It’s that time of year again when people give thanks with one breath and complain about retailers in the next. It seems there’s always something to be unhappy about when it comes to the people who sell us our stuff, especially around the holidays.
This year, most of the grumbling has been about the latest scandal in retail. Not only are more and more stores opening for Thanksgiving, but businesses are luring honest-to-goodness Americans away from their family dinners with Black Friday prices.
Black Friday prices on Thanksgiving? What is the world coming to!
Apparently, there are many reasons we should stand strong against this trend. One of the loudest arguments is the fact that no one should have to work on Thanksgiving. Everyone deserves a day to spend with family, and those greedy corporations are robbing their employees of their turkey rights just to make a buck.
That’s a lovely sentiment. I do not think any worker should be obligated to come in on Thanksgiving when the turkey is roasting away at home.
It’s just too bad we’re so inconsistent about it. We get ourselves in a tizzy over the fact that Walmart employees have to work on Thanksgiving while we sit at home flipping through the channels of football on TV. We watch the Thanksgiving Day parade and the half-time shows as if none of those people are working or away from their families on Thanksgiving.
Well, that’s different, we say, because that’s not commercialism, and really, that’s what we’re against. It’s the commercialism. We don’t want anyone sacrificing family in order to make money.
Really.
Why do you think Al Roker sits out in the cold and broadcasts the Macy’s parade every year? Why do you think the football coaches and players and cheerleaders and hotdog sellers and bathroom cleaners get up and make sure the big game goes off without a hitch?
They do it for money, on Thanksgiving, away from their families, and we support them all the way.
But it’s different, we say, to actually go out and shop on Thanksgiving! That proves that some people are more interested in getting a deal than spending time with their loved ones, and that’s just terrible. They’re probably not even grateful.
Well, I’m convinced. I’m not working on Thanksgiving.
I mean, I’m not getting paid to slave away in the kitchen with a cold bird. I’m also not planning to shop (I’ve got a date with the aforementioned cold bird, after all). I’d feel really good about that except for one problem: I don’t think my Thanksgiving choices make me any more of a grateful, family-centered person than the woman who hits Walmart at 3 am.
Nor do I think Americans are going to turn into the Monsters of Materialism because they get an extra shopping day. Most of America is already there.
It seems to me that we’re all overacting a little bit about this whole shopping-on-Thanksgiving thing. It’s not like Thanksgiving is a sacred institution (it was ordained by Congress, after all).
Don’t get me wrong. Thanksgiving is a good day, and a lovely idea, but it’s not gospel, and we shouldn’t treat it like it is. You’re not going to earn extra gold stars in your heavenly crown if you stay home and eat turkey and think thankful thoughts this Thursday. I dare say, you could even celebrate on Friday instead of Thursday and remain just as holy.
Conversely, standing out in front of Best Buy for a few hours before the kids wake up in order to get a good deal on a TV does not necessarily make you a bad person, any more than sitting in front of your TV on Thanksgiving makes you a bad person.
It kind of depends on what’s going on in your heart (FYI: always). You can have a pretty ugly heart while mixing up the cranberry sauce. And you can be perfectly joyful and godly while shopping on Thanksgiving.
Maybe we should all settle down a little bit and stop equating Black Thursday with a moral apocalypse. After all, our world is crumbling under the weight of bigger problems—bigger moral problems—than retailers who slash prices for Thanksgiving and the people who fall for it. Maybe, if we let go of our turkey-induced legalism, we will notice.
That is what Thanksgiving is all about, isn’t it? Noticing. We should be so grateful for what God has done for us that it overflows into actions for others and shows up in how we treat our family and how we love our neighbors. Even the shoppers.
But too often, we care more about how people spend their holidays than with what’s going on in their lives.
“It’s just wrong to shop on Thanksgiving, and all the people who do it are bad. The end.”
We don’t consider the veteran who needs to work on Thanksgiving just to pay the bills or the mom who has to spend Thanksgiving alone because her kids are with their dad. We don’t think about the fact that sometimes, holidays at home are hard and it’s easier to spend the time walking a store aisle than navigating the eggshells around the dinner table.
What if that guy in line at Best Buy is there because his apartment is lonely this time of year, and for all the church people he knows, not one of them invited him to share the day with them?
