why are people up in arms over people having to work Thanksgiving?

[nageov3t]

between talking heads on the news and just talking to people in real life, it seems like there's a lot of outrage over stores people open over Thanksgiving and people having to work.

am I alone in my logic that I don't really get it? if I were a low-wage earning worker at Walmart, Target, etc... I'd be pretty glad to make the extra overtime money right before the holiday shopping season. less work = less money.

 

[NetWareHead]

Its the policy of some employers of forcing their employees to work on a holiday that doesn't agree with me. I don't mind if the store wants to be open but the day should be an option for employees.

Days like this are for family time imo. You may have some people that would willing want to work and thats fine too.

 

[ultimatebob]

So, you're saying that low-wage earning workers don't deserve a day off to spend with their families like everyone else does?

 

[Wreckem]

I dont get it either.

Many people have to work on Thanksgiving. What makes retail workers special?

Lets see

Police Officers
Fire Fighters
Utility Workers(Power plant workers, waste water treatment plant workers etc)
The hospitality industry(hotel workers)
Restaurant workers(many resturants have been open on Thanksgiving long before stores started opening for part of the day)
Nurses(for 30 years my mom has been required to work either Thanksgiving Day or Xmas day, and not just a few hours, but a full 12 hour shift)
Drs

 

[Genx87]

I'd guess a large % of employee's working the holiday do so voluntarily for the OT.

My fiancee when she worked for the hospital would work every holiday. Her contract had her making double time on holidays. As an RN that is pretty good money. Some of the holidays like Christmas or Easter were 2.5x money. She also worked her Birthday and made 2.5x. Hard to turn down 110\hour even if it is your birthday

 

[NetWareHead]

I dont get it either.

Many people have to work on Thanksgiving. What makes retail workers special?

I have to work on Thanksgiving this year but that's because I work in a NOC that is 24/7/365. Stuff like this is excusable since it is a mission critical operation that allows no downtime and always needs someone at the console. Plus I knew the hours required when I accepted this job. Retail? Hardly not...

 

[mnewsham]

extra overtime money

Overtime...? I'm working on turkeyday and have heard of no such thing

 

[PliotronX]

I worked at Target for two years so I saw two BF's... the first year they opened at midnight. Okay cool, went to bed at two PM, missed TG dinner, worked for 10 hours. Not worth the extra hundred bucks. Maybe for kids who don't care about not being with family but that small bit of cash doesn't replace time with family. The second year they opened at 9pm. Missed most of the day. Now it is even worse opening at 8pm. I can see retail outlets opening as regularly scheduled on thanksgiving in the coming years..

My starting pay there was north of two dollars an hour more than min wage but the raises were to the tune of 8 cents and the new management awful. Fine job if you can't find anything else but it's like a lightbulb turning on, getting out of retail.

 

[Triumph]

Do what I do, don't support it on the consumer side of the retail. It is sad that we've lost the importance of family time, so speak with your pocket book. Black friday deals aren't even any good anymore, what a waste of time.

 

[PliotronX]

I'd guess a large % of employee's working the holiday do so voluntarily for the OT.

My fiancee when she worked for the hospital would work every holiday. Her contract had her making double time on holidays. As an RN that is pretty good money. Some of the holidays like Christmas or Easter were 2.5x money. She also worked her Birthday and made 2.5x. Hard to turn down 110\hour even if it is your birthday

It was actually a requirement at least at my local Target. Failing to work scheduled shifts on holidays was grounds for termination...

 

[lxskllr]

Because it's unnecessary. It's stores carrying trivialities for materialistic, shallow people. It's America's shame unsubtly shoved in everyone's faces.

 

[nageov3t]

So, you're saying that low-wage earning workers don't deserve a day off to spend with their families like everyone else does?

assuming it's voluntary, I'm just saying I'd think many/most would be glad for the opportunity to make some extra money, especially right before the holiday shopping season.

I'll be on duty over Thanksgiving and Black Friday... I figure that I can have dinner with my family any night of the week; I'd rather miss one meal and not have to stress out over Christmas spending.

 

[Wreckem]

I have to work on Thanksgiving this year but that's because I work in a NOC that is 24/7/365. Stuff like this is excusable since it is a mission critical operation that allows no downtime and always needs someone at the console. Plus I knew the hours required when I accepted this job. Retail? Hardly not...

The VAST majority of retail workers working on Thanksgiving/BF are seasonal employees and they know 100% up front when they are hired that they will be working Thanksgiving Day and BF. That is what they have been hired to work the past two years. All the major retailers even state that seasonal employees may be required to work on holidays during the application and hiring process.

Working on Thanksgiving is not new for retail employees either. Stocking crews FOR ALMOST ALL RETAILERS have pretty much always worked on Thanksgiving. And I remember when grocery stores were open for 6am to 4pm on Thanksgiving. The trend of grocery stores being closed on Thanksgiving is relatively new.

 

[BikeJunkie]

Plus I knew the hours required when I accepted this job. Retail? Hardly not...

Retail people didn't know TG was a hot day when they accepted? Hardly not

My neighbor has a degree in Biology and worked in a university lab until she decided it was too stressful (she didn't like working). So she quit and fed off her husband. Then she decided she needed out of the house more, so she got a PT gig at a retail store. Guess what, she's on the hook for TG and won't STFU about it on Facebook.

No sympathy, sorry.

 

[Genx87]

It was actually a requirement at least at my local Target. Failing to work scheduled shifts on holidays was grounds for termination...

It may be required but how many people working that day picked up that shift from somebody who was scheduled? That is what I meant by voluntarily working that day. When I worked retail there werent many who worked holidays that didnt pick up anothers shift for the OT.

