I spent a few days in New York, this weekend. Many stores in Herald Square will be open on Thanksgiving, and I was so dispirited by the news. I understand that people will flood that area for the parade, but it seems weird to me that anyone would want to shop for crap on Thanksgiving. Obviously I’m totally old school. It’s unfortunate that Americans must consume copious amounts of turkey and Banana Republic scarves on a national holiday.
Want my advice? Skip the damn scarves and eat more mashed potatoes. It’s better for America.
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I also feel sorry for the workers who are caught up in a cycle where they work for $8/hr, have no medical insurance, and feel compelled to work on a national holiday because it pays time-and-a-half. These employees are trying to make a buck; they are trying to improve their own financial situations; and they are participating in a cycle of consumption that ultimately works against their own best interests.
Oy. Capitalism.
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As much as it may suck to work on Thanksgiving, it seems worse to get up early and work on Black Friday. We’re in the midst of a recession, unemployment rates are high, and someone will probably die at a store fighting over the last unit of DJ Hero: Jay-Z versus Eminem Renegade Edition Bundle with a turntable.
So here’s what I want to know.
- Do you work in retail?
- Are you in HR retail?
- Have you worked on Thanksgiving or Black Friday?
Anything we should know about how crappy your job is? Can we do anything as consumers to make your job better? Should we just stay home, enjoy our families, and stop spending money over the Thanksgiving weekend?
{ 48 comments… read them below or add one }
I haven’t worked in retail in too many years to count, but in high school, I worked at Macy’s Herald Square. I worked Black Friday, and to me, it was magical – how the store was transformed into Christmas between Wednesday night and Friday morning. Standing on the balcony admiring the decorations, listening to The Nutcracker, anticipating the opening bell and then watching the hoards of people flood in – it was thrilling. I loved everything about the Christmas rush back then – now, not so much.
Wow. Regular stores open on Thanksgiving? That’s sad. It’s not like there aren’t other days to shop.
For years, I have refused to shop the grocery store on Thanksgiving. Well. I haven’t needed to because guess what? I knew Thanksgiving was coming and had my shopping done! But I guess it comes as a surprise to some and there they are Thanksgiving morning, saying, “Oh! I guess I need a turkey!”
But I have stood firm on principle and refused, yes refused to set foot in a grocery store on Thanksgiving or any other holiday because NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO WORK ON A FAMILY HOLIDAY.
I worked in Retail for 9 years. Although admittedly in HR in Retail. We had a policy of asking for volunteers to work on public holidays and never had to enforce it on anyone.
This was in the UK and the multicultural socierty here meant that many of our workers were quite happy to take double time on a day that they did not celebrate and then take a days holiday for Ede. Just because it was “our” holiday, it didn’t mean that everyone wanted to celebrate it.
But the nub of this is that shops would not open if people did not buy. No retailer wants to employ staff to sit twiddling their thumbs. Nowadays, we shop for fun, for pleasure, for entertainment and not for neccessity. We have a holiday we want to do things we enjoy and that means spending money that we don’t have on things that we don’t need.
That is capitalism. And it sucks.
Class factotum, I’ve long refused to shop anywhere on Labor Day, for similar reasons. On a holiday designated to honor the working class, they’re now the only ones who still have to work – it’s only middle-class professionals like me who are able to take a holiday. So I refuse to contribute to corporate profits on that day.
And I say that as someone who once worked retail, and accepted that time-and-a-half paycheck for holidays. I worked at a Kmart when I was in high school and college, and I always had to work the day after Thanksgiving. (They gave us our birthdays off with pay – WTF? I’d rather have had Christmas Eve off, even without pay.)
The store was always busy on ‘Black Friday’, although I don’t remember if it was called that in the early 1980s. It was particularly crazy when word got out that we had Cabbage Patch Dolls in the store. But I don’t think it compares to what I read about happening in stores these days on Black Friday.
My mom, my sis, and my aunties get up early, lists in hand from having perused the adverts Thursday evening, and make a day of it, but I do my best to stay out of all retail establishments other than grocery stores from late November until late January.
There are very few opportunities in a given year, where I’m given carte blanche to behave boorishly, and get a free pass to trample someone to death. That’s why as American’s we need Black Friday. Well actually I guess behaving boorishly is an inalienable right, but the trampling, the sweet sweet trampling, hey that one day is our chance.
