It used to be about family getting together, creating memories, sure we had thanksgiving weekend sales, but this is getting ridiculous. Major chains are being treated like the second coming of mother theresa because they are going to be close on turkey day
This Thanksgiving, the open-versus-shut debate has grown even louder.
Walmart, Kmart, Macy’s, Target, RadioShack and many other major retailers are proclaiming that they will be open on Thanksgiving Day to make shoppers happy. But Costco, Marshalls, GameStop and T. J. Maxx are riding the backlash against holiday commerce by boasting that they will not relent: They will remain closed that day to show that they are family-friendly and honoring the holiday.
But even as retailers vie for every dollar during a very competitive season, Tony Bartel, the president of GameStop, views this debate as open-and-shut. “For us, it’s a matter of principle,” said Mr. Bartel, whose company has 4,600 stores nationwide. “We have a phrase around here that we use a lot — it’s called ‘protecting the family.’ We want our associates to enjoy their complete holidays.”
but further down the article
GameStop stores will open at 12:01 a.m. on Black Friday, and they expect a crush of customers to snap up new versions of the exceptionally popular games Call of Duty, Halo and Assassins Creed.
Yeah, after eating turkey all day, I will really feel like goig to work, besides the fact that the employees need to get there early to open up, but hey we are technically closed on thanksgiving!
http://www.nytimes.c......html?_r=0
Then you got this heartwarming story from Buffalo
So much for being home for the holidays.
A shopping mall in upstate New York has apparently threatened to fine retailers the insane sum of $200 an hour if they aren't open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
Walden Galleria, the Buffalo mall in question, has more than 200 stores, and the mall apparently revealed the fine in a meeting of store managers last week. This year marks the first that Walden Galleria is opening in the middle of Thanksgiving, managers told The Huffington Post.
Workers aren't happy about the mall's extended hours, either. "It's a family day, it's a holiday, and frankly, it's really getting out of hand with how stores are opening so early," Brian McKnight, manager of the Art of Shaving boutique at Walden Galleria, told The Huffington Post. He said that his store will pay the fine and remain closed on Thanksgiving Day. "It's about having that comfortable work-life balance and respecting my employees' holiday time with their families."
The holiday is apparently no longer a time when Americans can sit down for a nice dinner with their families. This year, retailers around the country, including Macy's, Target, and Walmart, have pledged to open their doors on Thanksgiving Day in addition to Black Friday. Like Columbus Day and Memorial Day before it, Thanksgiving is becoming another day devoted to American consumerism — and a holiday where the increasing numbers of workers no longer have the day off.
http://theweek.com/s.....anksgiving
give us back our turkey day! you already screwed up christmas!
*rant over*
19 Feb ’12
KVR said
it probably is, some malls dictate that their tenants have to be open 7 days a week or whenever the mall is open
Good point.
Also, I'm quite the pessimist, but i think that the majority of stores that are opting out of opening on Thursday are stores that would struggle to compete with Walmart and similar giants, so they concede and try to take the moral high ground.
18 Feb ’12
It's too bad people would actually rather shop than spend time with their family. I feel sad for them.
What amazes me is the nastiness of Black Friday shoppers. We had a gaggle of shoppers come into the ER last year for sprained ankles, sprained wrists, etc from the the stampedes-but not until after they had completed their carefully mapped out shopping itinerary. They were such nice patients with their sleep deprivation, 3 redbulls, and holiday angst, too.
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