open thanksgiving day??

Geez, at a Panera this evening. They are closed on Thanksgiving but open at 3 am on Friday since it is surrounded by retail that will also open early.

 

The local Chick-fil-a opens at midnight, I think. Lordeden and I were going to go last year (not because of shopping, just because they were open so late, and we're night owls), but when we got there, there were cars lined up around the building, out the driveway, and a bit down the road. We decided waffle fries and lemonade (me) and a spicy chicken sandwich (him) were not worth the wait.

 

our local chick fila is open 24-6. inside and drive through
--- merged: Nov 19, 2011 4:22 PM ---
they are closed on turkey day and open the following friday at 6

 

Personally, I can't believe all the controversy surrounding stuff like this. Being former military, I've had no choice on occasion but to work every holiday that came up during whatever deployment I was currently on (of course, my last deployment, the Army showed up and started building a tent city around us in October, then left early November and didn't come back until mid January to finish the job, while we sat there the whole time). I was probably only able to be home for four holiday seasons out of my 8 years on active duty.

I also worked at a UPS distribution hub overnight where if I remember correctly, we were only closed two days a year: Christmas day, and New Years day (we would work Christmas eve and New Years Eve I think, that was years ago).

In my opinion, We the Consumers of the United States of America are the problem (if you see this as a problem). Businesses know people want to shop and they will do anything to get a leg up on the competition, including opening earlier than the guy across the street. They want to sell stuff, and we want to buy stuff. Can't really fault them for giving us what we want.

It also seems to me that many people celebrate the holidays on their own terms. They might have "their" Thanksgiving on a different day. Almost everyone I know has multiple times during the week, or weekend, when they get together for "their Thanksgiving" or "their Christmas".

In my opinion, if you chose a position in retail, this is part of the job, and it's simply something you have to learn to deal with.

 

first of all let me thank you for your service.

i agree that if you choose a job in retail then thats your choice, but why start opening just cause others are. why not have a better sale the next day and advertise that...

 

That's a valid question, really.

The only reason I can come up with that might hold any validity, and even this doesn't really make much sense is that it's a race to be first. When consumers want something, they want it "now". We don't like waiting any more. They probably won't even notice the later sale.

Why do people end up getting the last Tickle Me Elmo for the low sum of $300 and a black eye when, if they had waited two weeks, there would have been 500 of them on the shelves for $30? Why do people fight each other every year in stores and wait in long lines when they could have comfortably purchased the same items (many of them for less) online?

I will never fully understand why the average American consumer does certain things, but I do understand businesses catering to them.

 

It used to be, that suppliers 'ran out' of stock at least in the 90s when I started to do this. If you didn't get a Wii or XBox or Beanie Baby or whatever the hot toy was, you were screwed. Some people would then resell them and make some tax-free money. Then it became a business model for the poor. I will buy a few things, and then resell them to make enough money to get by.

And then the Internet shopping stuff caught up with them. Prices don't hold up like they used to. And the on-line stores tend to have the inventory to back up their low prices.

And now the stores are trying to open an hour before the competition to get people standing in their line, yet I think or at least hope that this move will backfire. I am a 4am-6am Black Friday shopper, and I hate mornings. But, I also don't buy more than $100 worth of specific gifts either that day... And I respect the store worker's desire to get a holiday off to spend with family or watching a football game instead of sleeping during the day to stay up all night.

The reason I think it will fail, is that you are going to see the initial rush at 10pm-1am like you normally see at the stores, and then after the boring wait in line, the shoppers will get tired and cold, and go home to sleep. The stores will be empty from 3am-8am.

 

Great article

Some advocates say Black Friday's early start has pushed out Thanksgiving

Is Thanksgiving becoming a holiday for all but the retail working class? Never looked at it that but in effect that is what has happened.

yep

 

I'm all for outlawing shopping on Thursday and Friday. I'm staying all comfy inside my house... if I'm going to shop, it will be amazon

 

I thought to start a new thread to say this but here in this one is as good as any other place
Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, even as a kid
Not because it meant you got the toy you wanted...if you hoped for rockem sockem robots, you'd get rockem robots, a cheaper version and you tended to get used to that kind of thing even as a kid. I imagine that kids today hoping for Thomas the Train end up with Tom the train instead or Thomas the desiel truck or some such shit.

But it wasn't about the loot.
it wasn't about the meals even, hell there are holidays through the year that offered greater fare that some dry assed turkey that your mom made only once a year and only got good at in her later years after practice

now that I think about it it wasnt even about the one thing we should be celebrating, the birth of our Lord ( for those of us who believe

It was about setting aside a day, hell a period of time in the year to say to family that you cared

Uncle Bill would come by with a popcorn poper he bought the night before with three others identically wrapped in his trunk cuz he had other stops to make

Aunt Mabel would call just as you were finishing diner

It used to be that Bobby would get a Spiralgraph because he was into drwaing and Nancy because she was always holding the new babies would get a doll to play with.

I blame Elmo

I miss the old days

I hope my kids do too, it would mean that Xmas was more to them than loot and a good spread

it would mean that black friday was more than getting elmo two months before production was jumped up to meet demand

 

Occupy Best Buy?