Actually, I’m a dude, so the whole concept of getting up early and waiting in line, waiting to run over some rent-a-cop, only to grab some shiny piece of crap you really don’t need is strange to me. We all know the best way to shop for the holidays is to rush to the stores at the last minute, join the throng of glassy eyed dudes circumambulating around the stores, find and purchase something we like for ourselves, that we intend to give to our loved ones in the hope that they won’t like it and we can have it.
Ah the holidays, magic…
I’m *not* in retail and we used to close for Thanksgiving. Then some people said “I don’t have anywhere else to be, why can’t I work?” Clients were happy we were available and people were happy to work. We bring them a big dinner, make sure there is football on the t.v. and its a very relaxed day for them. I’m in HR. I was appalled. Silly me.
Before you go bemoaning the fact that some people might have to work remember they have choices even if they may not seem like great options to choose from. Leave them their choices and make your own, shop, don’t shop.
I won’t because I will be turkey comatose but then again Black Friday scares the bejebus out of me.
I’m currently working 2 part-time jobs in retail – one of them is closed for the holidays (it’s on a college campus) but the other is open (major retailer). They are closed Thanksgiving Day but will open on “Black Friday” at 3 a.m. I’m waiting to see what my schedule is for that weekend.
The concept of shopping on or immediately after a holiday is preposterous to me; however, having been out of work for too long (in the full-time capacity), sleeping on a friend’s couch for the past year and lacking health insurance, I’ll take whatever they give me right now, smile and help you find your way to the escalators and restrooms. I’m doing what I have to do and making the best of it. Doesn’t mean I like it, but it’s not forever.
I’ve worked in retail for 10+years and only recently have a new full-time job in HR (not in retail, thanks goodness). I continue to torture myself by working part-time in retail. Ultimately, it is the particular retailer, I think, that makes life unbarable on Black Friday. The dept store that I work for (leading dept store in southeast US, located in Raleigh, NC, so now you know) opens earlier and earlier every year depending on what time Macy’s opens in the same mall. That time this year just happens to be 4am. Yea, 4am. Furthermore, I work in the cosmetics department and we are NEVER included in the sales, but over half of your cosmetics staff are required to be there at open. Not a single one of the counters ever have a sale before 12noon. Also, would like to mention that the district executives of the company are housed in our store as well, so they are all meandering around at 4am, harassing us and making us feel uncomfortable. One year, some cosmetics employess actually cried because they were so confused and harassed because we were ‘just standing around looking pretty and not finding something to do.’ Horrible working environment. I think everyone should just stay home and boycott this stupid Black Friday ‘sale.’ BTW, our dept store has the same Black Friday sales on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Same…exact…sale. And I pretty much hate Christmas now.
I worked last retail Thanksgiving because instead of time and a half, they were giving us 8 hours of PTO for 6 hours of work.
The three christmases before that I worked for the time and a half.
My favorite is when people would say, “Oh! I can’t believe you’re open!”
We’re open because you are here, buying things. This year I have an office job that comes with PTO, so I’m taking more than a few days off for both thanksgiving and christmas.
Ha! Sealz, that is a good one and one of my favs when they say they can’t believe we are open. My other fav is when we close later than usually and they say, ‘I’m so glad your open later, thats great!’ I actually said to someone once that ‘I guess that depends on what side your looking from.’ You can always tell the customers who’ve never worked in retail in their life
I knew OSHA would want to get in on this action. http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/osha/osha20091426.htm
I don’t blame capitalism for these issues, rather, the pervasive 24/7 need for accessibility that has crept into our culture. Whether it’s shopping, round the clock cable news, papparazzi documenting every move a celebrity makes or the ability to watch Spongebob at any time of day or night… these things wouldn’t be available if someone wasn’t reading/watching/buying. Capitalism thrived before these things became the norm. In my opinion, it’s the utter lack of common sense that drives so many of the stupid decisions out there.
I used to work on the ramp for the airlines and private jet operators. Guess what — planes don’t stop flying on holidays, so we had to be at work. Most companies I worked for paid us time-and-a-half for working on a holiday. Most of them just added 8 hours pay to our paychecks — for everybody, regardless of who punched a clock that day.
