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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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To: mabarker1

Good point. The infrastructure that brings us our fresh water and disposes of and treats our waste water is amazing when you think about all that goes into it. A lot of people need to be on call 24/7 to keep that water flowing. So thanks to those guys as well!


41 posted on 11/28/2013 6:34:09 AM PST by SamAdams76
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To: southern rock
Well I'm thankful for them nevertheless.
42 posted on 11/28/2013 6:36:21 AM PST by SamAdams76
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To: Conspiracy Guy
But if all the retailers closed on Sundays and Holidays, the shoppers would still buy as much in less time.
Yep, that was the argument, AND, retailers would have lower costs with no sales clerks to pay, lower utility costs, etc.
Never happened.
43 posted on 11/28/2013 6:38:19 AM PST by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: katnip

My daughter would get overtime but they didn’t call her in.


44 posted on 11/28/2013 6:42:31 AM PST by AppyPappy (Obama: What did I not know and when did I not know it?)
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To: SamAdams76

Yep I lived it for 12 years. In the first 10 I felt I was doing a service for My fellow citizens and took great pride in it.

Then reality struck.

I did learn a lot though.

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Off to DIL for “Her 1st turkey” (hope it’s not dry)


45 posted on 11/28/2013 6:44:09 AM PST by mabarker1 (Please, Somebody Impeach the kenyan!!!!)
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To: oh8eleven

I know. If you look at cost to be open vs margin based on the day of the week. With the exception of Walmart possibly. Sundays and holidays have at least the same cost to open and a lower return. The disturbing part to me is the high percentage of church goers that are shopping or even worse just looking.


46 posted on 11/28/2013 6:46:37 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

Why earn it? So Obama can take it? Better to have the time with your family IMO, especially now under this regime.


47 posted on 11/28/2013 6:48:39 AM PST by riri (Plannedopolis-look it up. It's how the elites plan for US to live.)
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To: ExGeeEye

In the last thirty one years before I retired, I worked for a company that had to be operational 24/7. I worked all holidays, extra time, double shifts, overtime I could get. I even examined the vacation schedules of others so I could be available for work.

Why? Because I knew it would increase my paycheck, which it did.

In thirty eight years of my working life, I only turned down two days of overtime because I was too fatigued to work. I had gotten off a midnight shift, and was called in to work an evening shift without sleep that day.

I am now retired AND LOVING IT! It all paid off.


48 posted on 11/28/2013 6:54:42 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Sometimes you need 7+ more ammo. LOTS MORE.)
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To: kidd

I worked thirty one years in a power plant. Only turned down overtime twice due to shift changes with no sleep.

I got all the OT I could get.


49 posted on 11/28/2013 6:56:37 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Sometimes you need 7+ more ammo. LOTS MORE.)
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To: Conspiracy Guy
I don't know about that. Chick Fil A is always closed on Sunday and for some reason. I always want Chick Fil A on Sunday. So much so that often I drive to the restaurant to eat and find out they are closed. It never fails....lol. Anyway most weeknight I would not want to go out to eat at night and Saturday is usually a pretty busy day that I would not think to go. So I think although a nice idea, I think Chick Fil A loses business by doing this. Of course that is their choice, but I am just saying it is not a perfect scenario.
50 posted on 11/28/2013 7:03:50 AM PST by napscoordinator ( Santorum-Bachmann 2016 for the future of the country!)
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar
That's excellent advice. Also, I'm sure you found out that once you proved yourself reliable, management started bringing all the plum OT assignments to you first as they knew they could rely on you. There are many employees that will shrug their shoulders or make excuses when asked to work overtime and guess what, eventually they are not asked anymore and when it comes time for layoffs, guess who are among the first to go!

When I was in the Marines, I volunteered for every field assignment that came along. Between 1982 and 1984, I was on pretty much every field exercise held in the Mojave Desert (i.e. Gallant Eagle).

Now they don't pay you overtime in the military but what this did do was keep me in the field where I couldn't spend any money. When you are sitting around on base, you end up spending every nickel you have. There was one stretch where I had six or seven uncashed bi-monthly paychecks sitting around. So I came out of the military with some serious money in my pocket which is more than most can say who serve a four-year hitch.

