Target employee starts online petition protesting Target's BF hours

[brookmey]

For those who aren't happy about the earlier (and earlier) store openings for Black Friday. Pretty interesting article.

http://money.msn.com/shopping-deals/article.aspx?post=b78e0601-bbfb-464f-a8a1-6d2ee4759660

 

[scrapquitler]

For those who aren't happy about the earlier (and earlier) store openings for Black Friday. Pretty interesting article.

http://money.msn.com/shopping-deals/article.aspx?post=b78e0601-bbfb-464f-a8a1-6d2ee4759660

I think that retailers are just responding to the customers demands. If people weren't lining up way ahead of time waiting for the stores to open, the stores wouldn't keep moving the opening earlier to beat out the competition.

 

[SamSam]

Sorry, but if you have a job in this economy and your employer asks you to work 'different' hours 1 or 2 days a year, I don't see a problem. The customers are willing to get up.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Sorry, but if you have a job in this economy and your employer asks you to work 'different' hours 1 or 2 days a year, I don't see a problem. The customers are willing to get up.

Hardwick said the holiday has sentimental value for him because he proposed to his girlfriend on Thanksgiving last year. The part-time employee said his manager had asked him to start his 10-hour shift at 11 p.m. next Thursday night, which meant he'd need to sleep through the holiday, according to the Chicago Tribune.



Hardwick is not scheduled to work Thanksgiving night or Black Friday, however, according to Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder.

IT seems he isn't even working those days.

Shoot, BF is the Superbowl of retail. It is a given that if you are employed in that industry that you will be likely working crazy hours on that day.

As it is, while I would love a retail job right now and would probably enjoy the rush and excitement of working that day, it just isn't something I am ready to do.

I don't really understand his position. The lines on BF will determine if Target will continue with this schedule change.

For logistical reasons, I am happy they are opening at midnight.

 

[tara98]

It does stink, but those in retail really have to accept that some hours may be difficult, and that this is the busiest day of the year......

 

[NYCDiane]

For those who aren't happy about the earlier (and earlier) store openings for Black Friday. Pretty interesting article.

http://money.msn.com/shopping-deals/article.aspx?post=b78e0601-bbfb-464f-a8a1-6d2ee4759660

That's tough beans. If he doesn't like it, he should look for employment elsewhere. Black Friday is "the" day for retailers.

When I was younger, I worked at JFK Airport --- our company was open 24/7-365. If we were scheduled to work on holidays --- T-day, Christmas, New Years Eve, New Years Day --- we had to work unless we made arrangements in advance to switch with someone or use a vacation day if there would be enough other people working. It was part of the job.

Black Friday is a huge part of the retail world. From what I've heard, Wal Mart is supposed to be open ON Thanksgiving Day and many other retailers are opening at 10PM on Thanksgiving night to get a head start on Black Friday.

 

[DVCBELLE]

I read a more expanded article and it said that they felt this was the rich once again exploiting the poor and middle class so they could shop when they want. And they interviewed another 22 year old and he said he would have to leave his family Thanksgiving early so he could nap before he has to work at 11:00 pm....

1. Really - a 22 year old has to nap to stay up all night - does he do that before a big party too? Sorry - he lost me there - at 22 we never even left for the bars before midnight.

2. Rich taking advantage of the middle class?!?!?!? Has he never been out on a black Friday - cause I can tell you - the rich people I know will be home sound asleep in their beds b/c their time is more valuable to them than the couple of bucks they will save on BF. In my experience, while there are plenty of wonderful nice people shopping...the rude, ignorant and definitely not rich are out in full force on black Friday.

3. A woman who has worked for WalMart for 21 years said she was happy to work - she would get paid extra and her family has planned so they can enjoy the day together - she can get the rest she needs (I understand why she needs the rest - I'm in the home stretch to 40 and staying up all night is not as feasible as it was when I was 22) and she is happy to have a job.

