Per Mother Jones:
Why Are Big Retailers Trying to Kill Thanksgiving?
(http://www.motherjones.com/files/BlackFriday_chart-01.png)
In case you haven't noticed, Black Friday isn't just on Friday anymore. The retail industry's high-density mass of starry lights, Santa dioramas, and door-buster shopping deals really ought to be renamed the Black Hole—it just keeps sucking up everything around it. That holiday known as Thanksgiving? Pretty much gone. Especially if you work for one of the nation's largest retailers.
In 2006, Bart Reed, Best Buy Co.'s consumer marketing director, told the Charleston Gazette that the company had decided not to open its stores any earlier than 5 a.m. on Black Friday because it wanted to give its employees a "work-life balance." Then, five years later, Best Buy moved its Black Friday opening back to Thursday at midnight. This year, for the first time, it will open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Best Buy is far from alone in its cold-hearted greed. The chart above shows how America's biggest retailers have competed in recent years to appeal to crazed shoppers at the expense of their employees—not to mention the one holiday where we're supposed to contemplate being grateful for what we've got, rather than just coveting more stuff.
The undisputed leader in the assault on Thanksgiving is cleary Kmart, which has opened its doors on Turkey Day for the past 22 years. Yet this sad legacy hasn't stopped Kmart from finding ways to make its workers even more miserable. For Thanksgiving 2010, Kmart closed at the arguably reasonable hour of 9 p.m. In 2011, it closed at 4 p.m. and then reopened four hours later, before closing at 3 a.m. on Black Friday. That must not have been crazy enough, since this year Kmart will open at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and stay open for 40 hours straight, not closing until 11 p.m. on Black Friday.
That sounds pretty bad, until you consider that for years many Walmart stores have been open 24 hours a day, including Thanksgiving. This year Walmart will roll out its Black Friday specials at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, when it will presumably need to bulk up its stores with more associates who'd normally be eating turkey with their families. At least some 24-hour Walmarts used to close on Thanksgiving Day: "Local Wal-Marts open at 5 a.m. [on Black Friday], with 24-hour stores closing for Thanksgiving and reopening then," reads a 2006 story from California's Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
At least one mega-retailer has resisted the Black Hole: Costco. The unionized big box chain will remain closed on Thanksgiving and open on Friday at its regular hour of 10:00 a.m. The company wants it workers to be able to spend time with their families, Costco CFO Richard Galanti told me. "It's pretty straightforward: It's a major holiday with family and friends, our employees work hard, and it's the right thing to do," he said. "Black Friday used to open at 6 a.m., then at 3 a.m., then at 12:01 a.m.—when does it stop?"
If people would just stand up and not get sucked into the madness then these retailers would see the light and go back to the way it was. But as long as people fall for this craziness, pretty soon we're going to be back to school shopping and Xmas shopping at the same time!!
They're all inching closer & closer to irrelevancy. I'll dance on their graves.
I was in Target recently and noticed that they sold Thanksgiving Day cards (they had a bunch of them too!) just like Christmas Cards, Birthday cards etc. Maybe that isn't new or whatever, but I say that I remember seeing a Thanksgiving Day card before that, or maybe I wasn't paying attention. Has anyone out there in MJ Land ever purchased a Thanksgiving Day card? seems like the holidays are getting more and more over-commercialized every year. I'm certainly looking forward to my Flag Day and Ground Hog's Day cards...
Quote from: peestandingup on November 28, 2013, 12:48:31 AM
They're all inching closer & closer to irrelevancy. I'll dance on their graves.
Man between, fast food, the press, tv, movies, your going to have a lot of dancing to do.
Quote from: AmyLynne on November 28, 2013, 12:43:43 AM
If people would just stand up and not get sucked into the madness then these retailers would see the light and go back to the way it was. But as long as people fall for this craziness, pretty soon we're going to be back to school shopping and Xmas shopping at the same time!!
BINGO! You win the prize! Those who blame faceless corporations and retailers for our societal problems fail to look squarely at society itself. WE drive THEIR actions...
Quote from: stephendare on November 28, 2013, 10:12:43 AM
Quote from: BridgeTroll on November 28, 2013, 10:11:50 AM
Quote from: AmyLynne on November 28, 2013, 12:43:43 AM
If people would just stand up and not get sucked into the madness then these retailers would see the light and go back to the way it was. But as long as people fall for this craziness, pretty soon we're going to be back to school shopping and Xmas shopping at the same time!!
