Since 1870, we've celebrated Christmas as a national holiday. Over the years, this has turned into a day off for most people with the exception of essential personnel. Well, in this area, this seems to be changing.
As a business owner, I can assure you that other retail outlets are paying close attention to this little change. If Safeway announces that this idea was a successful one, watch others adopt the same position in the coming years. When that happens, we'll have to say goodbye to the quiet peaceful no traffic Christmas mornings. The excitment of making sure all the batteries have been bought the day before. The sigh "whew, at least 7-11 is open"!
I know this may not be a big deal to some and some may be glad for this change. I for one am sad about this for I forsee a day when Christmas, in the words of one local talk show host, is just like labor day. No real mystery. No real pause.
Meanwhile, the local Publix is closed on Christmas.
I'm with you, it is a sad change.
I am so glad that I got out of retail three years ago. My former company (Kroger) will probably be doing this before long. If I were there I would refuse to work on Christmas.
At 3 times the normal pay, I'd be one of the first to volunteer for the Christmas Day shift.
I used to drive cross country, semi-truck, and working on holidays was pretty much a given. Also when I worked on ranches, holidays what was that? Christmas day for many years I worked, it wasn't until I was about 35 that I actually had that whole day off. If I had been asked to work I did, no questions asked. In the Military you don't have much of a choice either.
I've pulled guard duty, CQ and Duty Officer on every Holiday there is. When I flew for the airlines, I worked all of the holidays at one time or another. Drive around the DC area on Christmas and you'll see many Americans working. Safeway has a right to do what they are going to do.
Various responses on this thread seem to be geared toward essential personnel .. octors/nurses/military/police/ranch hands/truckers. Retail is quite different. There IS a choice. For one day of the year, to preserve the most traditional holiday of all, it would be nice to see the stores stay closed.
I've noticed, though, that in the DC area, Christmas does seem to have become just another day. 20+ years ago when we would travel on Christmas Day from VA to MD to visit famiy, we OWNED the Beltway ... now it looks like any commuting day.
Sad, just sad.
I am horrified Safeway is doing this. I guess I'm shopping at Giant from now on.
Of course at 3x normal pay, the employees aren't going to suffer much. The consumers are, when Safeway management passes on the triple pay to us.
Merry Christmas!
I don't advise protests or boycotting or whatall, but if you really unhappy, encourage all your friends to stock up the day before and to exercise some restraint on Christmas itself.
These are all private, individual, choices. That's freedom.
Fine.
Make all the atheists work that day for straight time.
THAT train left the station a long time ago.
Why aren't government offices open on Christmas too? I wonder if the ACLU is open Christmas day? Hypocrates.
Well one thing is for sure...... If they don't have the customers frequenting the store and spending dollars this experiment will cease.... On the other hand if the customers show up and desire to spend their money on Christmas day then some enterprising company will be there of offer them that opportunity..... Maybe it isn't the stores fault but rather the attitudes of the buying public that have changed.... If so don't fault the store after all they are only providing services that the public is willing to pay for. JMO......
BREAKING: FREE REPUBLIC TO STAY OPEN ON CHRISTMAS DAY!!
And the left has let out a communal cheer. How very sad.
And they'll have to stay open also, just to stay competitive. And some of the workers will demand the 'right' to work on those days. I was a kid, but I remember when most stores were closed on Sundays and the big commotion when certain stores in Ohio (I'm in PA) opened on Sundays for limited hours. By the time I was a teen, malls and many stores were open, at least for 5 hours, routinely, and it changed the way most everyone used their time on Sundays. Now everyone is open Sundays, and even factory and other work is staggered so there is no real weekend or Sunday set aside.
I for one am sad about this for I forsee a day when Christmas, in the words of one local talk show host, is just like labor day.
I am sad about this, too.
IIRC, wasn't Safeway founded in the 'parenthesis' state of California? If so, it doesn't surprise me.
A business being open or not does not diminish the importance or significance of the season.
One of the reasons that I sometimes eat at Chick-Fila is that they are closed on Sundays. I like and respect that.
Why? If they are the first and only supermarket chain to do this, then there is no compelling business reason to be the first one to do so. Now other supermarket chains will feel compelled to open as well so that the competition does not get the upper hand. All it takes is one and the rest will fall like dominoes.
I remember as a kid (which wasn't THAT long ago) where businesses would shut their doors by noontime on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, absolutely nothing was open except a few gas stations and maybe a convenience store or two. I remember one Christmas morning, my father drove around in vain for two hours looking for a place that sold batteries for a toy we got that year. Absolutely nothing was open and that's the way it should be. Nowadays just about every convenience store and restaurant is open on Christas Day and now you have last-minute shoppers thronging shopping malls well into Christmas Eve night. What kind of life is that? All the rush and stress. No wonder so few enjoy this time of year.
I refuse to participate in this madness. All my Christmas shopping is done. My decorations have been up for weeks and I'm just hanging out with a cup of egg nog, watching the tree lights blink and listening to Christmas music.