As Thanksgiving quickly rushes upon us, it's hard to escape advertising. If there's one thing you can count on more than Christmas displays starting earlier than you're prepared for, it's the inundation of commercialism this time of year. Now, don't misunderstand me - I know that retail is part of economic recovery. I'll even admit that I enjoy window shopping and checking out sales. But something strikes me as off when the holiday is almost absorbed by talk of sales and plans of hitting the stores.
Now, who doesn't like saving money? And there are certainly some good deals to be had, especially by those who start early. There's even a website devoted to finding Black Friday-specific deals. I remember when I was growing up hearing tales of people getting in line for 6am store openings, with the line wrapped around the building. That was early then, but no longer. The big news this year was that several retailers are starting their Black Friday sales even earlier than usual - Thursday evening! Even more are opening at midnight.
It's not surprising that people are planning their shopping, given that there seem to be so many tricks to finding the best deal - most of which need preparation besides a warm jacket, thermos of coffee, and sturdy shoes while you wait for the store to open.
So, as we were trying to get a jump on our holiday shopping, I started thinking about all of this. A few days later, looking at blogs recommended by other blogs that I read, I stumbled across this gem. Gretchen eloquently captures my concern: what about the workers? It's great that people don't have Thanksgiving evening plans can get their shopping in at a time many (myself included) prefer to 5am. but to do so requires thousands of store employees to also give up part of their holiday evening - one of the few that retail employees have historically had. While there may be some who are willing and eager to get in extra hours this way, there are surely others for whom it's just something they have to do.
I worked at Toys R Us in my younger days - it was an especially great job while in college because the store was happy to hire me when I got home from fall finals and "release me" from employment a few weeks later when I had to go to back to school. Truly a mutually beneficial agreement. I don't recall that I ever worked Thanksgiving weekend although I had considered asking if I could a few times. But, I do know this. The seasonal rules were quite clear: everybody worked Christmas Eve, and everyone worked either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. I am fairly certain that Black Friday was not an option either. So, then, more generally, what about those pre-8am/overnight holiday hours? Undoubtedly there's some negotiation, but it's likely some employees -whether they be cashiers, warehouse, custodial, sales folk, and managers- are being asked to give up or rearrange some of their family time. Just so the rest of us can start our shopping a bit earlier.
Well, while you're out there, remember to remain civil. It's a bit maddening being out in the crowds, but a smile and positive attitude go a long way to helping to keep the madness at bay.
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