BINGO! You win the prize! Those who blame faceless corporations and retailers for our societal problems fail to look squarely at society itself. WE drive THEIR actions...
you cannot possibly be this naive.
Eyes wide open Stephen... I choose to not participate. You will NEVER find me among the throngs of people scrambling for the Thanksgiving "deals". If everyone were as "naive" as me... this thread would not exist...
Good for you BT but that is not how you change things at a societal level. Remember the made in the USA campaign of the 80s? Let me remind those who don't . In the 80s we decided if we cut almost all of our tariffs and signed free trade agreements it would be OK if we just informed the American consumer that it was important to our economy to buy American. Well here we are 30 years later and we have discovered that trickle down economics flow to the lowest sweat shops in the world and many Americans trying to make ends meet can't focus on Macro-ecconomics with all of their spending.
Advertising works, people chase deals and we all can't be mavens for every area of consumerism. So I will act as you are with the non participation but don't hold your breath that mass personal responsibility alone will ever solve anything because it is as Stephen characterized naive.
I am not evangelizing government intervention in Thanksgiving shopping. I am just saying with Americans it won't be good intentions that change things this gimmick will just likely run its course.
^That said. I will make the futile gesture.
#Nordstrom, #Dillard's, #HomeDepot, #SamsClub, #Costco, #BJs, #TJMaxx, #Marshalls and #Ross stores are closed on Thanksgiving I will try to do my Christmas shopping from that list.
I am not boycotting #WalMart, #Target and #Macy's but I will try to cut them from most of my Christmas shopping.
Quote from: JeffreyS on November 28, 2013, 11:04:34 AM
^That said. I will make the futile gesture.
#Nordstrom, #Dillard's, #HomeDepot, #SamsClub, #Costco, #BJs, #TJMaxx, #Marshalls and #Ross stores are closed on Thanksgiving I will try to do my Christmas shopping from that list.
I am not boycotting #WalMart, #Target and #Macy's but I will try to cut them from most of my Christmas shopping.
It is not a futile gesture Jeffrey... Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy it at home with your family!
What's wrong with being open on Thanksgiving? Grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, restaurants have been for years.
I think it's supposed to be out of consideration for the employees.
Quote from: thelakelander on November 28, 2013, 11:59:07 AM
What's wrong with being open on Thanksgiving? Grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, restaurants have been for years.
By having shopping "events" you are specifically trying to drag people away from their family events. Minimum shopping has long been available with smaller staffs working shorter shifts to cover some needs and help the staff have more of a holiday as well. I guess everything is about degrees.
Quote from: BridgeTroll on November 28, 2013, 10:11:50 AM
BINGO! You win the prize! Those who blame faceless corporations and retailers for our societal problems fail to look squarely at society itself. WE drive THEIR actions...
uh huh....
I don't see the big deal honestly. I've worked several Thanksgivings during my seven years with Winn-Dixie during the 1990s. No one raised a fuss about us being open so people could get stuff at the last minute. Plus, working on holidays usually meant a little extra pay. I don't see how someplace like Best Buy being open is any different. If you want to spend time with the family, go for it.
Quote from: AmyLynne on November 28, 2013, 12:43:43 AM
If people would just stand up and not get sucked into the madness then these retailers would see the light and go back to the way it was. But as long as people fall for this craziness, pretty soon we're going to be back to school shopping and Xmas shopping at the same time!!
Greed & consumerism two forces. That can never be stopped. People feel good about spending & spend to feel good about themselves. The suits know this. Maybe the economy is fixed now?
Quote from: ChriswUfGator on November 28, 2013, 12:01:12 PM
I think it's supposed to be out of consideration for the employees.
employees might want the extra pay.
Quote from: civil42806 on November 28, 2013, 10:03:43 AM
Quote from: peestandingup on November 28, 2013, 12:48:31 AM
They're all inching closer & closer to irrelevancy. I'll dance on their graves.
Man between, fast food, the press, tv, movies, your going to have a lot of dancing to do.
I take it then you don't wanna be my dance partner? :(