At the last job I had in that industry, the company did pay extra for punching a time clock on a holiday the first year. Then, they got cheap, and the next year flat-out said that since so many businesses were open on the holiday, we weren’t special for having to work, and they would only pay us straight time.
Now, personally, when I worked in that line of work, I was far away from family. The holiday itself, given the nature of shift work, was only a single day, not a three-day weekend. As such, I would rather be paid to be at work and productive instead of in my apartment doing nothing.
I don’t usually have to work on Holidays, but my esteranged husband who works for a Casino has worked every single Christmas and Thanksgiving since we have been together. I guess not having him around on Holidays has prepared me for being divorced !
i know i spelled that wrong, it is like i pronounce it, ” es-ter-an-ged”!
Never worked retail for the same reason I never worked food service– Why would I want to be surrounded by stupid patrons and thier screaming kids all day long??? I’d rather shove a lawn dart up my ass, to be honest.
Never shopped on Fat Thursday or Black Friday for the above reasons— and have always waited til the very last minute to shop– yep Dec 24th, 9-10pm. I’m a guy– whatta you want, huh?
…and you’re right– gratuitous capitalism blows! I’d like a return to the old days where you got your little wooden train your gramps whittled for you– and you Liked It, Sonny!!!
I won’t be shopping on Thanksgiving, nor will anyone I know. I am totally against it hoping that others will follow suit so that stores think again about opening and making these poor retail workers work on Thanksgiving. I am totally against making them work on a major holiday. I can’t imagine it even though I have done it as a young person for extra pay which I thought was wonderful at the time. But now I realize the time I may have missed with loved ones. I can no longer get that time back since some are gone and regret it. This holiday is meant to be spent on the important things in life, not shopping! And I love shopping so for me to feel this way is very contrary to what I normally think unless it comes to family.
When I worked in retail, I didn’t hate Black Friday or working on Holidays unless there was somewhere else I should be — like with my family. I did have to work one Christmas Eve and I was livid because I wanted to spend that time with my family. I put up such a stink my manager sent me home. It may have been immature, but it was more important that I spend Christmas Eve with my family rather than earning time and a half. The crappy part was that I was at the store the longest and even though I had requested the day off before any of the other workers—my boss decided that he needed the most seasoned worker there on that day.
I go Christmas shopping during my lunch breaks anyways : )
I worked retail briefly; twice on black Friday. The first time I don’t remember except that it was crazy busy. The second, I remember it was busy BUT management went about it intelligently to mitigate our misery and I was full time staff.
-We offered the black Friday sale through the entire weekend, so you didn’t have to come in on Friday if Saturday or Sunday were easier for you.
-We opened up half an hour earlier than we advertised (we advertised 7am; opened at 6:30).
Those two things helped us a LOT.
As one poster mentioned, Black Friday has lost it’s magic. It used to be, that from Wednesday to Friday, everything changed into a Christmas wonderland. People would go out to see that as much as to shop. Alas, greed has pushed Christmas retailing even before Halloween- Target and JC Penney are two I noticed. Black Friday is now more about $$$ than anything.
Working on Thanksgiving, and having stores open on thanksgiving, is wonderful for people who would otherwise have no one to spend Thanksgiving with. Same thing for Christmas.
Which raises the question, what’s the point of Thanksgiving or Christmas? Family? Gifts/Food? In our post-Christian society these holidays are little more than glorified family get-togethers with a feast and a gift exchange.
Way, way, way back when, I worked at JCPenney the day after Thanksgiving. I worked the 5am 1pm shift. Let me just say that it sucked. I also worked the day after Christmas that year and it sucked worse. I dont like big crowds or needy people so retail wasnt really cut out for me anyway. Most of the Black Friday people wanted the door busters and 5am door prizes. The only upside was getting there at 430am and getting to pick out my purchases and put them on hold since I was working past the door buster cut off.
While this is not retail, I used to work in psych facilities and worked some Thanksgivings. I actually kind of liked it because I usually get to eat two Thanksgiving meals (and not even an institutional cafeteria can mess up stuffing and pumpkin pie). The psych residents generally were in a good mood since they had a roof over their heads, big meal, and didn’t have to deal with their past lives. We were kind of our own dsysfunctional family on the psych floor and then I had a lot of fun comparing it dinner with my own family and all of our own dysfunctions.
