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Email a FriendI work part time as a bartender at a restaurant chain that has decided to be open on Thanksgiving for the first time ever. Not only are they open but have extended hours until midnight. Thankfully a couple of my co-workers volunteered to work for me on Thanksgiving so I don’t have to miss the holiday with my 3 small kids. While I realize people might enjoy a hot meal or don’t have family to spend the day with I despise the fact that my corporate office thought it would be a good idea for their employees to miss the day with their family for a day that will most likely not be profitable. If you are thinking of dining out for Thanksgiving (or any holiday for that matter) please consider the people working and either stay home so the company may reconsider being open on holidays or be EXTREMELY GENEROUS to your server that is missing time with their family so you can eat out.
Black Thursday?
Posted by Lisa Hendey in News on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 2:00 PM
Rachel’s lovely article today has me thinking about my holiday shopping, so when I ran across this article at USA Today, I was greatly disturbed. It seems that some of our major retailers, including Target, Walmart and Toys R Us, have decided to continue their encroachment into the family holiday by opening during the nighttime hours of Thanksgiving.
Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder says the decision to open earlier is due to consumer desire. “We have heard from our guests that they want to shop Target following their Thanksgiving celebrations rather than only having the option of getting up in the middle of the night,” she says, adding that the store does its “best to work around the schedules of our team members.”
The same article goes on to quote a survey which finds that 87% of respondents felt retailers should remain closed on Thanksgiving.
Indeed, Thanksgiving has traditionally been the one wonderful event not associated with acquiring, decorating (unless you count turkey hand prints and dried leaves on the table) and materialism. I’m saddened for the employees who will have to give up family time to go to work on Thanksgiving, but I’m also sad for a society that can’t wait just a few more hours to get their bargains.
Maybe I’m out of touch—I intend to do a significant amount of my shopping this year online and through Catholic retailers, hopefully in advance of Advent. But maybe there are those of our readers who think this is a great idea and who will look forward to some late night shopping with friends or family after spending the day feasting… I do know some friends locally who will definitely be making this a “girls night out”.
How about you? Shopping on Thanksgiving—thumbs up, or thumbs down?
Comments
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I, for one, will not be shopping on Thanksgiving, and I don’t think there is any good reason for retail stores to pull their employees in from family gatherings in order to open early for Black Friday sales. I would also agree with you, jg, that dining out on Thanksgiving and imposing on others who would desire to be at home does require special consideration and generosity, especially if the decision has been made for the sake of convenience. However, I am at a loss, having been in the position of choosing to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with a grandfather in the hospital, several hours away from any family member’s home. It was a difficult position to be in, as I did not want to be one more customer that encouraged a restaurant to be open the next year. However, with hospital cafeterias closed, there wasn’t much of a choice in the matter other than to starve.
But grocery stores being open on Thanksgiving? I find myself having a hard time thinking of any good reason for that other than convenience, especially since, having been the teenage employee who had to work that day, I can say the store is pretty much dead aside from those who forgot things they needed for their meal.
Obviously your situation was different I do realize that in that case it would be your only option to eat out. I do think its funny that the hospital cafeteria would choose to be closed considering all the employees and families that don’t have the option of being closed that day.
I hate the idea of people missing dinner to work so others can go out but I too see the good in some situations: at least two years running in the small town hospital I work at I met family members from out of town who were stuck in our hospital for the holiday and the ONLY place open in town was one gas station . . . we did ask them to join our family but they declined but it would have been a great gift for them if one restaurant had limited hours . . . however one family without a dinner is probably better then 4-5 families missing dinner so that their family members can work
This is in response to Lisa’s comment - I concur with what others have told you. Two years ago, my dd was in intensive care in a hospital out-of-town - about two hours from home. After having to make an emergency ambulance ride up there, I had no car, no family, and no friends there - for Thanksgiving I had a bag of doritos from the vending machine. The hospital cafeteria was closed, all the fast food chains within walking distance were closed, etc. I hate that I was thinking of myself at that time, but I was HUNGRY and really wish SOMETHING had been open.
As a child of someone in healthcare, I certainly understand the need for some people to work the holidays and what a burden it causes family. At least I knew it was necessary when our plans were scheduled around work or everything came to a screeching halt because mom was on call. So having been on that side of it, I refuse to shop after about 3 Christmas Eve, or on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day. I have even been known to not make a dish, even beloved favorites, if I realize I don’t have ingredients or if I ruin something the first time around. And Google is such a wonderful thing that sometimes I can even scrape together something similar with what I have on hand. I figure if my Grandmothers could manage without 24/7 stores or anything open on holidays so can I.
