So why are you allowed to bitch about working holidays but nobody else is?
Please point to the post where I said people can't bitch about working holidays?
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.
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.
It was like this in Switzerland, too. Michael's aunt lives there and was telling us about the expectation that on Sunday you are out doing something with your family. Very nice. I wish we were like that here.
Post by pantsparty on Oct 18, 2013 21:46:35 GMT -5
When we were in London, practically every store was closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. It sucked! LOL. But it was also kind of nice to see that a lot of people got that time off.
Post by gretchenindisguise on Oct 18, 2013 21:56:48 GMT -5
Well right, but on a given day - even a high traffic day like Black Friday, a store doesn't use all of its employees. I wonder how many people in retail actually work on "the busiest day of the year".
It is really difficult to staff the store during the extended hours of the black friday weekend. They make the employees work really long shifts. The amount of customers on black friday is staggering. They could use a ton more employees for that weekend.
Well right, but on a given day - even a high traffic day like Black Friday, a store doesn't use all of its employees. I wonder how many people in retail actually work on "the busiest day of the year".
Pretty sure they do! They did when I worked retail. And I'm pretty sure Cjoy said her husband has been in retail for years, is pretty high up on seniority and was told he can't take a day off between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The obvious answer is to NOT SHOP on Thanksgiving Day. If there are no shoppers, then the stores don't staff and open. If the stores are filled with customers - who have the day off to shop and pay for shit, are we really blaming corporate for it?
Gretchen have you been inside a store on black friday? Hats off to you if you haven't. You seem like you haven't witnessed the craziness that is black friday. It is bad.
The obvious answer is to NOT SHOP on Thanksgiving Day. If there are no shoppers, then the stores don't staff and open. If the stores are filled with customers - who have the day off to shop and pay for shit, are we really blaming corporate for it?
We opened 3 hours earlier last year. We made basically the same amount of money as the previous year. It actually hurts the store's profits but they have to open up earlier to compete, the first store people shop at is where they spend the most money.
Gretchen have you been inside a store on black friday? Hats off to you if you haven't. You seem like you haven't witnessed the craziness that is black friday. It is bad.
I have. I also admitted in the other thread I went out around 10pm last Thanksgiving.
And I was working at PBK during the holiday season and got Black Friday off.
It's ok, my experience has been different than others. I get that. Hopefully you can too.
It is really difficult to staff the store during the extended hours of the black friday weekend. They make the employees work really long shifts. The amount of customers on black friday is staggering. They could use a ton more employees for that weekend.
But then who would be shopping?!? As an introvert, working black Friday was always a nightmare for me, and I worked at W-S and Container Store, so it wasn't like we had any mad rushes. I'm so so so glad I don't work retail anymore.
My husband has two holidays off every year. Thanksgiving and Christmas. He has to work normal hours Christmas Eve, New Years Eve and New Year's Day. If his boss is feeling nice, they get Christmas Eve off, without pay. He gets no holiday pay. He gets no time and a half. He never gets to spend time with us on 4th of July or Easter and is always exhausted on Christmas Eve.
I worked at Best Buy a few years ago. I was the over the phone sales operator. Know what I did for 20 hours on Black Friday starting at 8PM Thanksgiving? Directed traffic. Told people where to go. From 8 pm until we closed at 10 PM on BF the store was utter chaos.
I didn't get holiday pay nor time and a half. They also cut other days for me to work so I wouldn't go over 36 hours. My time with my husband on one of the two holidays we get to spend as a complete family was cut short. I was devastated.
Sure I could be like His and find another job but it would be retail. It took me MONTHS to find a non-retail job. I couldn't have just up and quit in the middle of the holidays.
And like pantsparty said, most corporate 9-5ers would flip their shit if they had to work a holiday especially on thanksgiving.
I live in a small town in central Texas. HEB closes at noon, Wal mart at 4 and walgreens at noon as well. Some fast food places are open but ALL sit down restaurants are closed. They open again at normal time on Black Friday. They do this so people can run out and get last minute items they forgot or if their kiddo gets sick. And from my experience, they ask employees who either have no family or who do not celebrate Thanksgiving to come in (mostly at HEB here).
