Shopping at Midnight after Thanksgiving

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I have friends who work at the Old Navy in town, and the store is open on Thanksgiving! I was in shock. Who would buy clotthes? I could understand a pharmacy or grocery store.
 
I have worked retail on Black Friday and I would rather actually be working than shopping. The way people act, pushing and shoving, and it gets worse each year and even earlier each year, as has been mentioned.

Last Thanksgiving and Christmas, I worked (it was a drug store that was open) and we had a steady business. So many people thanked us for being open. However, since my son was in town for the holiday (Christmas), I would rather have been home with him.

The way I see it, if you’re meant to purchase a certain gift, it will be there for you when you get there, rather than que-ing up at midnight.
 
It’s possible that some of the employees are grateful to be employed. Maybe some of the shoppers need bargains or they wouldn’t have gifts.

Just my .02
 
True, but stores managed to give people off for the past 100 years…it’s just sad that this is what it takes for someone to get a bargain, or for someone to be employed…I see your point though.
 
Back in the time of Dickens, people didn’t get off for holidays. Remember Scrooge and Cratchit? He wouldn’t let Cratchit off. The book was seen as an indictment of 19th century capitalism. It was written in 1843.

Gradually, workers got rights but began losing them in the 1950s with stores staying open on Sundays. Now we have our holidays being sacrificed for the pursuit of materialism in the 21 century. What goes around, comes around.
 
aicirt said:
Back in the time of Dickens, people didn’t get off for holidays. Remember Scrooge and Cratchit? He wouldn’t let Cratchit off. The book was seen as an indictment of 19th century capitalism. It was written in 1843.

Gradually, workers got rights but began losing them in the 1950s with stores staying open on Sundays. Now we have our holidays being sacrificed for the pursuit of materialism in the 21 century. What goes around, comes around.
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*Yes, that’s true. *
 
I agree with what most are posting here, but for a different point of view:

buffalonews.com/476/story/870910.html

Essentially the columnist is not in favor of “Black Friday” shopping but she had to go out last year as a reporter and found a lot of camaraderie with groups of friends or sisters having fun together and shoppers in general friendly and having fun.

She still would rather sleep in, but she now has a better understanding of those who like to shop on this day.

As for me, I’ll be sleeping in 🙂
 
Honestly, we avoid the malls/store on Black Friday altogether

me and me friends like to go to the mall and movie, to just be with each other.

One of them <> we go on friday, and i looked at him like he was crazy

i much prefer the discounts on Cyber Monday, because shopping online is easier
 
if people did not shop the stores would not stay open

I worked for USPS for several years and during all that time had perhaps 3 holidays off so I don’t really sympathize
 
puzzleannie said:
if people did not shop the stores would not stay open

I worked for USPS for several years and during all that time had perhaps 3 holidays off so I don’t really sympathize
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*LOL…yes, my husband said the same thing tonight when we were talking about this…he said…Disney’s open every day…no closings ever. lol It’s crazy that his dept stays open, he’s in the group reservations dept …who is calling to make group reservations ON a holiday? He said, the international travelers…so, that makes sense, I guess. He’s off tomorrow, we’re happy…he worked thanksgiving last year.

I just saw a commercial that KMART is open ALL day tomorrow. I will say if you have to work, at least you’ll be getting holiday pay…so THAT’S a positive, I suppose.

I am not a Black Friday shopper in general, so maybe this is why I can’t relate at all…I have always avoided the malls, shops, etc the day after Thanksgiving…it’s just crazy crowded and busy…and the crowds are very aggressive. Lots of thefts happen too…Just not for me. I’ll pay the extra money to avoid all that! :o*
 
Back in the day I worked retain in college and was away from family and friends and with out reliable transportation. I enjoye the holidays because we the stores were closed, we could music on over the PA system and have a grand time restocking and moving displays around with out shoppers “in the way”. we also got paid over time if not double time. As a starving college student I was glad to not miss those extra few hours of work.

Now with 24 hour shopping I would assume some peopel are used to their late night shift and wouldn’t be to disturbed by just another day at work on the Friday after Thanksgiving. If you think about it an early dinner could still allow you six hours of sleep and time to get to work. It is no worse than having to be at work at 6 after my kids have a school / community / sports function that runs till 9 or 9:30 the night before.

My wife used to get up at 2 or 3 for the specials only available when the store opens at 4 or 5 but all to often she would wait in line in freezing weather for two hours for some special that was not available or sold out before the store opened or some other excuse. Every year I would tell her not to go because the ads were misleading or lying. But she insisted that if it was in the paper it had to be true. After years of disapointment she finnally gave up and is sleeping in like a reasonable person.