I wonder who will be providing the better customer service that night?

 

[Sagginit]

good for them. i know i am going to get flamed for this but as someone who used to work in retail people can be pretty heartless. the entire reason black friday exists is traditionally many people have off of work that day and can go out and shop. i really don't think its that much for the employees to ask to have a normal thanksgiving, after all most stores only close that day and christmas.

also what people don't take into account is it can be dangerous. the employees normally don't do night shifts so many will not get good rest before going in. they then work a long shift and have to drive home exhausted. i had a co-worker who was badly hurt in a car accident because they fell asleep at the wheel after doing one of these crazy hour shifts. there is also those black friday stampedes, i remember seeing on the news that someone died in one.

i can only imagine what other countries think. Americans create holidays to celebrate their freedoms and then spend it knocking each other over for cheap tvs and free electronics.

 

[Yoshi]

I think stores closing on holidays is going to be a thing of the past soon. Not that long ago basically every store was closed on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now it seems like more and more stores are opening on Easter and Thanksgiving. Off the top of my head I know that Sears, KMart, Dollar Tree, Old Navy and Walmart were all open either this past Easter and Thanksgiving or both. I give it less than 10 years before stores start opening on Christmas too.

 

[Jey12]

Personally I would prefer the sales go back to 3-4am. That's just because the crowds were lower and I didn't have to rush to go get in line. As for the people working that day, I do agree they should get the whole day off. Needing to come in at midnight no longer qualifies as Thanksgiving. As for starting an online petition? Give me a break. Go to work or quit. When you take a job in retail, especially at places like Target, TRU, etc... you know you're working black friday, you know they open early, you know it's going to be crazy. I would be all in favor of going back to the 3-4am start times. Opening at 9pm makes it Black Thursday and not Friday.

Saying that they deserve to spend the entire holiday day with their family and getting a good night's rest before working I do not agree with. If that's the case then does the fire and police departments get to do the same thing? Of course they don't. Do the people that work in movie theaters need to complain about these midnight showings of popular movies? No. Again because they knew what is expected of them when they sign on for that type of job. I worked as a veterinary technician for over 15 years and for many of those years I was scheduled to be off work at 6pm. That often did not happen. Something would happen and an animal would come in and I could be there as late as 9pm at night, and have to return by 7am the next morning. Did I stomp my feet and complain? Did I go online and start a petition so I could make dinner with my family? No I didn't, because I knew that was part of the job when I accepted the position. For the record having to stay over an hour past the time I was schedule to leave wasn't an every once in awhile thing. I could count on being there until at least 8pm 2-3 nights a week. I chose to work in that kind of position, so I had no right to complain when it happened.

How about the stores don't open early at all and just do their specials online until regular store hours? Then they could fire several thousand employees and not have to worry about people complaining. Oh wait, then they'd complain there's no jobs.

 

[michelle06]

It seems most of the responses think this guy is being ridiculous and should do his job. He is not asking for Black Friday off - he is asking for Thanksgiving off! I don't think anyone should have to work at 10pm on Thanksgiving. It's the one of two days that retailers can enjoy with their families without being expected to work nights and weekends. How selfish are we to expect that he might want some sleep and he should just expect to work it? In all fairness, it wasn't until this year that businesses are really starting to open on Thanksgiving Day and not waiting until some wee early hour on Black Friday. I don't think it's too much that he expected to have the day off.

And if we as consumers don't respect the employees time by not shopping, they will get to a point where businesses are open all day on Thanksgiving. Is that what we really want? Do you want your family missing the holiday so someone can have the opportunity to shop that day?

 

[Southernmiss]

I appreciate that in this economy having any job is a good thing. I have a teenage son who will be working retail on Thanksgiving and Black Friday and he is truly glad to have the job.

But, I have to wonder if as a society are we damaging something about ourselves with no sacred holidays where the stores will close for a full 24 hours and give their employees the day off. Many other countries have many more vacation days and time off than the US does.

