what about grocery stores, McD's and other restaurants, drug stores, and similar places that are also open?
Is the outrage only at the department stores?
Grocery stores are open until 11 or 12 here. McDonald's and most restaurants are closed (a few are open, but we won't frequent them unless there is some Christmas Story mishap, and even then we probably wouldn't because I don't know which are open). And I don't think even our local Walgreen's is open. I don't think gas stations are open, save for the pay at the pump with your card part. I'm not in a small town by any means. It is just how it is.
I'm not upset about these places. I would be grateful if one of my kids was sick and I needed medicine and Walgreens was open. I would understand if they weren't.
I won't shop at Macy's/JCP/any other store that is open for Thanksgiving (yes including Target) for Christmas gifts because I think the greed is overwhelming. I don't do a lot of shopping at these places normally, save for Target, but I will not shop there for gifts purposefully this year. I do most of my shopping online anyway, and last year just about everything came from Amazon. My "boycott" won't be noticed by the companies, I know. I don't expect others to follow suit. It would be great if they did to avoid this stuff in the future, but I'm sure it will continue.
I worked retail several years in my early 20's and never worked Thanksgiving and Christmas. I agree with PP that in ten years, it will probably be the norm. So yeah, fucking sad precedent here.
His, come on one day off, your being Scrooge like.
Well, you're being martyr like so I guess that makes us even.
I know it sucks to work holidays. I had to do it last year and you know what? I quit that job and got a different one (that wasn't the only reason, but part of it) because there was no fucking way I was going to do that shit year in and year out.
You would be surprised. There are a lot of lonely people and a lot of people without family to eat with. It's why some of the most busy and profitable days at strip clubs are Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Think of the strippers! They have family too!
They do??? OMG I thought they were all single, family-less girls working their way through med school! lol
Post by pantsparty on Oct 18, 2013 21:11:11 GMT -5
I'd love to see how breezy every corporate 9-5er would obviously be if their companies told them they needed to start working holidays. Because CAPITALISM! And PROFITS!
I worked retail several years in my early 20's and never worked Thanksgiving and Christmas. I agree with PP that in ten years, it will probably be the norm. So yeah, fucking sad precedent here.
Ditto. We never worked Thanksgiving or Christmas because we weren't open, period.
Since opening at 8pm requires employees to get there at least an hour earlier if not more, it encroaches into their day quite a bit when you factor in commute time.
I worked retail several years in my early 20's and never worked Thanksgiving and Christmas. I agree with PP that in ten years, it will probably be the norm. So yeah, fucking sad precedent here.
Ditto. We never worked Thanksgiving or Christmas because we weren't open, period.
Since opening at 8pm requires employees to get there at least an hour earlier if not more, it encroaches into their day quite a bit when you factor in commute time.
Post by stealthmom on Oct 18, 2013 21:14:21 GMT -5
Ever since i worked on Christmas day I try VERY hard not to go to any place of business on major holidays.
I wish everyone followed suit so retailers especially would stay closed on Thanksgiving, but you can't force people to stay home. The most you can do is stay home yourself and lead by example.
His, come on one day off, your being Scrooge like.
Well, you're being martyr like so I guess that makes us even.
I know it sucks to work holidays. I had to do it last year and you know what? I quit that job and got a different one (that wasn't the only reason, but part of it) because there was no fucking way I was going to do that shit year in and year out.
Not all of us retail folk have the luxury of being able to quit and find a new job that doesn't work holidays. It's my livelihood and I would be homeless or living in a strange town with my parents and without my son if I quit and got a new job.
His do you really not care that these big box stores are open? Do none of your nieces and nephews work retail?
No, I really don't.
My daughter used to have a job that required her to work on thanksgiving and Christmas Day and neither one of us had a fucking coronary over it or whined that it wasn't fair because that's just the way it was. That was her job and when your job says you have to work, you suck it up and work.
Our family celebrated Christmas or Thanksgiving the day after or the day before because the holidays is about being with our families, not a date on the calendar.
I remember when we went to Paris we noticed all of the businesses closed early on Saturday and they took a long weekend with everything closed on Sunday. You better stock up on food and wine for the weekend because there was nothing open. You saw all of the families packing up and leaving town for someplace out of the city to be with their family. My mind was blown. I thought it was really nice, the emphasis on family and all that.
I'd love to see how breezy every corporate 9-5er would obviously be if their companies told them they needed to start working holidays. Because CAPITALISM! And PROFITS!
JFC.
You must not have read His's ripping of clothes and gnashing of teeth posts last year about working Black Friday.
His, come on one day off, your being Scrooge like.
Well, you're being martyr like so I guess that makes us even.
I know it sucks to work holidays. I had to do it last year and you know what? I quit that job and got a different one (that wasn't the only reason, but part of it) because there was no fucking way I was going to do that shit year in and year out.
You should start that meme, "Quite if you don't like it."
My daughter used to have a job that required her to work on thanksgiving and Christmas Day and neither one of us had a fucking coronary over it or whined that it wasn't fair because that's just the way it was. That was her job and when your job says you have to work, you suck it up and work.
Our family celebrated Christmas or Thanksgiving the day after or the day before because the holidays is about being with our families, not a date on the calendar.
Post by hisno1girl on Oct 18, 2013 21:29:40 GMT -5
Of course I remember my holiday bitchfest from last year (I mentioned it somewhere in this post).
I am not saying the stores should be open. I did not say that at all. I just think that the rage directed at the department stores isn't evenly distributed to other places that are also open and don't necessarily need to be open.
Those places are open because they are in the business of making money and there's a huge market for it on those days. That's the society we live in. I went to the grocery store today and the already have Christmas trees up and Christmas related items on sale. Gross.
If you are against stores opening on holidays, the just don't shop there anymore. It's really the only thing one can do because now that this has become the norm, that's probably how it's going to be from now on.
Post by glitzyglow on Oct 18, 2013 21:32:24 GMT -5
His, a lot of my coworkers have been in retail for 15+ years. They acquired benefits that grandfathered in when Macy's took over the stores they previously worked at. They can't "just quit." They wouldn't make the money they do now (while isn't a ton, it's still better than the minimum wage that new employees get); they're skilled at this one job and if they left, they would take a massive paycut and lose most of their earned benefits. The job market in retail has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. When these women started, you could make the job a lifelong career, but now for most people it's a job they take through college or a side job to pay off some debts...and the current wages offered for such positions reflect that. It's not myself I'm upset for. It's the people who have done this their entire lives and who keep getting pushed into these situations while their employers know the employees cannot simply quit. Also, the women in my department who have worked there that long are all over 50. It's also physically hard on a 50+ person to work at twelve hour shift through the night hours when he or she isn't used to it.
And there is no time-and-a-half. There will be holiday pay, but it's in no way comparable to time-and-a-half. It's more comparable to the extra $1.00/hour some people get paid for working a Sunday at jobs that offer such benefits (when I worked for the government we got premium pay on Sundays that was a bit more per hour than other days of the week). And only employees who have been with Macy's over a year get holiday pay, so none of the seasonal associates get holiday pay for working Thanksgiving. And at midnight, holiday pay ends.