Sure, some of the shoppers are materialistic jerks. But before cluck our tongues and say these people have their priorities mixed up, maybe we should think first. Maybe the Thanksgiving shoppers aren’t the ones with the problem.
Maybe we are.
Wonderful perspective, thank you for sharing it! I shared it.
Amen Karen! Anyone who volunteers to work on Thanksgiving days, more power to them. Unfortunately most hourly low wage retail jobs don’t offer that alternative. JCPenny is asking for volunteers first, then assigning shifts — I guess if you have to be open that is an approach. They are even asking to volunteer from the office employees to work (would be intresting to see the numbers of office people who volunteer). I myself find it abhorrent, let these poor retail employees have a day to themselves and their families. Can’t the employees lay blissfully in a tryptophane stupor watching football (yes they are working, but by choice and at a wage most of us can’t imagine)? Is there a logical conclusion to these kinds of holiday store openings? Is it only our predominately Christian heritage that keeps (most) stores closed on Christmas? What better day to worship the mammon than Christmas? Come on, let these people have an entire day of rest, they are never going to get it when you support the retailers. Let’s support the kind of family values that everyone is so quick to endorse, but slow to implement. Is it really so hard to wait another 12-14 hours to shop?
You cannot compare retail workers to doctors and nurses and TSA agents and other jobs that require holiday hours. There is a huge difference between the average retail worker and AL ROKER. For starters, health insurance.
I once spent Christmas Eve working a cash register with a fever, because people who called off during the holiday season were fired, no questions asked. Even if they had a documented illness. Not that I could afford to go to the doctor anyway, because I had no health insurance. It is not worth $8 an hour with no insurance, no sick time, and no job security to wake up at 3 am so greedy people can buy presents for their greedy families. It’s definitely not worth leaving your kids on a holiday. Yet people who can’t afford to lose their retail jobs do this every year. It stinks.
At least doctors and nurses and TSA agents and Al Roker are fairly compensates for their time (often with time and a half). And they have health insurance! We cannot expect retail workers to give up their holidays while the millionaire CEOs of the corporations that employ them are enjoying a paid holiday at home. I will also be boycotting any company that requires employees to work on Thanksgiving. And I don’t watch football either.
In the end it all comes down to this: “Are we walking in grace and are we offering grace?” Grace. Not being someone else’s conscience. Not being the Holy Spirit. Looking at the other people and their decisions and saying “It’s not what I would decide and here’s why, but this is not what your salvation is based on.”
Thanks….K
I am a nurse & have had to work many holidays, including Thanksgiving. People have a right to their opinions as to whether or not one should shop on Thanksgiving, or have to work, etc. I believe Thanksgiving is just another day. Sure, I’d love to be off all holidays, weekends, etc, but then who would take care of your mother, father, etc. Personally, I am looking forward to shopping on Thanksgiving evening after hanging out & being thankful for my family. However, i think everyday us a day to be thankful & a a joyous heart whether we are working, shopping, or just at home. I like to make the best of whereever I am & let others see the joy & thanksgiving i have for life! Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
My husband works on Thanksgiving and on Christmas. He works for on*star. We can’t travel to see out-of-town family because even if he had every other day off that week, they are required to work on those holidays. I don’t love it, but I am VERY glad he has a job to go to. My family and I choose to shop on the evening of Thanksgiving, and most of the day on Friday. It’s been a very long tradition for our family to go out and shop together on Fridays (those of us who aren’t working, anyway). Even 30 years ago my grandmother would take all her grandkids shopping on Friday to pick out their Christmas presents. Because we were all scattered around the country, it was one of the only days all the cousins were together. I remember those shopping trips very fondly! For us, it’s not about materialism…it’s just a fun tradition with family.
Wow! You are so ugly towards those that think it is wrong that greedy retailers are forcing their workers to work on Thanksgiving. Also, you don’t know whether or not they are sitting at home watching football or not.
I am sorry that this post came across as “ugly” to you. That is certainly not my intent. If you do not think it is right for retailers to be open on Thanksgiving, then I think the best thing you can do is vote with your dollars by not shopping no Thanksgiving. Stores will not continue to stay open if it is not lucrative to do so. But the main point of this post is that we should not condemn those who do not share our beliefs, or those who have reasons other than greed for working or shopping on a holiday.
