Honestly, I think just one instance of a
pepper spray wielding customer should be enough for stores to say, “You know what, let’s not do this 10PM or midnight opening crap and actually let our employees have the WHOLE day off for Thanksgiving.” Because guess what? People will still shop between now and Christmas.
As it is,
studies have shown that prices aren’t necessarily the best on Black Friday anyway.
Part of the problem is that we’re a very consumer driven society. If a store is open at any hour with good deals, then someone will show up. This gives retailers the only reason they need to open. Problem is, it also gives retailers the only reason they need to tell their employees that they have to cut their Thanksgiving day short so they can be at the store for the late night opening.
I’d love to see one of two things happen: 1. Consumers say, “No, we’re not going to go shop on Thanksgiving because it’s Thanksgiving. We can wait until normal opening hours on Friday just like we used to do, and the world certainly didn’t come to an end back then.” or 2. Retailers say, “We’re not opening until our regular opening time on Friday because Thanksgiving is a DAY of thanks and doesn’t end just because dinner is over and then everyone can go to work. That, and it’s not right to expose our employees to lunatics with pepper spray. We’ll see you on Friday.”
Though I suspect we’re long past the point of no return.
ETA: I’m not anti-Black Friday. It makes sense that it’s a big shopping day since so many people have the day off. I’m anti-midnight-psychosis.
Originally posted at
CafeChatNoir.net.
Permalink - click to comment!