With regards to holidy shopping, I’ve finally figured it out. I order a bunch of cool calendars (I get Peace Corps calendars with great pictures and they show holidays from around the world) and just pass them out to everyone. Everyone needs a calendar. The cherry on top is that my wife banned me from ever buying her presents since I did such a crappy job while we were dating (I’m serious, it’s a true ban, not a guy you said one thing but meant something else misinterpretation).
Next comment, I’ll be more on topic.
Don’t work retail now but worked four Black Fridays in college – swore I’d get out before #5 after dealing with nasty hyped up shoppers who screamed at us because our discounts weren’t deep enough, broke up fistfights between guys who didn’t want to wait in the hideous lines, and managed theft and incompetence from both customers and seasonal employees (the CHECK goes in the REGISTER, the receipt goes in the bag – and no, ma’am, you gave us a $20 NOT a $100, but sure I’ll have the 500 people waiting in line continue to wait while I close out the register and count out the till to prove it.)
Black Friday retail work = HELL on earth!
One last thing, my husband is an executive Chef at a major resort and works all major holidays – they are some of the busiest days of the year. We are eating Thanksgiving dinner at one of his restaurants so that our kids can see Daddy on Thanksgiving. So it is not just retail that works – you eat out on T-day or Christmas and someone is working to make and serve your food.
Having been a retail worker I do shop on holidays (NOT Black Friday) but I go out of my way to be nice to the employees and make sure that I am not one of THOSE customers.
I am in HR retail. We are closed on Thanksgiving Day so that all of our associates can enjoy holiday time with their loved ones. (even me!)
I am working two retail jobs right now and I will have to work all day on Black Friday. I think my shift starts at 2AM. I’m not exactly ecstatic about it, but I am doing what I have to do to hopefully pay my bills.
I just hope that people are nice to me. I don’t like mean consumers.
If I’m nice to you, you should be nice back. Pretty simple policy.
I waited tables for 7 yrs during/after college, and we were open on Thanksgiving every year (Go Sizzler!). They didn’t want to be unfair to anyone, so ALL staff had to work a shift that day. This meant that everyone pulled a 2-3 hour shift whether there was anything for them to do or not. There weren’t many customers, but corporate wanted us to be open for the whole day.
More people go out to eat at a restaurant for Thanksgiving (yes, even at Sizzler – I blame the buffet) than you would think. Our clientele was mostly elderly couples, many of them our usuals, so that actually helped shift my attitude about working on the holiday. I would frequently sit down with them and chat, and that put me more in the spirit of the day. They would tell me about their families who they wish they could go visit, but Bob couldn’t drive that far these days. I felt like I was a bit of a surrogate for their granddaughter who was in college that they were so proud of. It was hard to be cranky when that’s what counted as working on a holiday. Management was okay with us “sitting down on the job” since we were also taking care of our customers.
I’m thankful I didn’t/don’t work in retail and I’ve never shopped on Black Friday. My way of shopping is much like Puf’s, and I’ll gladly be a dude about this if my alternative is getting trampled buying crap that no one actually needs. Besides, that’s what the internets are for.
@Cowtowngirl Oh that’s actually sweet.
@Class I keep thinking that working on Thanksgiving must suck but the stores are open because we’re there. You’re doing your part to change this.
@TheHRD exactly, capitalism is a bitch.
@Elle I love how your family shops together. That just cracks me up.
@HRPuf you are so sentimental.
@jdp You are so right on this one, actually. I see your POV.
@Simone HANG IN THERE!
@Beth Is it Belk? Will you do my make-up for events? I go to the Bobbi Brown outpost in Crabtree all.of.the.time. Sometimes I go to MAC.
@Sealz That’s me in years past. There early. No more!
@Kristen You are so brilliant with the OSHA bulletin. It’s had a ton of clicks from this site.
@Dan Well that’s a good alternative POV.
@HRU I want to punch your estranged (or esteranged) husband in the face. I’m so sorry.
@MattyMat What is Fat Thursday? Thanksgiving? Shoot, every day is Fat Thursday in my life.