Camping out at a Best Buy nearly two weeks before Black Friday?

GMAFB

http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2011/11/19/operation-occupy-best-buy-black-friday-macys-vending-machine/

 

In my family, once my dad's brother in law died holidays were boring, even Christmas (family wasn't religious, so to speak). T-Day just meant a big dinner and football, Christmas meant opening presents fighting and usually going to a friend's house, New Years Eve meant being baby sat by my dad's mom who went to bed at sunset.

We truly didn't have any "traditions", which is probably why as long as I can remember I would work and take on shifts for people. There is a reason cinemas are open every day of the year, having worked in one during high school I know.

American families are not as "close" as they were purported to once have been. The TV families of the Cleavers and Nelsons and "Andy Taylors", I don't know if they ever existed as a majority in this nation. I think we long for them instead of the reality that most of our families are those of the "Simpsons", the "Bundys", the "Griswolds" and maybe even some "Bunkers" thrown in there.

That said, I personally don't see a problem being open any holiday. Obviously companies think there will be a big enough demand to pay the workers time and a half for it. If they don't make a profit, it won't happen again.

The "holiday season" and all other holidays are nothing more than ways to sell things. We see all the "It's a Wonderful Life" movies and TV shows that use similar storylines, and of course the "Scrooge" tales, and part of us longs for that fantasy. Again, I speak in general terms, I don't think the "majority" in America are the "happy family" types during the holidays. Maybe I am just a Scrooge myself and have been tainted, but I can only speak from my experiences and observations of how friends think of the season.

The sad part is, I think especially this year because the stores are hurting so badly, that "the season" began before Halloween, so people get burnt out faster and faster. Get's to the point where hearing Christmas music while shopping for a Halloween costume shows a desperation on the store's side and kinda takes away the meaning subliminally, then you see all these TV shows and movies where you are supposed to have a happy, healthy, "normal" family and that rarely exists so the depression starts. It's also why the suicide rate is higher than at any other time of year.

 

You make some good points, pan6467. As a nation we tend to be idealistic about what family means and that lovely notion of what the holiday season means can often be drowned out by 2 months of Christmas muzak stuck on repeat in the stores.
In my family once my grandmother died, holidays became mundane. There was an uptick in enjoying the holidays for me with my own two kids but they are grown now and Christmas has come down to the men slaving in the kitchen all day, preceded by 10 mins. of stocking dumping and gift-exchanging. The good part is the meal and the best is the time spent with a very few family members who I see far too little of. This is my 'normal;' I'm sure there are many other versions for other folks.

 

I've spent the last 10 years in the Army, and I currently work in the ER, so holidays don't matter too much. I think this will be the 3rd Thanksgiving that I've managed to be in the US and not working for, so I plan to enjoy it. Getting an early start to the holiday shopping is a waste of time, energy, and ultimately frustration. I just can't get my head around the concept of Black Friday. Why would someone want to subject themselves to that?

While I understand the allure of business revenue, I truly feel sorry for people who have to work on a family oriented holiday so that a business can stay ahead of the curve. Healthcare and wars go on, but for the rest of you, call in sick.

 

Ok, looking at this from another angle... The only thing I have planned for Thursday is watching football. Why all the outrage over stores being open on Thanksgiving, and not over all these NFL employees that have to be away from their families for the game? Tradition? Since when, and why? Because they make more money? Why does that make a difference? I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is a lot of relativism occurring in regards to what employees should and shouldn't get to spend holidays with their families. Does it really matter in any case? I feel like I spend a lot of quality time with my family year round. I certainly don't need one arbitrary day of the year to try and make up for it, and I'd feel shitty if I did - Same reason we don't celebrate Valentine's Day in my relationship.

 

whats next, a "pre-pre-pre black friday sale 3 weeks before thanksgiving??
when i was a kid i dont remember seeing or hearing about christmas until thanksgiving day. now i see it before hallowen

 

That is my memory as well. Official Christmas shopping/Christmas sales started the day after Thanksgiving. Only compulsive types shopped earlier and they were the exception by far.

 

Oh, good, it wasn't just my "little kid perception" that remembered it that way.

A friend of mine said there are ALREADY people camped out at Best Buy. Lame.

 

As previously mentioned in this thread, I too have spent some years in the military environment where I fully expected to work any given holiday and just as likely be deployed somewhere on the water.
When I worked at a UPS hub (smaller one for the Portland area, we only had 9-10 bays for trucks) we put in full time days during the holidays to keep with the extra items being shipped.

 

Yeah, back in the day only "crazies" had their shopping done weeks before Christmas.

Personally, I wait until the day AFTER Christmas to shop because that's when they truly cut prices and will take a true loss just to get the excess merchandise gone. They have to make room for the "Spring" sales. Be surprised at what you can get and for how cheap on the day after sales. Then give your presents Dec 31st or on New Year's Day. It's tough, especially if you have kids or a traditional family, but I'm telling you the day after is the time. Even if it is for birthdays, early shopping for next year's Christmas, etc. Just an observation. Sure the day AFTER people are returning the things they got and didn't want for cash, but the sales are the best of the year.