Also, I did not say that everyone watches football or Thanksgiving parades. The “we” in this context is the general American, and even Christian, culture. Whether you like my post or not, I think you would agree that we could be more consistent in what we say we believe and more compassionate toward those who disagree. We can stand up for what we believe is right without shaming or those who feel otherwise.
Thank you for taking the time to comment and sharing your thoughts. I think the dialogue is good for all of us.
I have a daughter who works in retail. She lives too far away from me to come here for Thanksgiving. They live 4 hours (by car) from her in-laws. In order for her and her hubby and kids to spend Thanksgiving with his family, they need to be able to travel. If she has to work on Thanksgiving Day, this is impossible.
On behalf of families who are put in this type of situation when stores are opening for Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving Day, I will be boycotting those stores for the entire Christmas shopping season.
It doesn’t make me any holier, my salvation doesn’t depend on it, and I don’t condemn anyone who chooses differently. It is simply my preference that this unnecessary encroachment on a traditional family holiday not be encouraged. I choose to speak with my dollars. I will support stores who make a more family-friendly choice.
Our reasons for wanting to be shopping on Thanksgiving are all pretty selfish, when you look at them carefully. Other essential services, I understand. TSA, medical, etc – when people enter these types of employment, they know that working on holidays comes with the territory. It is simply not NECESSARY for most stores to be open on Thanksgiving.
I’m old enough to remember when we had “blue laws.” NOTHING non-essential was open on Sundays. Not even gas stations. We knew it. If we were going to need gas, we bought it on Saturday. I’m not suggesting we revert to those days. I’m just suggesting we examine our own priorities and decide to give the “little guy” who works at the mall a break, and let them have this one day off.
I LOVE what you say about speaking with your dollars, especially because you also make it clear that you don’t condemn those who choose to “vote” differently. That is exactly how we should all choose to behave about this non-moral issue. We can disagree and still remain compassionate and loving toward one another. If you do not agree with stores being open on Thanksgiving, stay home. Big stores are not going to continue this practice if it doesn’t make money. I hope you and your entire family have a very blessed Thanksgiving.
I must say you have raised some very interesting points! I have been one of those who have agreed with, if not advocated for, not shopping on Thursday OR Friday; not to the point of casting condemnation and judgement on those who do (my best friend shops Black Friday every year). In general I’ve had an “I-don’t-like-it,-but-do-what-you-want” kind of attitude. I appreciate your post and being challenged in my thinking. 🙂
As far as not working, well… my husband will be working on Thanksgiving (morning). He works at a wholesale plant nursery, and I’ve never liked him having to work holidays and weekends, but he’s always said “the plants continue to grow and need care, even on holidays and weekends.” Just as Gail’s husband works TSA, just as many police officers and doctors and nurses and hospital workers and countless others still must work. There are just some jobs that must go on and work that must be done, regardless of what day it is or what holiday we’re celebrating, and we should be especially thankful that they do.
Some scattered thoughts in response: While you offer things to think about, they really are not very good arguments to be “for” shopping on TG, which your title implies. Whenever we try to stem the tide of things we don’t like, others can always point to previous “wrongs” or “equal wrongs” to try to justify. But does it? And just b/c someone is “against” something, doesn’t mean they are putting it in the “sin” category or against every other thing that could possibly be considered similar. And even if we have participated in condoning “working on holidays” by eating out or buying gasoline or staying in a motel or going to the hospital…..does that mean we should necessarily increase it or applaud it? There are always two (or more) sides to any argument and often, those with whom we disagree have already considered the “other side” before making their choice. It’s healthy to ask questions but somewhat arrogant to assume otherwise.
I appreciate your thoughts. One of the great joys of writing something like this is the discussion that follows. I hope you didn’t misunderstand–I am not advocating for people to shop on Thanksgiving. I am not shopping on Thanksgiving, and I don’t think I ever will (except for the rare occasion when I realize I need an ingredient and send the hubby to the store). My title came from the fact that I want to defend those who choose to act differently than I do. I have been seeing some very ugly posts about Thanksgiving shoppers, including an article that stated that if you shop on Thanksgiving, you’re “part of the problem.” Those kinds of attitudes grieve me because I don’t think they take into consideration some of the things I addressed here. That is why I wrote this. If you do not agree with Thanksgiving shopping but do not condemn those who choose otherwise, then we do not differ in our opinions, and you are not the reason I felt compelled to write.