@Amy Oh that’s so nice.
@InkedHR I always shop on my lunch breaks. Dangerous when I was in NYC.
@econopete SMART.
@DavidT I’m not Christian and I don’t have a family. I just want ONE DAY where consumerism isn’t pushed down my throat.
@adowling My personal hell is JC Penney followed by KMART. I can’t get out of those stores. Takes forever on a good day.
@Deadhedge You’re on topic. Also, buy the CUTE OVERLOAD calendar. My cat is November 5th!
@Low Wow, you have a story. There are tons of reasons why I hate people, and all of those reasons are evident on Black Friday.
@Micheal YEAH!
@Molly Who could be mean to you?
@Controllergirl Sizzler? Whoa, I used to love the buffet.
I am one of those evildoers who will shop ANYWHERE that’s open on Thanksgiving. I’d rather have dental work than spend the day with my in-laws, so I will dilly dally around Starbucks on Thanksgiving in order to delay the inevitable gathering.
That said, I do think it sucks for people who don’t want to be working on the holiday and have to.
Plus, I’m totally un-American and would rather eat tacos than turkey, gushy stuffing, and gravy.
I am all over Black Friday, too! Though I do not shop at large retailers, so there’s no chance of dying. I go to independent shops since I can’t afford them the other 364 days of the year. Plus, my favorite shop gives out FREE mimosas on Black Friday, so everyone is very happy anyway.
@Laurie Yes– Fat Thursday – Turkey day – T-day – whatever you want to call it– the one day out of the year you want to kill yourself for eating so much. And I’m the one that’s always driving to my sister’s– so I get to see all the “fat & happy’s” wearing thier sweats and laying around after dinner– and I have to fight to stay awake for an hour driving home. I considered throwing it up Roman style last time it was SO uncomfortable– but my sister’s become a GREAT cook over the years– and I can’t resist well made turkey– or potatoes– or stuffing— or or or or…..
I did 7 years of hard labor in retail (Barnes & Noble), though I have to say our Black Fridays never seemed to be so bad. Probably because B&N is not known for the death-inducing doorbuster.
I don’t mind the early-in-the-season crowds, because they’re mostly out to browse and check shit out. It’s the week-before-Christmas-Day-desperation that completely blows when you’re on the receiving end of it.
I still remember the year I was working Christmas eve. A very well dressed Asian woman in a fur coat came in and asked for a book that she’d ordered.
In October.
When I explained we only held orders for two weeks, she climbed on top of the cash register, and then pointed down and started screaming. First in English and then in another language. And of course, no manager was present and no security. We had to call the cops to get her down and out.
This year most of my gifts will be me donating money to the humane society in someone’s name. Retail can suck it.
I have worked in retail on and off forever (since I was a kid). I was a store manager for several years and each year, I would be working until 3 am the night before thanksgiving and before xmas getting the store ready for the “day after”. I gave that up because….well, it just sucked.
This year I am working for an upscale retailer part-time (because I just relocated and am full time work isn’t so easy to come by right now). I just got my schedule for next week: many of us are scheduled for 11 hour shifts on black friday! What the hell is that about???? Obviously we’ll get breaks, but seriously…10 hours on the sales floor? Honestly, as a former manager I find this irresponsible and not very nice.
Bah.
@H.Aria I’m not a big turkey fan, but I like the fixins. Honestly, give me biscuits and gravy and it’s a perfect holiday for me. Or a perfect Wednesday.
@MattyMat Dude don’t knock the Turkey Day sweatpants. I need stretchy pants for my tummy.
@Patrick Amen, brother. I’m done with buying shit that no one wants, anyway. Let the animals have it.
@tp Bah is right, or as I prefer to say it, FUCK THAT SHIT.
I always volunteer to work thanksgiving and christmas- because the store is closed! It’s a pet store, though, so SOMEBODY has to come in and check the beasties. It’s nice, though- no uniforms, no customers, just the critters. I always try to bring in a treat for them.
Working black friday blows, though. We don’t have a sale, even, but people MUST SHOP ! !! Lunatics ans cranky people.
I have done retail for over 15 years. Yikes. While I’m currently at a desk with a giant monitor these days, in the beginning I was on the sales floor for a few dept. stores, but most of my years with a very well-known national home improvement store.
