hate the entire concept of Black Friday. I've never actually worked in retail--- I did a brief stint at Michael's Arts and Crafts during the summer months-- so I can't speak from personal experience where that is concerned, but retail employees are already treated terribly by their employers and customers. I completely resent that they are also forced to work obscene hours on a holiday, simply because companies want to maximize their profits. This consumerism push, this idea that we should want to buy more, earlier, is embarrassing. There is more to life than material things.

[rhoda-rants.livejournal.com]

It is a bizarre, consumer-driven "tradition" the reveals more about American values than the tyrannical holiday that precedes it, I think. (Yes, I think Thanksgiving is tyrannical, in origin if not in practice. Let's all celebrate our hostile takeover of a new country by eating mass quantities of food less than a month before we do the exact same thing, only next time, we'll buy even MORE THINGS!)

I have . . . issues with Thanksgiving as a concept. The idea behind it nowadays is about recognizing your privilege and celebrating what you have, which is fine and all. But get a Native American talking about Thanksgiving sometime. It's not pretty. (Speaking personally from the opinions shared by some of my writer friends, by the way.)

So yeah, Black Friday is a weird little holiday that I try not to participate in if only to preserve my personal safety. But I understand why it exists. If anything, the weirdest part of it is this idea that the day after Thanksgiving is the first day you're "allowed" to start shopping for Christmas. I start in October. Because I know me, and if I don't get going early, I will get nothing done.

[ragnarok-08.livejournal.com]

I'm not really a fan of Black Friday, period, because I have heard a lot of how employees are treated just terribly by customers and employers alike, and I do not go to stores on Black Friday for personal safety.

[nimnod.livejournal.com]

I totally do not understand black friday!

[lynn82md.livejournal.com]

When I applied to the movie theatre, I knew I had to work holidays because the holidays would be an opportunity for families to go the movies together. Unfortunately, it was Hellish to work both of those days because you run out of so many things (at least in concessions) or had movies sold out. Black Friday was dubbed "Hell Friday", and was worst to work than Thanksgiving.

While I worked on Thanksgiving at Starbucks, they closed early so employees can have dinner with their families. Of course, I don't know if they still do that as it's been eight years since I worked for them.

I wished retail companies would give the day off to their employees on Thanksgiving...at least, to those that celebrate it and want it off. For people that don't (for whatever reason like not being from the U.S or not interested in celebrating holidays), they can give the option to them if they want to work on that day. However, the U.S is a very driven consumer market till the point where money and buying stuff is more important than people.

[jediknightmuse.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you. The only day my store is actually OFFICIALLY closed on is Christmas day. We're open Christmas Eve until, like, 6:00 at night*, we're open on New Years day and eve (which is fine), we're open on Easter Sunday because now we sell alcohol on Sundays until 5:00 so we stay open until 5:00...in the past on New Years day/eve we've closed early but I think the last few years we haven't (I forget). We're open until...2 or 3:00 on Thanksgiving, which is ridiculous. In 2007, when I first started working there, I had to work on Thanksgiving day because I'd been hired and hadn't told them that I needed the day off. The store was DEAD for most of the time I was there (which I think was until 2), and I think I was only bagging that day.

I've been there seven years. The head CDH is giving me a hard time about the day BEFORE Thanksgiving (which, I don't really NEED that day off -any more,- but originally I was supposed to be going to New York city to see the parade and would have needed it off) and she's saying no way (though that "she'll try") for the day after Thanksgiving (which I put in for as a personal holiday, and other than Sundays because I can't use PH's for Sundays due to the extra pay, they can't dictate what days I can and cannot use as PH's). This is despite the fact that I have been there for seven years (and days off are supposed to be based on 1. seniority and 2. how far in advance you put in for it off, which I did in plenty of time) and put in for the day off plenty of time in advance, and I'm 99.9% certain that I had last Black Friday off, too. So she's giving me a hard time about the day after, but not the day OF, go figure.

Then she's also giving me a hard time, telling me she'll try, for Christmas eve. I'm sorry, but I've been there seven years, I had to work it last year and I hated it because I was wrapping presents at the last minute. I have too much stuff going on between both houses, plus going out to a fancy dinner for my mom's birthday.

...sorry, this turned into a mini rant about my work. XD

Basically, I agree with you. If you shop the day BEFORE the holiday, there's no reason the store should have to be kept open the day OF, at least not for a ridiculous amount of time. With Thanksgiving, I could see staying open until 1:00 (they might even be open until 3:00 these days...it's been a long time since I've had to work Thanksgiving). With Christmas Eve, I would say 3:00 would be better than 6:00. Give people more time to spend with their families and actually be able to have their dinners at a decent time.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I don't understand Black Friday and the madness around it. I also tend to find that people who shop on those days are NOT buying good presents, they are just buying stuff. It doesn't matter what little Billy or Aunt Grace WANT, it's all about what they can get cheapest. How heartfelt? If they even bother to buy anything for someone other than themselves.

With Amazon etc. why on earth would I try to fight crazy people when I can just shop online?

And opening on THURSDAY? Just, no. I worked ONE winter in retail and I would not wish it upon my worst enemy.

To quote Penny Arcade, They are monsters and they should not be encouraged.

[scionofgrace.livejournal.com]

THIS.

A couple years ago, my parents and I ate out for Christmas. My mom felt kind of bad about it, making them work a holiday. But I pointed out that the restaurant we chose was local, not a chain or franchise, and thus the decision was made by the people who had to do the work.

It's when overpaid upper management makes that decision that I get angry. They're loading up all this work on their employees and not lifting a finger to help.

[cloudsinvenice]

What drives me crazy is that last year, Black Friday suddenly became a Thing over here, because Amazon.co.uk instituted it, and this year I've actually heard it discussed on the radio as if it had some sort of objective reality beyond "American companies lead us by the nose to spend more money". Since we don't have Thanksgiving (or therefore the tradition that Christmas shopping starts the day after), it's completely irrelevant, but apparently people still get excited for the bargains...

I've got mixed feelings about more businesses being open on Christmas Day and other holidays - on one hand, we are finally becoming a more multicultural society, so I understand that for people who don't celebrate Christmas, it must be a nuisance not to be able to shop etc. as normal. On the other hand, I don't for a minute think that multiculturalism is remotely behind it (though I'm sure right-wingers would use it a stick to beat ethnic minorities with) - I think it's big business leaning on workers who don't really have a choice.

I would like to see everyone having the opportunity to take their religious and cultural holidays off (after all, Christmas is as meaningful to non-religious people as to Christians; it's trickled down very deeply into our culture whether or not one attends church) - my partner's workplace used to keep a ton of people working at Christmas until they realised that, actually, not THAT many people want to contact customer service on Christmas day. So now they've reduced their staffing, but it always seems a pity to me that they have to make anyone come in. And yet, they support internet products, and I imagine people who are alone at Christmas (and especially those whose loneliness is magnified BY Christmas) to whom it might really matter to be able to get their email/IM problems sorted out on the day.

tl;dr: capitalism has a stranglehold on us all.