Hats off to the serious shoppers who have a full day planned out and have to leave at O’dark early in order to execute their full plan of shopping for the day and intend to be out there all day long. I know some women treat this like men would treat the first day of trout season or Deer season and for those women it is some type of female bonding adventure. Great, that way we guys don’t feel guilty watching football all day.

I also admire those who just enjoy getting out. As for our national past times and traditions, very few are public any more. Millions of people out enjoying the start of the Christmas season can be a very possitive event, especially in places where cherful shoppers act like they did on the black and white Christmas shows. Althouh from what I hear this isn’t exactly the attitude of the pre-dawn shopping crowd.
 
whatevergirl said:
I am not a Black Friday shopper in general, so maybe this is why I can’t relate at all…I have always avoided the malls, shops, etc the day after Thanksgiving…it’s just crazy crowded and busy…and the crowds are very aggressive. Lots of thefts happen too…Just not for me. I’ll pay the extra money to avoid all that! :o*
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When I was young I use to enjoy going down town to shop at the specialty stores. Mix in the shopping with the snow and carols and decorations, and general Christmas spirit it was actualy fun. Much more like in the old movies. I wouldn’t mind taking my kids to an environment like that. Unfortunately it seems like shopping today is a more high stress combative environment.
 
I don’t see how these people can go shopping at midnight or 3am. I mean with getting up early Thanksgiving morning to watch the Macy’s parade and start the turkey, cooking half the day, watching football in the afternoon, then movies and leftovers in the evening, I’m beat! 🤷 And then there are those poor people who have to do dinner with his family early and with her family late so they can spend time with both families.

Personally, I don’t like crowds at all so I avoid all non-grocery shopping from the day before Thanksgiving through the end of the year. I have almost all of my shopping done, and I am a huge fan of online shopping.
 
Catholic_Wife said:
I don’t see how these people can go shopping at midnight or 3am. I mean with getting up early Thanksgiving morning to watch the Macy’s parade and start the turkey, cooking half the day, watching football in the afternoon, then movies and leftovers in the evening, I’m beat! 🤷 And then there are those poor people who have to do dinner with his family early and with her family late so they can spend time with both families.

Personally, I don’t like crowds at all so I avoid all non-grocery shopping from the day before Thanksgiving through the end of the year. I have almost all of my shopping done, and I am a huge fan of online shopping.
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It’s almost as crazy as people posting to forums in the middle of the night. 😃
 
royal_archer said:
It’s almost as crazy as people posting to forums in the middle of the night. 😃
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:hypno: You mean like those of us who are stuck at work (and have to stay awake) with no phones ringing, no radio traffic and nothing good on TV while everyone else sleeps?
 
Catholic_Wife said:
:hypno: You mean like those of us who are stuck at work (and have to stay awake) with no phones ringing, no radio traffic and nothing good on TV while everyone else sleeps?
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and those who are trying to get stuff ready for thanksgiving -]tomorrow/-]… today
 
As some one whose always worked retail I will not shop on Black Friday, in fact I don’t shop weekends at all during the Christmas season. I see enough of pettiness and nastiness during my work days from the public I don’t want to shop in it too. Yeah, I’m jaded but I worked retail for 20 years and being on the other side of the counter gives you a whole different perspective.

We’ve had customers call this week to ask what our Thanksgiving hours are. They don’t ask if we’re open, they assume we are -we’re not by the way. At my last retail job the company began opening on Thanksgiving a couple years before the company went under. We were all required to work a shift. I was lucky and had been with company many years so I was able to choose my shift and worked very early so I could still be with my family on Thanksgiving.

A pet peeve of mine is blaming the retailers. Retailers do what is profitable. They are in business to make money, that’s the whole point. If consumers did not want to shop on Thanksgiving they wouldn’t make money. The same with my customers who complain when Christmas stuff begins to appear on the shelf in the fall. “Oh my gosh I can’t believe you have Christmas out already.” And yet these very same people come through my line with Christmas stuff in their cart right after they complained about how Christmas is put out earlier and earlier. Nobody forces anyone to buy anything. If putting Christmas decorations out in September wasn’t profitable stores wouldn’t waste their precious shelf space on it.

And the way people treat each other during the holiday rush is disheartening. But I’ve worked it so long I kind of let it roll off my back. I do have nice, sympathetic customers too which makes getting through the craziness more pleasant. If you haven’t worked retail you have no idea how ugly people can be for the pettiest of reasons and how entitled some people think they are because they are on the other side of the counter from me. 😦
 
I need a new thumb drive. I will probably go to Office Depot on Friday to buy one. :eek:
 
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