Working retail full-time requires you work first, live second. Almost everything in your life revolves around how they schedule you. Some managers realize you are human and make concessions for kids, events or school. Others do not.
So for holidays, you just assume your ass is working. ESPECIALLY BF. I got there at 5 a.m. for the Pentecostal style meeting (lotsa chanting and clapping, hoo-boy) and then the doors slide open and the fun begins.
I dealt with it. I figured if my mom, a restaurant person all her life, raised me while working every holiday and having to put up with customer’s pity (Awww, you’re working on Mother’s Day??) could do it for 45+ years, I could do it.
As for the people who shop BF, I will never understand them. What is wrong with these people???? The sun isn’t up yet. It’s freezing out. You have a turkey hangover. Is it really worth it?
As a web retailer now, I vote for shopping online, all the time. Yay, Capitalism, but mindless orgies of consumption in an age where we produce less is mind-boggling. Oh, that and the trampling of little old ladies and security guards.
I’m working retail pharmacy this year, but thankfully my husband wants to go to his hometown for the holiday, so we’re taking off Wednesday to drive to the other end of Texas, and I won’t be in town to work. Fortunately for those staying, we are apparently pretty slow that weekend (or so I’ve been told.)
Last year I worked at a “specialty” store in the mall and worked an early Black Friday shift. It truly was not that bad. I may just be fortunate, but the vast majority of my retail Black Friday experiences have not been that bad. No angry hordes, no ugly acting people, no crushes to get to the Super Awesome Sale Item. I’ve seen it in other stores, but the worst I’ve dealt with is trying to grab a bite to eat on my shortened lunch break in the Food Court. That might be why most of the places invited employees to bring potluck, or provided something in the break area.
My husband is the IT director for a regional “cowboy stuff” store (which is what brought us to this small town in the first place.) They are very busy with preparations, but my understanding from talking to other employees is that the worst part of it in our town revolves around the lack of shopping in general, and the elderly population’s fear of driving “all the way in” to Houston. They tend to swarm the stores here, but are generally not too bad.
I don’t think I would shop somewhere on Thanksgiving. The Big Blue Dub has been open on Thanksgiving for a bit now, and I don’t go on principle. I think it’s a shame people have to work that day at all.
Yeah, the system that makes this all necessary sucks. I am usually sick of Christmas by the time it comes around, just because I’ve had to deal with it for four months or so in some form or another by then. Our locations aren’t open on Thanksgiving, at least, but I’ve had people ask me every year if they can come in that day to prep the stores for Black Friday (and we’re like, no, folks, there are three days of the year when we’re completely closed, so enjoy one of the few chances you can be guaranteed not to have to work).
It really makes me wish we didn’t have such a service- and consumption-based economy. Let’s make more useful stuff.
When I used to work retail we weren’t open on Thanksgiving, however my holiday was ruined by dreading having to work the Friday after. But to me, working the day after Christmas was even worse! You not only had huge sales to deal with you also had returns and exchanges! The only time I ever had to work on Christmas Eve (which is my birthday) was in retail. It’s bad enough having a birthday on a holiday and then when you have to work on top of it…well I didn’t tolerate that very well. I know most people don’t care if they have to work on their birthdays but to me it should be a law that you don’t have to work that day! I worked in a movie theater while in college and we also had to work holidays too. That wasn’t as dreadful though as working in a department store. I won’t be shopping Thanksgiving or the day after or the day after Christmas, thank you very much. Working in retail scarred me for life. I still dream about it and they are always awful dreams. My father worked retail all of his life, not sales but maintenance, and he always told me to stay as far as possible away from retail. I know some people have to do it, like I did in the past, and some people choose to do it. Whatever the reason, let’s hope you aren’t too unhappy with it.
I come from food processing, not retail. If you want to expose a business that has low paid employees,crappy hours, and bad practices, consider writing about them. Food is a high demand item because we all have to eat, right?
Our business is ALWAYS open on Black Friday. And Christmas eve and New Years eve and . . .The only time it closes is when the USDA won’t inspect (or charges exorbitant money to do so). Even in HR/Management I worked on Black Friday because everyone else did.
