Looks like the poor and middle-class take another hit

[mjvcaj]

No longer are these people working in retail able to enjoy Thanksgiving with their families (I know, some of this started last year, but it appears to be getting worse).

Some retailers, particularly discount retailers, are forcing employees (generally low and lower-middle class) employees to work as early as 6pm on Thursday, in true classless fashion. It should come as no surprise that among those listed are struggling companies such as Sears, K-Mart (owned by Sears), Kohl's, J.C. Penney, and Macy's with Best Buy and evil Walmart considering Thursday openings too.

With the majority of Americans dislike or hating these policies, I hope people use it to push back against the infringement upon basic employee rights and benefits. Ineffective sales would force some of these sleazy retailers to revert back to preserving Thanksgiving for workers to spend with their families.

http://time.com/money/3556863/thanksgiving-hours-closed-black-thursday/?xid=timefb

 

[alax2]

I generally find this outrage hypocritical. I have heard this argument

from people and then see them at restaurants, movie theaters, sporting events, grocery stores, etc. on Thanksgiving. Lot's of people work on Thanksgiving. Besides, if people weren't shopping that day, they wouldn't be open. So, unless everyone is going to lock themselves in their darkened and cold houses (we don't want the evil gas and electric company to force their employees to work on that day), then this is just a rant that makes no sense.

 

[DougS]

I, for one, won't shop on T-Day

Of course, I don't have small children that just have to have whatever the toy du jour is this year.

 

[Tracon]

So true, never figured out why some would want to


shop or eat out on these days, but they do, and supply will meet demand . In past years working for the Military and Gubment I have worked many Holidays myself though and never found it to be all that terrible, we just arranged our celebrations around it.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Of course some people have to work

That's true any day. It used to be that people got paid extra, or perhaps people without families would work and take a different day of. Forcing the average worker to work while the executives are off doing whatever they are doing, that's a bit different. Most small business restaurants I know have the owner there (your traditional Chinese restaurants for example).

But I believe the other part isn't just the working, it is the way crass consumerism of Christmas now has made Thanksgiving virtually a non-holiday. Thanksgiving has gone from a real and valued holiday to just being a big day for Christmas. It isn't even the opening, I've seen Christmas displays since September.

Thanksgiving deserves to be a holiday. But in a couple years, we'll have Christmas sales on the 4th of July. Every holiday will just be an homage to Christmas.

 

[i'vegotwinners]

retailers are fighting for their lives, and besides the brick and mortar side being very competitive, the internet is open all day on Thanksgiving.

best solution i can think of is to move black friday up 2 wks, and thus put less pressure on being open on turkey day.

it might also help increase total season sales, by extending the "official" season 2 wks.

that said, i'm afraid once the taboo was broken, there's no going back, and even if they move black fri to the last fri in oct, that retail is going to be stuck working Thanksgiving.

hopefully they enjoy still having Christmas off. not sure how much longer that will last.