Heck, we have lots of other holidays on the National calendar that are observed mostly only by government employees. (I worked in banking and didn't get all of the days that my government employed husband got. And our children don't get off school every holiday that he does.) Why not allow for Christmas and Thanksgiving as our 2 guaranteed national holidays?

ETA: I realize that healthcare and public safety workers work all holidays--but those are necessary, expected and better compensated occupations than retail employees. And usually there are trade off opportunities available--you work Thanksgiving and then get to spend Christmas morning with your kids while I work Christmas for you and get Thanksgiving off. Retail employees are expected every holiday.

People can catch up their shopping on the day after the holiday. It's not a necessity to shop on Thanksgiving/Christmas...

Just my thoughts.

 

[SandrA9810]

But there's even consumers upset by the push back of hours. Just because they'll line up at 11pm for a 5am opening, doesn't mean they want to interrupt their Thanksgiving dinner as well just to line up at a store at 3-4pm for a midnight opening.

And even at 22 I wanted my sleep. I never spent time in bars or partying all night. If I needed to pull an all nighter from 11pm to 7am, you'd bet I'd be sleeping in the day time, or figure out a way to sleep standing up during my shift. And having fun socially is much different than being stressed out from 10 million customers dragging you in 10 million directions.

I worked plenty of holidays working at Disney, but again that's a 24/7/365 kind of operation. It sucks when you're saying goodnight to the opening crew at like 4-5am because of extra magic hours at night and in the mornings. But it comes with the territory, it's well known that Disney does not close it's doors except in extreme circumstances.

Retailers are closed on Thanksgiving. There's no reason they need to move black friday to black thursday.

 

[Jey12]

Do you want your family missing the holiday so someone can have the opportunity to shop that day?

No I don't want to, but we do all of the time. I have a family full of police, fire and military employees. It's their job and it's what they signed up for. I do agree that the 10pm times are crazy and as a shopper I am not shopping at those stores. I don't want to line up at 7pm because a store decided to open at 9pm. I will be in line for the store that opens at midnight though.

ETA: I realize that healthcare and public safety workers work all holidays--but those are necessary, expected and better compensated occupations than retail employees. And usually there are trade off opportunities available--you work Thanksgiving and then get to spend Christmas morning with your kids while I work Christmas for you and get Thanksgiving off. Retail employees are expected every holiday.

They are better compensated? Not hardly. Maybe once you move up within the company, but those aren't usually the public safety workers that work the holidays. Unless retail has changed since I've worked in it, Thanksgiving to New Years is the only time it's mandatory you are available. All other holidays you are allowed to take time off. You are compensated to what you agreed to when you took the position, knowing you would be expected to work some crazy hours during that 6 week period. I do see your point, and I'm not trying to pick on you. I just do not agree that I need to feel sorry for a retail employee because they have to work long and strange hours for 6 weeks of the year. Many jobs have this happen and I have yet to see such an outcry for them. How about accountants? Who is going to stick up for them working 18 plus hours a day from Feb. to April? Why don't they get to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and enjoy the start of spring with the rest of us? What I'm trying to say is this is not exclusive to retail workers. This spans across many many jobs and choices people make for their types of employment.

People need to realize this just isn't an issue with the employers, it's an issue with your state's department of labor. Take it up with them. They are the ones with rules in place that allow an employer to schedule an employee pretty much anytime they feel like it, without any breaks if they so chose, and the employee can either work it or quit. Those are state laws, not just exclusive to retail, they pertain to any non union job. Not all states but many of them have no laws in place to protect an employee from working crazy hours, what breaks they get and what days you have off. I live in a right to work state and you can be fired for any reason at any time. The employers don't even have to grant you a break on an 8 hour shift if they chose not to. OSHA has regulations, but they are not actual laws.

