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VANITY: People working on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day, 2013 | Me

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.


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: anecdotal; forwhatitsworth; notmuch; ymmv
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1 posted on 11/28/2013 4:57:15 AM PST by ExGeeEye
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To: ExGeeEye

You sound like Ben Stein, lol.


2 posted on 11/28/2013 4:58:51 AM PST by miss marmelstein (Richard Lives Yet!)
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To: ExGeeEye

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.


3 posted on 11/28/2013 5:05:07 AM PST by kidd
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To: miss marmelstein
We are all Ben Stein.
4 posted on 11/28/2013 5:08:22 AM PST by ExGeeEye (The enemy's gate is down...and to the left.)
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To: kidd

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 :)


5 posted on 11/28/2013 5:10:44 AM PST by ExGeeEye (The enemy's gate is down...and to the left.)
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To: ExGeeEye

My 17 year is working 8 to 3 today. But it is a grocery store and they close at six.


6 posted on 11/28/2013 5:11:50 AM PST by autumnraine (America how long will you be so deaf and dumb to thoe tumbril wheels carrying you to the guillotine?)
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To: ExGeeEye

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!


7 posted on 11/28/2013 5:13:21 AM PST by Conspiracy Guy (Did the ancients know they were ancients? Or did they see themselves as presents?)
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To: ExGeeEye

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.


8 posted on 11/28/2013 5:22:34 AM PST by Yorlik803 ( Church/Caboose in 2016)
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To: Conspiracy Guy
I turned on the TV for the AM news. Every single ad was about shopping. I'd rather that TV stations gave up the advertising on Thanksgiving Day, and let people who want to open stores, work, or shop make their own choices. Only do it without the TV during Macy's Parade and football games being constantly disrupted by the retail spirit.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

9 posted on 11/28/2013 5:25:29 AM PST by grania
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To: ExGeeEye
You come across as a bit of a busybody. Perhaps a well-intentioned one but a busybody nevertheless. I would never think to go around the businesses in my town, canvassing workers on whether or not they will be working on Thanksgiving and what they think about it. Unless maybe I was hired to write an article for a newspaper or something.

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.

10 posted on 11/28/2013 5:32:04 AM PST by SamAdams76
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To: ExGeeEye

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.


11 posted on 11/28/2013 5:37:09 AM PST by RandallFlagg (IRS = Internal Revenge Service)
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To: ExGeeEye

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.


12 posted on 11/28/2013 5:38:11 AM PST by Stegall Tx (Actually, I got a real job starting in the Spring.)
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To: ExGeeEye

I’m smoking a turkey today. mmmmmmmmmm


13 posted on 11/28/2013 5:42:40 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: driftdiver

I like your post, and I like your tagline, but reading them both together kind of upset my tummy. 8~}


14 posted on 11/28/2013 5:44:58 AM PST by BykrBayb (Somewhere, my flower is there. ~ Þ)
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To: BykrBayb

LOL!!


15 posted on 11/28/2013 5:50:27 AM PST by RandallFlagg (IRS = Internal Revenge Service)
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To: ExGeeEye
My sister-in-law’s sister will be at her job in a hospital lab today. She works most holidays, so her co-workers with spouses and children can be home with their families. She is supposed to work till 3 pm, but most likely, she will be home early if there are no catastrophes. We won't have dinner till 5 or 6 anyway.
16 posted on 11/28/2013 5:52:14 AM PST by fatnotlazy
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To: BykrBayb

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.


17 posted on 11/28/2013 5:52:17 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: SamAdams76

LOL! Yes, why can’t the cops stop the speed traps just for one holiday and put out a tip jar instead?


18 posted on 11/28/2013 5:54:22 AM PST by silverleaf (Age takes a toll: Please have exact change)
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To: driftdiver

cold in tampa...LOL...around here at this time of year we put things outside to freeze it


19 posted on 11/28/2013 5:56:49 AM PST by bigheadfred
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To: ExGeeEye

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!


20 posted on 11/28/2013 5:59:57 AM PST by katnip (Why Do Democrats Hate Babies?)
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