Also, I wholeheartedly agree that if you do not like something, you should do what you can to stem the tide. Stay home. Don’t vote with your dollars for Thanksgiving shopping, or even boycott the stores who make their employees work on a holiday. But, I hope that even in doing that, we can all remain compassionate and loving, considerate of other life situations, and even willing to open our homes to others who might not otherwise have a place to spend Thanksgiving. I think that in everything we do, even when fighting against true moral evil, we should behave with love. I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir–I just wanted to explain my motivation for this article a little better. I hope you and your family enjoy a very blessed Thanksgiving. Thank you for your thoughts.
I think part of my problem with this actual post is that you’re assuming that these people choose to work this day. A lot of these workers are FORCED to work on Thanksgiving, with threats such as, “We’ll fire you.” “We’ll take away the vacation you put in for, if you don’t work that day.” How do I know this? My roommate used to work in retail. She also happens to be my caretaker (now, I wasn’t sick then). It isn’t the shopping that bothers me, it’s the lack of respect that corporations have for their workers. They force them to do it (most of them), because those workers can’t afford to do anything else. They barely pay them a living wage, and then hold it over their heads because – without it – they can’t survive. It isn’t about how much money those corporations make. It’s about how they are treating their workers. And it isn’t for just one day. It’s simply one of the two days that makes us the most angry (Thanksgiving and Christmas), where we are reminded that because we are desperate, we will do whatever they tell us.
Sometimes, it isn’t about what you can get. It’s about getting very little time with your family as it is to put food on the table, clothes on your back. I can’t tell you the last time I went out to see a movie, or eat out at a restaurant. Because it isn’t about wants. It’s about needs. I think what this post fails to address is the fact that this is NOT okay. Because it isn’t. But it isn’t just about Thanksgiving. That’s simply the time it pops up the most. One of the reasons I am so against Black Friday as well doesn’t have anything to do with the insane hours these people are asked to work (My roommate worked for Walmart – 8PM to 10AM the next morning. Illegal right? That’s what I thought too.), but also for their safety. People are trampled to death because of these lines, these groups of people rushing in for all of these deals. Theft, fighting. It IS actually a major problem – especially in the area that we both used to live in.
Sometimes it isn’t about money. It’s about what’s right, safe, and healthy. Which I think wasn’t really properly addressed in this. Sometimes it isn’t about lifestyle – sometimes, it’s just the right thing to do – but people are greedy, and that’s the way it goes. I don’t watch the parades, I don’t watch football. I certainly don’t think it’s right that there are people who must work Thanksgiving unless that’s what they voluntarily signed up for (Health professions, police officers, etc.). That’s just my thoughts.
My husband is an “essential” federal worker for TSA at an international airport. He works most of the major holidays. Not the same as retail, I know.
Love it! When I was pregnant, I couldn’t sleep, so I’d go shop. It was fun. I talked to all kinds of people while walking the aisles. I have family in retail that work the holidays for the pay. They love it!
Ahhh…refreshing! Thank-you!
Love it! Growing up, we’d sometimes go to a movie on Thanksgiving while the turkey cooked. Then we got older and my sister and I started having beginning-of-the-season basketball tournaments and we started doing Thanksgiving meals the Sunday before. I think as long as you keep your heart in the right place – as you say! – then we’d all be alright. 🙂
My husband is one of the ones who will be working on Black Thursday. He actually will be there twice since he gets off from his usual shift at 7 am and then goes back in at 3:45 for the sales. It isn’t the first (or last) time that he’s been away on a holiday. It puts clothes on the kids’ backs and essentials on the shelves for our home. We have other times we spend together.
I don’t know, I guess it’s ok if the companies work solely on volunteers….not every place that is open pays holiday wages and most do force their workers to work. I don’t go shopping on Thanksgiving and I don’t watch the parades nor do we watch football. Most of the time we pop in some movie for background noise and then when the family comes over, we visit with them…That is, after all, one of the things we should be thankful for.
Well said!
So glad someone put this ‘out there’. Well said, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.