Posted on 11/28/2013 4:57:15 AM PST by ExGeeEye
I haven't been in every business in town. Ever.
Certainly not in the past week.
But during the past week, at every business I've patronized, I've made it a point to ask at least one employee about their holiday schedule.
Only one will be closed today (Thanksgiving Day).
A couple will be closed Christmas Day.
One big store will be open Christmas Day, but closed Christmas Eve.
The businesses that will be open called for volunteers to work those days. All of them offered some sort of compensation: a multiple of the regular hourly rate (usually 2x), a dollar amount bonus, or another regular workday off.
One person in particular is getting Friday off in exchange for working Thanksgiving. He and his family will do "the whole bit" on Friday, and go right into the weekend. Said he'll be better off than the people who take today off and drag themselves in for one or two* more days before the weekend.
Another, a single living too many states away from home, will visit her church for an evening Thanksgiving service after work. "Nothing else to do, better to earn it than spend it", and the bump in the pay rate will help finance her trip home...for Easter Week.
Conclusion: Everyone I've talked to over the past week, who will be working today, do so voluntarily and earn extra in some way for doing it.
Even so, I'm going to assume that anyone working today really needs the money. I'm going to pull myself together and go to Denny's for breakfast, where I will leave a $20 tip on my usual under-$10 order.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.
*Those whose "weekends" are Sunday-Monday.
You sound like Ben Stein, lol.
Nope. Don’t need the money and would rather be with my family.
Working today because my expertise is needed to keep a power plant working.
But I am getting paid 40 hours for working 24 hours for today and tomorrow.
Good for you.
BTW, Denny’s breakfast will have to hold me for a while, because dinner with the cousins isn’t until 3:00 or so.
Might have to go to (ggasp!) a mall until noon, before going to my cousins’ house and keeping the kids out of the kitchen :)
My 17 year is working 8 to 3 today. But it is a grocery store and they close at six.
Most people working today, especially in retail, don’t want to. Their employers require it. This will continue until shoppers say nope, we’re staying home today and on Black Friday. Force the retailer to get creative like having the sucker sales on Green Saturday!
worked at a Gas station on Thanksgiving because the Boss wanted to see how it went. He paid us 75 cash( this was 1985 and when you’re a 20 something that’s a lot of cash)and it was for 5 hours.
It was slow and I got a 5 dollar tip for handing some guy a key to the bathroom.
Now I tend to stay away from stores on holidays unless I am really running low on stuff.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Speaking for myself, I'm happy that people are working today. The people that fixed my coffee at the Dunkin Donuts this morning, the people who opened the gas station so I could fill my tank. I'm also thankful for the people who are working in the hospitals today and for those who are on call with the ambulances - so if a turkey bone gets stuck in my throat, they will come get me and take me to the hospital. Hope it doesn't happen but I'm glad to know I have that option available to me.
It's windy today and if a tree falls down and takes out the power in my neighborhood, I will be thankful for the utility crews who are on call to handle just such a possibility. If my turkey catches fire in the oven, it's nice to know the fire department are just around the corner. Hopefully they will have a boring day at the station and catch up on their book reading. Nobody should have to have a fire in their house on Thanksgiving.
Thanks to the police officers who are on duty today - but seriously, can't they shut down the speed traps for one day? (I saw one on my way to Dunkin Donuts this morning).
I'm thankful for all those professional football players who are going to entertain for us today so that male bonding and indiscriminate beer drinking can go on after the meal in the den. Not to mention all those workers who have to work the stadiums, the TV crews, etc.
A bunch of stores are opening at 6pm today and I guess the upside will be that it will get most of the women out of the house so the guys can focus on the Ravens/Steelers game. I just hope they get around to doing the dishes before they go. (Hey, I stuffed the turkey and stuck it in the oven at 4am this morning so I did my part). I'm also hoping Joe Flacco throws more interceptions tonight against the Steelers - Flacco's interceptions are so much fun to watch!
Anyway, I hope everybody working today gets paid well and get to have Thanksgiving dinner at some point. On Saturday, I'm having a "Thanksgiving Rewind" dinner for family members who couldn't make it over to my house today. Cooking yet another turkey but a smaller one. Will have plenty of beer on hand though. Tomorrow, I'm rigging up the Christmas lights so I guess that counts as work too.
I’ll be working graveyard shift for 12 hours.
We make malt for Coors, and it’s a 24-7-365 operation.
Barley doesn’t grow on a nine-to-five schedule.
But, we’ll be getting two days of overtime for it.
My family will be doing Thanksgiving on Sunday.
We don’t mind it a bit, as we are all thankful to God every day for what we have.
When I worked for the 24x7 Telephone Agency, I would usually volunteer for holiday work because I have no family nearby. Better that those who have families to get to spend it with them rather than those who have seniority get the day off just because of seniority. Minority opinion, I know.
I’m smoking a turkey today. mmmmmmmmmm
I like your post, and I like your tagline, but reading them both together kind of upset my tummy. 8~}
LOL!!
sorry!
My tagline is a quote from survivorman. My turkey is going on. Its cold here in Tampa today, gonna make it a little harder to keep the fire going.
LOL! Yes, why can’t the cops stop the speed traps just for one holiday and put out a tip jar instead?
cold in tampa...LOL...around here at this time of year we put things outside to freeze it
My son works at a grocery store. He volunteered to work today because he’ll get an extra 1.00 per hour.
He’ll be off by 2:00. Just in time to get home for dinner. The store closes at 3:00 today and reopens tomorrow at 6:00 a.m.
Their Pharmacy is closed today which I think is kinda weird if the rest of the store is open.
I just got my bird in the oven. Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day!
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