I work as a nurse part-time, so I often have to work on holidays, and this Thanksgiving is no exception. My daughter is only 14-months-old, so I don’t mind, considering we have no family in the area.
But retail is different. I won’t be shopping on Thanksgiving (even if I could). I feel badly for the employees who are leaving their family events early to work these things. I hope they are at least getting “holiday pay”. I will admit, in the past I have had a great time doing some “competitive shopping” in the early hours of black Friday with my mom, but, in all honesty, I can find great deals outside of these. And, as a family, we are getting away from the trend of materialism. We are blessed enough as is. And, as the Duggars would say, “Buy used, save the difference.”!!! Ha!
I also work in healthcare and have had to work on the major holidays for the last 8 years. It’s been an adjustment to our family holiday schedule. Last year I worked Thanksgiving Day, this year Christmas Day. It’s difficult, but it has to be. It’s my livelihood, my job and it’s a sacrifice I make to accommodate my family. I often forget that there are many other people who also work on the holidays and have to choose their job over family holiday time such as police officers, firefighters, EMTs, hospital staff, nursing home staff, retail employees.
As far as shopping on Black Thursday or Friday, I tried shopping on the day after Thanksgiving last year around 9 a.m., Toys R US was a mob scene. I left w/o buying anything. I’ve gotten deals online in the past on Black Friday. But this year, money is really tight and my daughter would be thrilled with the Basketball system that Walmart has for $69, which is a bargain, as I’ve priced other ones for $140-200, so I might be there at 10 p.m. to see if I can snag it and then be into bed by 12 a.m.
This is why I avoid the mall (and most other retail places) like the PLAGUE from the day after Thanksgiving until shortly after New Years. It’s just a constant assault on the senses and totally degrades the meaning of Christmas. I mean, I’m not a Scrooge…I love Christmas…but I want my kids to stay away from the hype as much as possible for as long as possible and try to focus on the real meaning of Advent and Christmas. The only time I go to the mall is for the kids to visit Santa Claus…usually on the Feast of St. Nicholas.
The thing that bothers me the most is that it seems like our society rushes through the one non-commercial holiday of the year (Thanksgiving) to get to the (ironically) most commercial holiday of the year (Christmas). In my area, the Christmas music started on the radio right after Halloween, and now Thanksgiving has the potential to be shortened by stores opening at 10 pm. That being said, I certainly understand that people on a tight budget who want to get their kids something special for Christmas might need to take advantage of the early sales.
I think it is so sad that as a society we are getting less and less family oriented and more and more materialistic. It is really shameful of those stores to contribute to the collective loss of family togetherness. Obviously the corporations are only interested in making another buck but there used to be a time when even companies had a conscience. It is a downward spiral and people all over are becoming less and less connected to each other.
I come at this from an entirely different perspective. we are a family far flung, with Firefighters, doctors and others who have to work on holidays. Travel is so hard with all of the traffic. years ago, we decided Thanksgiving dinner would be on Saturday after the official Thursday holiday. travel is easier, getting off work is easier, and it isn’t like it is a Church feast day, just a day picked by the government to celebrate. I don’t see myself shopping on the Thursday, but then again, I don’t shop on Black Friday either, I hate crowds and try to have my gift buying finished by then. Why can’t we decide when the best day for Thanksgiving is for our family, without all the associated stress?
I get very frustrated by the gotta have it insanity of our area. Since being widowed, my MIL has typically joined my side of the family for Thanksgiving - but not so this year. This year she turned down our invite and her daughter’s invite to stay close to home, nap, and be ready to stay up all night shopping - gotta get to Walmart before 10. She has always loved her Black Friday, but starting at 5:00 is very different than skipping Thanksgiving to be up all night shopping. I don’t think she is unique either - she has a comfortable budget and nothing specific she is looking for, but the shopping draw is way more exciting for her than family. I’m praying for patience cause it already is feeling like a long Advent.
I also will not be shopping on Thanksgiving or Black Friday. I also refuse to step foot in a store on a holiday, to boycott retailers. I am saddened but not surprised that the stores are opening sooner. We do live in a very materialistic society and all of us moms need to promote our faith and family even more! I have heard of cyber monday (Monday following turkey day shopping on line for deals). That sounds more positive to me.
You are absolutely right: Thanksgiving is not a Catholic holy day, solemnity, feast day, or the Sabbath. It is not immoral to shop on Thanksgiving or work on Thanksgiving. I am actually more perturbed by shopping on Sundays. That being said, since it is the only American holiday that acknowledges God I think we should attempt to respect it and give it a higher priority than shopping.
