A bit OT: Does it bother anyone else...

[jrmasm]

I really hope that no one that has an issue with stores being open goes out to eat on Thanksgiving.

 

[safetymom]

Black Friday is a horrible day to work. I sure worked it enough times. I won't get anywhere near the stores on that day now.

I don't go out to eat on major holidays. Yes I think most of the restaurants should be closed also.

 

[Malificient Tater]

I don't feel bad, they are the ones that choose to work that day. It is not like someone is making them. I have had to go into for on holidays, sometimes that is just the job. I do not see the need to boycot.

I also know alot of people that do Thanksgiving on that weekend,for all kinds of reasons. As long as you are being thankful it does not matter what do you choose to do it on, it is not like we are giving thanks the exact same day as the pilgrims.

 

[LilBlackSheep]

Disney hourly employees work holidays.

I'm well aware of that. I didn't mention Disney because if I were to mention all the places that are open, this post would certainly be a long one.

 

[disneychrista]

When my mom worked at Kmart she alwasy CHOOSE to work the holiday because she got paid time & a half, plus got another day off as the holiday. And just because the retail store is not OPEN on the holiday don't assume that all the employees have the day off. I mean someone has to get everything ready for the black friday sales.

 

[tar heel]

My DH works every other Thanksgiving. He's salaried, so he doesn't get any pay premium, but his volunteering to take Thanksgiving protects Christmas. In 20+ years, he's never worked Christmas Day. All the managers at his level have to do one or two holidays a year. He will be off Friday, which is not a holiday at his company, b/c he worked Thursday.

 

[rigs32]

Stores closed on Sundays? What about those of us who have Saturday as our day of rest and work a normal schedule? YOU might want Sunday as "family time", but when do we get to do our running around?

 

[Sleepy]

When I worked at BlockBuster years ago, we had to work Thanksgiving and Christmas. We had no choice. People would come in with the "awww....you have to work on Christmas". My reply was "Stay home on Christmas and the execs will stop having the stores open."

 

[KarenAylwood]

I worked Thanksgiving last year, but this year my shifts fall so that I get it off (and BF morning too!! ). I work in a chemical plant and knew when I was hired that there was a chance I'd have to work Thanksgiving, Easter, and even Christmas. I've worked the last two Easters plus last Thanksgiving. We're a 24 hour facility and if they'll make more money staying open- we're up and running.

This year I get Christmas off again because my half of the plant is shutting down (yay!) but the other half isn't and people in that area will be forced to work. They also don't get any kind of holiday pay for working Christmas. Comes with the territory. I took the job knowing I might have to work holidays. It sucks, but if it was that important to me, I would have taken another job.

 

[Pixiedust34]

Our local K-Marts have been open on Thanksgiving for the past few years. I probably step foot in K-Mart about once every 3-4 years at the most (and it's not on Thanksgiving Day) so I have no idea if they get any customers then or not.

I used to work in retail, and the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas brought out the crazy people.

Don't even get me started on the returns that happen beginning on 12/26. Working on 12/26 was worse than working on Black Friday. People would bring in stuff not even from your store and argue that you will do the return for them.

 

[blana]

My brother used to love it since, as a pharmacist there, he got time & a half for working on Thanksgiving, and still usually got out in time to have supper with the family. He always agreed to work the holiday there & at CVS when he worked for them.

 

[Glendamax]

I don't feel bad, they are the ones that choose to work that day. It is not like someone is making them. I have had to go into for on holidays, sometimes that is just the job. I do not see the need to boycot.

I also know alot of people that do Thanksgiving on that weekend,for all kinds of reasons. As long as you are being thankful it does not matter what do you choose to do it on, it is not like we are giving thanks the exact same day as the pilgrims.

I disagree with people who feel like this poster. Strangely enough, in my family, we work in the media, retail, and computer industry. All of us have to work on the Holidays. We do not choose to, but we HAVE to. Some of the places that we've all worked have rotated employees so everyone does not have to work the Holidays every year. Other employers, like my current one, does not. I am very glad that no one has ever said to any of us that we knew what we were getting into, and that they don't feel sorry that we have to work.

I am one of those people who have to celebrate Thanksgiving on a different day. And no, it's not the same. Believe me, I am thankful to have some family to celebrate with, but it would be great to be able to celebrate it with my whole family on the day.