During those four years, I only had one Christmas as home. All the other Thanksgiving and Christmases I was on duty and have very fond memories of some of those holidays. Just the little things, like the Christmas Eve me and some other Marines roasted a pig in the ground in the sands of a Camp Pendleton beach and I remember watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean as we sang Christmas carols out of tune, gorging on sweet pork and drinking beers on ice that some of the officers brought in for us.

51 posted on 11/28/2013 7:10:20 AM PST by SamAdams76
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To: southern rock

So, are we to assume, then, that you are spending the day somewhere far out in the wilderness, completely cut off from all contact? But then who is maintaining the electrical grid you are using to power your computer to send your little comments?

Have you shut off your phone so no one has to be at work keeping those calls coming in?

Have you informed the local emergency responders that if you set yourself or your house afire today they don’t need to worry, just keep eating turkey?

And I’m sure you called the local police/sheriff’s department and told them not to worry about you getting robbed or murdered, because you don’t feel you should have people “ready to service you on a holiday”?

By the way you should also call the SecDef and have him send all the deployed military members home for the day, or did you already think of that?


52 posted on 11/28/2013 7:28:05 AM PST by jstaff
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To: ExGeeEye

From what I’ve heard on the radio and TV here, the only “large” stores that are closed on Thanksgiving in our area are Nordstroms and Costco; and, the quote from a Costco person that was used was, “Our employees work hard all year, we think they should spend Thanksgiving with their families.”

I hadn’t planned on shopping today (did a lot of food shopping yesterday, including for what I’m supposed to make/bring to dinner today, food for my elderly aunt, etc.), but I forgot to get a host/hostess gift for the family members serving dinner this evening (had my nephew with me and he was getting a little impatient). So, alas, I need to run to the store to get a bottle of wine, flowers, box of candy or something to take.


53 posted on 11/28/2013 7:28:49 AM PST by Seattle Conservative (God Bless and protect our troops)
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To: SamAdams76

Thank you for sharing the memory of your Christmas Eve - - not traditional (at least with my family over the years), but sounds delightful!

And, thank you for your service.

Best,
SC


54 posted on 11/28/2013 7:32:10 AM PST by Seattle Conservative (God Bless and protect our troops)
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To: grania
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.

A rather ridiculous attitude to have, considering it s that advertising that pays for the staff to work at those stations so you can get your news, parade and football game...........

Happy Thanksgiving.

55 posted on 11/28/2013 8:25:38 AM PST by Gabz (Democrats for Voldemort.)
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To: ExGeeEye

LOL.


56 posted on 11/28/2013 8:55:02 AM PST by miss marmelstein (Richard Lives Yet!)
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To: RandallFlagg

We don’t mind it a bit, as we are all thankful to God every day for what we have.
++++++++++
Wonder if we can lobby for a “Like” button on here for posts like yours?


57 posted on 11/28/2013 10:06:42 AM PST by S.O.S121.500 (Case back hoe for sale or trade for diesel wood chipper....Enforce the Bill of Rights. It's the Law!)
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To: ExGeeEye

My husband is at work today. Thanksgiving is usually pretty miserable for us because by the time he gets off he’s tired, stinky and cranky. Most of our family members are retired or government workers and they just can’t relate. Next year I think we’ll either eat late (8 PM or 9) so he can get a nap and shower or skip it altogether.


58 posted on 11/28/2013 10:17:45 AM PST by stellaluna
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To: driftdiver

It just hit 37 here and we are dancing in the streets

Happy Thanksgiving


59 posted on 11/28/2013 10:23:40 AM PST by bigheadfred
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To: Gabz
A rather ridiculous attitude to have...advertising pays...

Why? What's rather ridiculous is that people at home choosing not to shop can't even turn their TV on without holiday retail sales intervening.

Classier ads, wishing a "happy holiday" and calmly giving the hours they're open would be fine. JMHO

60 posted on 11/28/2013 10:44:23 AM PST by grania
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