 

[QVCshopper]

I don't honestly see what the big fuss is about. I think the midnight opening is much more convenient than the crazy 4-5am thing. OK, it wasn't awful about 10 years ago when it was 6-7am, but who wants to get up in the middle of the night? With the midnight opening, just stay up a little later and then go to bed.

I work the second shift, and am quite used to it. I also work at a 24/7 company (they are only closed on XMas day) and people are there constantly (Easter and Thanksgiving included). And, I worked XMas in college more than once at 7-11. I watched moms and dads buy their kids XMas presents there (pretty sad, I thought) and pulled in more than $10K in one shift. I didn't celebrate these holidays as a kid, and not everyone does celebrate--especially XMas, there's a whole large part of the population that doesn't due to various religions and beliefs. Believe me, growing up, those days were soooo boring.

Anyway, if you want the companies to change, then don't go. IMHO, your only way to really speak is with your money--or lack there of.

 

[tkitty]

I have worked retail most of my life and of course know that black friday is the biggest day in retail. I have worked for the largest of them now for over 17 years and have worked every black friday. It was bad enough when we no longer had Thanksgiving off, but we all delt with it.

This year I will be there 8pm till 8am starting Thursday and expect to not get off at that time. No biggie, I've worked lots of crazy hours.
I guess my biggest complaint would be that it seems that black friday is getting crazier by the year. People have died. It's scary crazy in these stores and as an associate/employee, you have little control. People can be animals. Fights break out all the time. You have people that haven't slept, some have been drinking, many are wired up to make it through. You have lines of 80 people where you have 5 TV's for example-

The stores do alot of planning but it all goes out the window as customers don't care and you can't control them.

I do understand the frustration of the person that started the petition and all but I don't see things getting better until they get worse.
Next I expect that we will be open Christmas also as 364 days a year is not enough days. After all what would we do if we couldn't shop 24/7/365.

 

[Eeyore98]

BF has gotten completely out of hand, IMO. It started simply as a convenient time to start your Christmas shopping...now it has ballooned into a chaotic nightmare that is taking over Thanksgiving. It is not a necessary public service like healthcare or police. It's just greed in its basest form.

We can't travel home to visit family because DH works for the computer back-end of a retail company. Between him and the other guy who shares his job title, they are expected to maintain 24-coverage from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through the Monday after. Yes, that means 6 days in a row of 12 hour days. And it's not like he'll get to be off work come Tuesday the 29th...he just goes back to a more "regular" day for the rest of the week.

Yes, he's salaried and agreed to his level of compensation when he was hired, blah, blah. And we expected not to be able to go home. But nobody told him until two weeks ago about this 72-hour week from hell that basically kills ANY chance of us being able to celebrate Thanksgiving, even just on our own at home with a small turkey breast and some potatoes.

It's not worth him quitting his job over, as some here have suggested the Target guy needs to do. But it still SUCKS. And I don't think it's unreasonable for workers who are screwed over by the juggernaut that Black Friday has become, to be able to complain about it publicly.

 

[GrumpyDad1974]

He needs to find a new job then... I worked retail for 10 years at Costco and we were not allowed any personal or vacation days between thanksgiving and jan 1. Deal with it!

 

[beansmom]

BF has gotten completely out of hand, IMO. It started simply as a convenient time to start your Christmas shopping...now it has ballooned into a chaotic nightmare that is taking over Thanksgiving. It is not a necessary public service like healthcare or police. It's just greed in its basest form.

I totally agree! I vowed 2 years ago when the poor guy was trampled to death at Walmart that I will never again participate in such insanity. It's just not worth it to save a few bucks to me.

 

[Dismom+two]

I agree that BF has gotten way out of control. I just don't understand why these stores need to open at ridiculous hours. One store I'm sure started it and then all the other stores had to follow suit to compete. Just go back to opening at normal hours on Friday morning and let people enjoy their Thanksgiving. I understand people that have essential jobs, (fire, police, military, medical) have to work and of course they understand that being in the field they are in...but working retail is NOT essential.