So I do feel sorry that some stores are open on the Holiday, because I'm sure that most of the employees would rather be home with their families.

 

[MiniGirl]

I disagree with people who feel like this poster. Strangely enough, in my family, we work in the media, retail, and computer industry. All of us have to work on the Holidays. We do not choose to, but we HAVE to.

So I do feel sorry that some stores are open on the Holiday, because I'm sure that most of the employees would rather be home with their families.

It is true that some people chose to work a specific holiday, and it is true that some get premium pay. I agree with Glenda though. Not everyone who is working that day is doing so because they choose to -- for whatever reason.

Before I had children, I was a flight attendant. Dh is still a pilot, and we have spent many holidays on a plane or in some layover hotel because we HAD to work. We were low in seniority and that just came with it. Holidays were the worst though. We'd finish up and go to a hotel. The only people we knew were the people we had just flown with and often we had just met them at the beginning of the trip -- which means we really didn't know them. Also since it was a holiday, there was nothing to do in the layover city. Everything was closed. Makes for a really long trip. International trips were even worse because it was too expensive to call home. Ugh!!! And the kicker.... no overtime or premium pay for us. All other airline employees got time and a half -- except for crew members.

So, yeah, I feel bad for those working on a holiday.

 

[rflorek]

My opinion: Giving thanks should not be limited to one government mandated day on the calendar. EVERY DAY should reflect the same values as everyone seems to tie to that particular Thursday.

You can arrange a dinner with family and/or friends any time of year, and serve the rukey, trimmings, and pumpkin pies, and all give thanks for whatever you wish to be thankful for. It does not - and should not - be limited to the 4th Thursday of every November just because a prior President stated it should be.

And for those who say restaurants should also be closed on Thanksgiving: I spend the day with my Mom, Should the 2 of us have to prepare an entire dinner for ourselves? We find it much easier to celebrate in a local restaurant. We realize that it's a holiday, and reward our server accordingly, knowing that they may prefer to be somewhere else, but are working for a living.

My brother is a government employee, and he volunteers to work on Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas, so that his co-workers who have young children can enjoy their holidays with their families. My sister, who is a nurse, does the same. People observe - or don't observe - "holidays" in many different ways. Just because some of you prefer a more traditional celebration does not mean that every does - nor should everyone be forced to.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

 

[keishashadow]

When my mom worked at Kmart she alwasy CHOOSE to work the holiday because she got paid time & a half, plus got another day off as the holiday. And just because the retail store is not OPEN on the holiday don't assume that all the employees have the day off. I mean someone has to get everything ready for the black friday sales.

OT - I was @ Kmart yesterday picking up a home theater system that was on sale

employee had to scour the store to find where they stacked the last 2; whilst i was waiting i noticed a dolly stacked with many large, mysterious boxes...labeled "hold for black friday promo"

 

[suzannews]

Where I work, we are open 365, no choice to work or not to work. We usually have Thanksgiving dinner the Tuesday before. Atleast if I forget something at the store, everything is open for a quick trip. When my DD was little, I would feel guilty about working on Christmas so she would get presents everyday for a week instead of just one day. She still thinks Christmas is a week long event...

 

[GoofyGolferGirl]

I used to work for Kroger and the first year they stayed opened it was a trial thing if they had business they would stay open each year if not they would close next the year, the store was full of customers all day! Now they have to stay open because they cook A LOT of dinners for people to pick up. I guess this is the nature of the retail beast!

 

[poptoone]

I work for a manufacturer and we work Thanksgiving day and are closed on Friday. I know its due to the production needs but its a real pain. I get stuck with the leftovers on Friday.

 

[Glendamax]

I'm glad someone started this thread, because I usually feel like I'm the only one who has to work. This year, I'll know that there are alot of DISers working like me - so now I won't be so bummed out!

 

[Sleepy]

And for those who say restaurants should also be closed on Thanksgiving: I spend the day with my Mom, Should the 2 of us have to prepare an entire dinner for ourselves? We find it much easier to celebrate in a local restaurant. We realize that it's a holiday, and reward our server accordingly, knowing that they may prefer to be somewhere else, but are working for a living.

I think this is the reason people want Thanksgiving off. They want to spend the day with their mom too.