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.
Ben Stein would remind you, this year, Thanksgiving Day is also the first day of Hanukkah.
After they pay you, ask them where's the Hanukkah Bonus?
Don't really mind except for Christmas Day.
Have you never watched TV on Thanksgiving before? This type of advertising is nothing new. And when you think about it - the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade is not much more than a 3 hour long commercial, which was the reason behind the creation of it to begin with. It was a promotional gimmick, that has now morphed into what it is today.
I get your point, that the commercialization has always been there. Maybe I’m being more sensitive, or maybe the ads were more plentiful or extreme this year. My opinions are a subjective reaction, so I’ll yield to the point you’re making.
Daughter is home from college and just left for her retail job until 4 this morning. She was excited because it is extra money. When I was single and worked as a waitress I would always cheerfully pick up the holiday shifts.
My daughter’s a paramedic and is working the 3:00pm to 3:00am shift in the ER today. As a result, Thanksgiving dinner today was a little after 12:00. She’s anticipating a few burns (from fried turkey disasters), then later on some arm, back and leg traumas (from Black Friday mishaps).
One thing I’ve learned is, never wish an ER worker an easy day; that’s putting a jinx on things.
Look at Chick Fil A profits. I know a person who owns 3 locations. Being closed on Sundays does not hurt them at all.
I’d probably move. But then again I would never enter retail. I deal only with business customers and government customers. They are bad enough but not as bad as retail customers. As a teen I worked in retail for about 1 week and in 1970. I won’t go back.
But no, I did not utilize the services of any private sector or retail business.
I'm at a very nice location and meet folks from all over the world.
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