I even worked a thanksgiving for the OT once. We were only open until 3 anyways. And dinner wasnt until 5.

 

[dabuddha]

From George Takei

When stores like Wal-Mart move their Black Friday sales to Thanksgiving Day, they truly have forgotten the purpose of the holiday--and cynically ask their employees to leave their loved ones, too.

Stay with your families on Thursday, friends. Cook and eat together. Watch a football game or a family movie. Call your relatives. Don't waste your precious day off standing in lines or fighting crowds in malls.
--Uncle George

 

[nageov3t]

From George Takei

[/B]

but can't you literally "Cook and eat together. Watch a football game or a family movie. Call your relatives." every single day of the year?

 

[ultimatebob]

assuming it's voluntary, I'm just saying I'd think many/most would be glad for the opportunity to make some extra money, especially right before the holiday shopping season.

I'll be on duty over Thanksgiving and Black Friday... I figure that I can have dinner with my family any night of the week; I'd rather miss one meal and not have to stress out over Christmas spending.

I doubt that it's voluntary. From what I've heard, places like Best Buy and Target require all of their employees to work the Black Friday shifts to handle the crowds. Besides, the new employees always get stuck working these shifts if nobody volunteers for them.

I'll never shop on Thanksgiving, just because I know how bad it is to have to work those days. I used to work at a grocery store, and I had to work the Thanksgiving morning shift once. It was hell, since you had to deal with dozens of customers too stupid to buy their yams, cranberries, and mashed potatoes in advance like everyone else. Naturally, these people were angry and shocked (SHOCKED I tell you!) when we had to tell them that we were out of stock on these items that we wouldn't be getting any more until Saturday. Hey... our suppliers get vacation days as well!

It wasn't worth the time and a half holiday pay, that's for sure.

 

[SunnyD]

Are the CEO's and upper management of those same companies going to be working over the holiday?

Yeah, thought not.

I dont get it either.

Many people have to work on Thanksgiving. What makes retail workers special?

Lets see

Police Officers
Fire Fighters
Utility Workers(Power plant workers, waste water treatment plant workers etc)
The hospitality industry(hotel workers)
Restaurant workers(many resturants have been open on Thanksgiving long before stores started opening for part of the day)
Nurses(for 30 years my mom has been required to work either Thanksgiving Day or Xmas day, and not just a few hours, but a full 12 hour shift)
Drs

How many of those people are getting comp pay for it? Time and a half + Holiday pay.

When I worked in retail on turkey day (6pm till close back then), I got an extra buck an hour. Big fucking deal.

Oh, and it was MANDATORY that I work it. I didn't have a choice. Well I did... either work, or get fired.

 

[BikeJunkie]

but can't you literally "Cook and eat together. Watch a football game or a family movie. Call your relatives." every single day of the year?

Honestly I get both sides here. The never ending encroachment by retailers on TG is getting absurd. But at the same time people are all too happy to flock to the stores like lemmings. And the retail workers - especially the seasonal ones - know exactly what's in store for them during the holidays.

I don't shop around Thanksgiving AT ALL - not the week before, not the week of, and not the week after. Fsck that noise. There are downsides to every profession. As an IT worker, I'm on call 24/7/365. I'm saddled with blame and responsibility that should never be directed at me, but that's the gig.

Holiday fuckery is part of the retail gig. If you don't like it, learn a skill.

<-- Worked TG when I was in HS and college because I worked in a grocery store. Didn't bitch. That's life.

 

[PliotronX]

It may be required but how many people working that day picked up that shift from somebody who was scheduled? That is what I meant by voluntarily working that day. When I worked retail there werent many who worked holidays that didnt pick up anothers shift for the OT.

I even worked a thanksgiving for the OT once. We were only open until 3 anyways. And dinner wasnt until 5.

I gotcha, it must be a localized issue because the store here is squeezing as much as possible from fewer workers. Everyone who was employed there was assigned a shift at some point, not all opening (the lucky bastards). I had a split shift last BF, opened to 3am then closed on Friday.

 

[rudder]

So, you're saying that low-wage earning workers don't deserve a day off to spend with their families like everyone else does?

A lot of people have to work on thanksgiving. Doctors, nurses, pilots, bus drivers, power plant operators, utility workers, etc etc.

So yeah I think he is saying that. Someone wants to travel on Thanksgiving, they can. Someone crashes their car after too much turkey, they get taken care of at a hospital. Someone wants to shop at 6:00 at walmart on Thanksgiving... they can. Sucks for the low-wage earner.. but it sucks for a lot of other people that want to be with family as well.

 

[soulcougher73]

Family >money is why

 

[Wreckem]

Are the CEO's and upper management of those same companies going to be working over the holiday?

Yeah, thought not.



How many of those people are getting comp pay for it? Time and a half + Holiday pay.

When I worked in retail on Black Friday, I got an extra buck an hour. Big fucking deal.

Oh, and it was MANDATORY that I work it. I didn't have a choice. Well I did... either work, or get fired.

Black Friday has always been mandatory for retail workers. Its part of the job and that anyone who has ever worked in retail knows that.

Unfortunately time and a half is not requirement in most states.

 

[PliotronX]

A lot of people have to work on thanksgiving. Doctors, nurses, pilots, bus drivers, power plant operators, utility workers, etc etc.

So yeah I think he is saying that. Someone wants to travel on Thanksgiving, they can. Someone crashes their car after too much turkey, they get taken care of at a hospital. Someone wants to shop at 6:00 at walmart on Thanksgiving... they can. Sucks for the low-wage earner.. but it sucks for a lot of other people that want to be with family as well.

True that but those people are depended upon for society to work. I started to feel dirty working retail...