It just sucks being away from our families. Five years ago it wasn't like this. It's asinine.
Post by snakeoiltanker on Oct 19, 2013 3:54:52 GMT -5
I work in a steak house in a casino. I haven't had a holiday off in 10 years ( except while on maternity leave). It sucks, but I knew what to expect when I went into the industry.
I don't support anyone else having to miss out on time with their families. It's a bad trend in my opinion.
I used to work in corporate HR for a major big box chain. They 'encouraged' us to 'volunteer' in the retail stores on BF and help with all kinds of tasks like traffic control. They did 'pay' us with an extra day of PTO to use down the line so it really wasn't so bad. They made it seem optional, but it was pretty much guaranteed to hurt your career if you didn't. All the store employees were required to work on BF or be terminated. Those were the rules. I'm so glad I don't have to listen to store employees bitch about BF anymore, I don't miss that job.
Someone above said Mcds wasn't very busy. Not all the fast food joints are open that day I don't think.
This probably isn't here nor there, but I waitressed at IHOP in college. They never closed. Ever. I didn't work Thanksgiving because I was not at home, I was still at school. But I did come home over XMas break and worked Xmas Eve and Day.
Oh my word. The busiest day I had EVER worked there was Christmas Day. It was insane! I thought we'd be absolutely dead because everyone would be eating with their families and what not, but nope. We were supposed to close at 3 but stayed open later because of all the business. I did make a lot of tips that day, though, so there is that.
The pharmacy portion of a drug store in each area should be open for emergencies. (I've lived places where this happens on a rotating basis for evenings and holidays). Grocery stores shouldn't be open. I'll give a pass to ones that are open until 10 am or something but even that doesn't thrill me. MacDonalds and other fast food shouldn't be open. Movie theatres shut should just be closed. A day of rest isn't going to kill anyone. Emergency services and the things that support them only. And food banks / soup kitchens.
ETA: Gas stations until 11 am then open again at 7 pm or so I can go with. It is a big travel day. You don't need to prep or staff much to staff it.
The obvious answer is to NOT SHOP on Thanksgiving Day. If there are no shoppers, then the stores don't staff and open. If the stores are filled with customers - who have the day off to shop and pay for shit, are we really blaming corporate for it?
We opened 3 hours earlier last year. We made basically the same amount of money as the previous year. It actually hurts the store's profits but they have to open up earlier to compete, the first store people shop at is where they spend the most money.
I work in HQ for a retailer and this seems to be true. There is little incremental business, we seem to be spreading out the dollars over a longer time period with extended hours.
It's a slippery slope in a strip mall environment. If there are 10 stores in the strip, and 2 open, the other 8 really feel the pressure to open as well. Same in a mall... the mall management does not want just Macy's open and the rest of the mall dark. I am watching my sales by the hour; so much inventory is purchased for the Black Friday sales plan. We really do need to liquidate a good portion or we will be in trouble for months beyond.
I worked at a big box for several years before I got into buying and got the hell out of the stores. It is a hard weekend, but I think I might rather start for 8pm and get on with it, instead of trying to wake up at 3am so I could be at work by 4am. To me, that is much worse.
The whole thing sucks, but obviously the only way to turn the tide is to not go out that night. So we shall see how many stampedes happen at Wal-Mart at 8pm that night.
Post by hopecounts on Oct 19, 2013 10:06:39 GMT -5
here most of the grocery stores and fast food places close by 12 or 2 leaving the workers plenty of time to go home clean up, and enjoy time with family and still sleep before returning to work on friday. Retail workers who go in at 8 have to spend much of the day trying to sleep to be ready for an insanely long shift overnight and likely black friday which makes it hard to enjoy any real time with family or have a nice meal.
That's the difference fast food or restaurant workers or even grocery store workers aren't typically required to work overnight so shifting dinner to lunch or lunch to dinner makes it possible for them to work and have Tgiving depending on their shift.