Being an old fart, I remember the days when everyone worked on Black Friday. When some far-thinking companies decided to close (or were forced to because everyone took the day off), the retailers just took advantage of the opportunity. Do you blame them?
I used to work in retail (Baby Gap) and had to work two consecutive Black Fridays. It was required of every employee as the store was open for the entire 24 hours that day (12am-12am). Since I had an additional job that also required I work that day, I would have to work the 12a-6a shift where I’d have tired & angry mothers screaming at me for no reason (in order to cancel her credit card transaction, I had to swipe it again and she called my manager over accusing me of charging her twice – things like that). Please remember: as much as you don’t want to be shopping at 3a on a Friday b/c you’re trying to avoid the crowds (which you won’t, because everyone has that idea), the employees you’re yelling at for whatever reason are even less happy to be there. Also, a tip: if stores are open 24 hrs, the best time to go is around 6am b/c you’ve missed the frenzy of people who get there right away and it falls before the AM rush.
I worked in retail for the first 5 of my 21 years in HR – Bon Ton Stores. I now fondly refer to it as “HR Bootcamp”! HR was considered executive management. We were forced to work 6 days a week from the week before Thanksgiving through New Years. If that was not enough, we did inventory the first week of January!
We had to be in at 4:30 a.m. on Black Friday to replenish the store. They had free giftwrapping back then – I am an expert giftwrapper, even 16 years later. Our store hours were extended the entire holiday from 8 a.m. – 10 or 11 p.m.. I hated Christmas becuase of my job.
I made my friends promise to come shoot me if I worked a 6th Chrsitmas season in retail. Luckily I landed in manufacturing. To this day, I avoid malls at any cost…
I worked in retail for more than 13 years. I still hate Christmas, not because it’s Christmas, but because it reminds me so much of that life.
ps I find it ironic that the picture associated with my profile is one of me in West Edmonton Mall in Canadia. NOT on Black Friday, however!
When I worked in retail (in the 70′s), NO ONE was given that Friday after Thanksgiving off. All the part-timers (usually college students who worked evenings & weekends) were called in for 8 hour shifts. No exceptions. If you valued your job, you showed up, And yes, we were quite busy.
I have worked many Thanksgiving holidays in retail. Lets face it-there are a lot of jobs out there where people have to work the holiday. Someone has to be there to take your train ticket when you are heading to Grandmas turkey buffet. Or maybe granny is living in a nursing home, surely you wouldn’t want the staff to take the day off and let her fend for herself. And if you injure yourself in a holiday cooking accident you’d want someone to be there when uncle mike takes you to the ER. Having that said, I really don’t think retail falls into that category.
I don’t remember Thanksgiving being such a big shopping day a decade ago when I started in retail. Obviously retailers have found a way to make a buck and consumers who go out to shop on this day are just as much to blame. I would just like to ask people to STOP shopping on this day! It’s not right. I don’t think its terrible for a store to be open short hours until noon or so on that day because that leaves most of the day for family. However if you look at your Walmarts and your Targets they are not only open full days but have extended “holiday” hours.
For the third year in a row I am working overnight on this week because there are so many sales we have to put up tons of new signs every night of the week. I choose this shift because I can still have the day with my family but I don’t get much sleep when I am working 10pm – 8am Wednesday Thursday and Friday night.
I worked retail on Black Friday in high school. It was a party supply and cheap card store which did a decent business if only because some parents think that they need to spend $300 on decorations for their child’s first birthday party. Every day I worked reinforced the fact that working there was the best birth control ever. For every cute child we had come through the lines paying for his dad’s birthday card with his own 49 cents while Mom looked on proudly, we had a brat in a Disney Princess or Batman costume kicking employees or having temper tantrums when Mom didn’t want to buy every single Jasmine plate in the store.
The one day of the year we escaped the crazy kids was Black Friday. Most parents seemed to want to get in and out without the hassle of the children getting distracted by the Christmas decorations (Winnie the Pooh in a Santa hat is a big draw people), so they came alone. At 6 a.m. We, as workers, had to get there at 5:15 to get prepped on the cash registers and sale prices. At 5:30 parents began to line up outside our doors as they eyed the 35% off rocking horse that makes “authentic” noises. At 5:55 they were pounding on the glass to be let in. One year we had to call the retail park police over so our worker unlocking the door wouldn’t be plowed over by crazed parents searching for a deal.