While I have no intention of shopping on Thanksgiving, I agree, it’s not a religious holiday. It’s too bad people will have to work on that day, and I won’t be one to contribute to that happening. But, I pay much more attention to the stores closed on Sundays. I will go out of my way to shop at those businesses - even paying a little more to support their choice. If a store is open on Thanksgiving, I won’t shop then, but I won’t feel the need to avoid them on other days.
Where I live in NJ, we have “Blue Laws” which prohibit retail shopping on Sundays. Grocery stores, pharms and gas stations (7 Elevens, etc) are open but the malls and big box stores are closed. I love it. It makes Saturdays at the malls crazy, but I rarely go to the mall on the weekend, I can easily go during the week so it’s not a big deal. It’s also so much easier to get into NYC without all the retail traffic. Despite the “Blue Laws”, retail does big business here, stores keep opening even though they lose Sunday business.
I am a flight attendant, and can empathize; but try working every holiday, every weekend, at every and any time of the day. Sometimes people don’t realize/recognize what some industries have to put up with to take home a paycheck every two weeks.
This is partly why I am trying to avoid a job in retail. And it’s not just Thanksgiving, but every retail position I’ve interviewed for has late nights and mandatory weekend hours which means I would not be able to to go any masses, no adoration, no confession whether I need or not. I long for the days when most stores were closed on Sundays (which will never happen again).
I like the idea of celebrating Thanksgiving on a weekend (woe to those who like football) instead. Once my brother and I became adults, it was easier to celebrate our birthday (same day, a year apart tot he day) on the weekend.
I may shop on Black Friday but if I do it will be online.
Near me in NJ is a thriving Carmelite Chapel smack in the middle of a large mall. It has three daily masses, confession before each mass and adoration as well as novenas and a book store. Oh, and a Sunday mass on Sat at 4pm! Any time I pop in for mass there is an assortment of retail workers, security guards, construction workers, retired people, it’s just wonderful.
I used to work in an ER doing billing and have worked many a Thanksgiving. While it is not ideal, I didn’t really mind. I was glad to be there and be of assistance for the people who were in distress. There were always injuries from the football games, heartburn from eating too much, etc. The hospital gave us meal vouchers so we ate for free at the cafeteria. There is a kind of solidarity among the workers when you are there on a holiday which is nice. That said, I won’t be shopping on Thanksgiving unless it is online. I really dislike going into stores this time of year and plan on doing most of my shopping on the internet.
I am in the camp that Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday, so the obligation for businesses to close isn’t as heavy as it should be on Christmas, Easter, etc. However, I do think that businesses that truly do not need to be open should close out of respect for their hard-working employees with families.
However, one year very early on in our young marriage my husband and I, with our two toddlers, lived away from home and family. I was still very inept in the kitchen and was overwhelmed with my two young ones as it was, and was so thankful to have a restaurant open so my family and I could have a nice turkey dinner. Plus, there are some who also do not live near family and appreciate working that day and getting the time-and-a-half wage before the holidays. This also applies to students who can’t afford to go home for the short holiday and who liek to work to save up money. Like I said before, since this isn’t a religious holiday, I don’t see the harm.
I LOVE Black Friday shopping. But this is because is is an extention of the family time of Thanksgiving fior me. Me and my sisters-in-law go out early every year, even if we don’t have a lot to buy. But we have the best time together and end the morning with lunch out. We’ve had some of our best talks being out together in our sweats and pajamas, holding our coffee in line. We do tend to do our Christmas shopping that day, and while you certainly can find deals at anytime, there really are some HUGE ones on that weekend, and I am very budget conscious having to shop for 8 kids. 
We also like to do our Christmas shopping that day so that we can just quickly wrap and hand over the Christmas presents to our family members who are there during the Thanksgiving holiday; this way we don’t have to pay the astronomical costs of shipping.
I just wrote about this, too. (Coincidentally, Lisa, I independently used the same title AND graphic. Heh.) I definitely think thumbs-down. I don’t want to pass judgment on any individual, but I think that as a society it’s a mistake to feed the beast of consumerism. And the uncivil, sometimes lethal rush that is present in some places is even worse. This trend does nothing to discourage that problem, and may make it worse; I daresay crowds will find it easier to stay up until midnight than to get up at five, if my local Walmart is any indication.
I’m saddened by the increasing aggressive “Black Friday” shoppers. The only way to combat this so called corporate greed is to not participate. Let the retailers where you normally shop know how you feel. Send a thank you email if they do allow their employees to spend Thanksgiving with their loved ones. Honestly this 24/7/365 consumer mentality is killing us! With the ease of on-line shopping, die hard Black Friday shoppers can knock themselves out from the comfort of their home.
Remember last year people were actually trampled while trying to enter a store.
Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless!
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