03 December 2013

Topic Tuesday - Consumerism & Working Thanksgiving



This week's topic: Stores opening on Thanksgiving this year. What do you think about it? Did you partake? How does consumerism effect your holiday?
I noticed that this has been a hot topic lately and most people are shouting for stores to be closed so employees can share time with their families.  Frankly, I don’t see the big deal if stores are open or not.  Most of the stores closed at reasonable hours, allowing families to be together for dinner and if they happen to stay later then shifts were split. 

When I was in my twenties I was off living my life and my family was about three thousand miles away so celebrating Thanksgiving wasn’t a big deal. Often I volunteered to work either Thanksgiving or Black Friday because I didn’t care.  Sometimes people need the money, and usually if you work on a major holiday it’s time and a half.  Or employers compensate by alternating holidays; for instance, if you work Thanksgiving you get off Christmas. 

Frankly, I didn’t understand this big uproar about boycotting stores who were open.  I ended up going to see The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on Thanksgiving night.  That’s one industry that doesn’t close, even on Christmas Day.  Movie theaters have been open on holidays for as long as I can remember.  No one talked about boycotting AMC.

Now, I don’t shop Thanksgiving or Black Friday so consumerism doesn’t affect me one way or another.  I usually start my Christmas shopping in July.  I’ve only got a few more people to buy for and of course Santa has a list that’s being added to daily.  And when I do go out and brave the long check out lines…or the post office lines…I do so knowing I’m going to be in line for a while.  I don’t stomp my feet, or sigh with impatience, or mutter and curse.  I just pull out my ereader and occupy myself as I shuffle along until I get to the check out. 

My blood pressure thanks me.
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I want to thank everyone who participated in the Hot Autumn Nights Blog Hop!  I decided to give away two ebooks and the winners are J. Bur & Angela Searles, who have been contacted already!  Come January, there will be more chances to win on my Love Story Book Tour.
Topic Tuesday Blog Hop

2 comments:

  1. I agree, Beth- I didn't quite get the anger. Or really the boycotting. I didn't end up going out on Thanksgiving, that I remember, 'cause I had everything I needed. Now Black Friday, nope, I didn't do the sales, but my Master and I waited to go out in the afternoon 'cause we needed soda. And yeah, there was a time when we needed His payceck when He was at Walmart, and He didn't quibble about those Black Friday hours

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  2. I have to admit that I got into a bit of a Twitter spat with K-Mart about the store being open 41 hours straight starting on Thanksgiving. The corporate spin was that they were going to use seasonal and volunteers 'where possible' because that somehow made it alright. Except they still need management and support staff. Some won't mind and some will. For the ones who do mind, I think it sucks for them.

    The answer I came up with is the same others have, too. Make it mandatory that all corporate employees also have to work or take shifts in the stores and you'll find out soon enough if those stores open or close on Thanksgiving.

    btw, we have gone to a movie on Christmas a couple of years just to do something different. There's hardly anybody there. Weird.

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