Thank God I’m salaried at a corporation that has Thursday and Friday off this year. I promise to be patient with those working retail on Friday, though.
I’m on Black Friday #5. I work in a Starbucks that’s located in the dead center of a mall. And I don’t think there is anyone more rude and cranky than customers going to Starbucks in a mall on Black Friday.
The way I always survive is by going into robot mode. Once I reach the parking lot, park like 2 miles away, I spend my time on the way to the doors shutting off any thoughts and feelings. I go into my job and just don’t think about anything the entire time and don’t say anything beyond the customer’s drink orders. If I can go through the day not thinking or feeling anything, I always make it out okay because I don’t get stressed, I don’t care if a customer is mad at me, I just send them on my way and pretend that I’m not there.
What did we all do before the shopping craze, like Black Friday?! It’s pure nuts. Someone talked about a boycott of stores. I AGREE. The next time you want to get to the store by 4 or 5 AM to save money, think about the poor workers who have no choice. They have to work those hours. Shame on us for getting to this point, where there are Christmas lights—- sorry, HOLIDAY LIGHTS, in the stores before the turkeys are on the table. On TV, all you hear is, “Black Friday”, “Black Friday”. Imagine the poor workers who really have no choice to work those rediculous yes, rediculous hours. Christmas has become all about money, not spirit. Christmas does not live anymore in the heart of men, but in the pocketbook. We run from store to store looking for just the right gift in a state of frenzy, spending money we don’t have, and then for many people only to wish the holidays were over. Spirit? Where has it gone? What about gifts? How about the gift of peace, the gift of love, the gift of hope, the gift of life? No, it’s not corny. We need to believe again. We need to get back again to what is real and important, to love others and help all men in need. Money is truly the root of all evil as the saying goes. People lie for it, they even kill for it. We must stop this nonsense now and find the spirit of Christmas in others, in life, in love, in nature itself. Star t now people! Stop going crazy shopping and spending. Live on less. Simplify and be happier and more peaceful, and content. Your mind will love it. Get in the spirit by finding within yourself what gives you joy. If you don’t get your shopping done, life will continue on in spite. When my Mother passed away at the age of 49, by Dad drove back from the hospital and the firs words he said to me were, “Hmm, I still had to stop at the red lights.” Make the change today.
Remember the days when Thanksgiving meant going over to visit family and enjoy eating some good food and entertainment? Those days are gone and ruined!!! But, WE were the ones that created this. Do you think the CEO’s of Toys”R”Us, Best Buy or Walmart are camping out in the cold for almost a day or more waiting to save a buck on their kids’ toys?!?!?!?! HELL NO!!! While we stand around like sheep waiting to save some money and trying and make Christmas enjoyable and happy for our families these bastards are enjoying their Thanksgiving in their warm mansions, delighting over how many millions of dollars they’re making on us SHEEP!!! Billionaires could give two shits what you as a consumer or as a low-level employee have to go through to survive in today’s world of overly-priced, unneeded gadgetry (which I myself am a slave to)!!! I MUST have my cell phone with GPS and internet access, my laptop with built-in EVERYTHING because I’ve been made to think, as we all have, that I can’t have fun or survive without these things! Why do you think electronics are the big “door-buster” items during “BLACK FRIDAY”??? Because they know us idiots will be right there foaming at the mouth waiting to get our fix. It’s called Black Friday because it’s a day of mourning. We’re mourning the loss of true family togetherness, true love and caring. We’re not thankful to be alive anymore, we’re thankful for the 60″ TV we just saved $100 on but it cost us $700 (which we truly don’t have anyway)!!! The entire world is falling into this mentality and it’s insane! Before we know it, we will all becomes slaves to some corporation. Working simply to be able to live. The debt crisis is due, in part, to this sort of “Ghetto Mentality” where we feel that we NEED these things to seem well-off and happy when in reality we’re drowning in debt barely keeping our heads above water.
The solution: Stay home, enjoy your family time, love each other, and sleep well-fed! Let the corporations know that this day is for you and your family and they don’t need to force others away from THEIR families simply to have us save a few bucks! Commit to a boycott to get your families, finances, sanity and soul back!