Stores Opening at Midnight Black Friday

[heydude]

I like the guy who delivered all those signitures to Target saying they need to save thanksgiving by not opening at midnight.

I do not really care about holidays BUT I do think there is great value in having all the stores close down for a few days (two) a year. It should be more than that!

He said that they opened at 4am last year, moved it to midnight this year. He said, if we do not say something now, they will move it in to thanksgiving next year.

Target responded by saying that consumers have said they want to be able to shop thanksgiving night isntead of getting up so early.

REALLY? I just bet consumers were on the phones demanding that they open early.

C'mon, it is a ploy to increase their shaky profit margins.

And, if a business needs to be open on thanksgiving in order to survive as a company, surely there is a bigger problem that can be dealt with in better ways.

[Spartana]

Some stores are opening even earlier (Walmart is opening at 10 pm on Thankgiving day) and some aren't closing at all (Big Lots). Fast food joints and drug stores too. Then there are the campers - people who started camping out in tents yesterday morning in front of stores (Best Buys) in order to be first in line for the specials. Many of the stores will also be open 24 hours/day from Friday midnight until New Years Day. It's all crazy to me. Good temp job opportunity for alot of out of work people though. Every store in my area is looking for workers.

[Charity]

I'm with you. I never understood this whole black Friday thing. I really don't get people who buy into it either. I work with someone who gets up early without fail on that day. She's rabid about it but even she wouldn't call anywhere and tell them to move the time up.

I don't like that stores start decorating for Chrismas after Halloween either. The only store that doesn't do that is Nordstroms. The decorations don't go up until after Thanksgiving. Funny. I think they do pretty well in spite of that.

[leslieann]

I heard a radio report on this, but of course can't recall enough details to support what I am about to say. The speaker indicated that there isn't really much gained for stores with those early morning (or previous night starts) because the shoppers are hawks; they swoop in to get the loss leaders and blow out. They are not the real customers who wander and ponder and fill up a cart with "bargains." The reason the speaker gave for ploys like Wal-Mart's 10 pm opening is that they get press for it. And then people (like us) talk about it. So it helps with profile but not actually with profits.

Just what I heard.....somewhere on the CBC.

[catherine]

I am so upset about Target, Macy's Kohl's, Walmart and whoever else opening at midnight that I've decided to boycott those stores for the season, but when I say that to people, they don't seem to have the same objections. I even facebooked the Macy's Retail Worker's Department Store Union (where my MIL was a Vice President) and complained about the workers not being able to spend time with their families, but all they said was working on Thanksgiving was voluntary and the workers get time and a half, so this is not a cause the union is taking up.

I just think people are seeing it as normal and a function of the free market to camp out in the middle of the night to spend money on junk. Aggravating, but that's who we've become

[Zoebird]

I don't have a problem with a company being open on a holiday. Seriously, I don't.

I worked holidays for years (teaching yoga classes), and yes, sometimes there IS a demand. I had a slew of jewish clients who loved to have private lessons and yoga parties on Christmas day. It's not a holiday for them, but it's a day off. And, I could charge more becaues it was a holiday for me, and very few other teachers would take those gigs.

I also worked thanksgiving day, and new years eve from 11 pm until 1 am because people loved to have yoga/meditation/kirtans over the new years as an alternative. I would also do a 31 Dec 11 am to 1 pm for families -- a "kids new year" which would be much like the grown up one, with a little kiddie nosh after too. Fun stuff. And, of course, the New years day detox. And lets not forget easter, fourth of july, and several other holidays. I was the working-holidays queen. And, made more money working then than in a regular class. People paid normal rates, but would often tip me for having come in -- unless it was a private class or party (in which case, I simply charged more).

But, i'll be honest, I don't shop at those stores and I haven't for years. I have gone in with family members and looked for stuff, but otherwise, I tend to shop local/artisan for the stuff that I buy. It's just my preference.

[Tradd]

I was at Target last night and when I was passing electronics, I heard a manager or team leader type talking to about 10 employees about working Thursday. I even heard the leader say something along the lines of the employees needing to find someone else to do the dishes. In other words, don't tire yourself out at home!

[ApatheticNoMore]

Yea, I hate that they are open Thanksgiving now. Hate that Christmas decorations are already up (should wait until Friday at least). Hate that they started going up around Halloween and before.

[heydude]

Zoebird,
yes, i work every holidays and i love working holidays (only the cooler kinda off beats work them and so no stress as the regulars / higher ups are usually all at home).
but, i do think we need to temper consumerism somehow here and there!

[Zoebird]

i don't know.

i mean, i temper consumerism easily enough. I'm in bed at around 10, and I don't wake before 7 no matter what. Seriously, I"ll avoid all kinds of things.

Like, my parents are arriving in auckland on their flight at 6:30 am. They'll slowly move through customs and luggage and all of that, and be through that process around 7:30 am. Then, they'll probably just need to go to the toilet and have a minute to catch their breath.

I'm staying in a hotel near the air port. I will wake at 7 am, and then get to the airport around 8:00. This is fine. I told my parents 8/8:30 pick up. Because I'm not getting up early. It makes me grumpy. LOL

Then, we'll drive out of town and hit a cafe. Yes, christmas morning, no less. You pay more, but the hotel that we're staying at doesn't have a kitchen, and everyone will want brekkie. So, we'll get brekkie at a cafe. My parents would have had brekkie on the plane, so maybe they won't want brekkie. BUT, seeing as it will be about 9:30, we will be hungered (me and the kid anyway).

Then, we drive to the coromandel, and hang out in the beach or hot water pools or some other awesome nonsense. The next accommodation has kitchens, which means meals are home made. YAY.

Anyway, you can damn well bet that I wouldn't be at any big box at midnight OR at 4 am or whatever time. One of my friends used to hit the kohl's sales at 5 am or some such, and get triple coupons or whatever, to buy clothes for her kids. Great. I'm not getting up at 5 am for coupons. I'll go at a normal hour to the thrift shop and get the same clothes, slightly used, for much less. :D

See, problem solved!

[Miss Cellane]

If the employees are truly able to volunteer to work holidays and if they get adequately compensated (time and a half, or an extra day off later), then I have fewer problems with it. But there's a part of me that suspects the only people who are really able to volunteer are the employees with seniority--the stores need to be staffed if they are open and if they don't get enough volunteers, I'll bet there's a bit of pressure on people to "volunteer" to come in.

The wacky hours--seriously, do we need this? No, we do not. If all the big sales started at 10 am, when the stores regularly open, the profits would be the same. The press coverage might not be.

I stay out of stores completely on Black Friday. I do most of my Christmas shopping on line earlier in the year.

In my area, many stores are now also opening on New Year's Day. The only holiday they are still closed for is Christmas. This bothers me, because I think everyone has a right to observe holidays on that holiday--for every employee thrilled about getting time and a half for working on Thanksgiving, there's another whose family won't have them at the table when everyone gathers around, and everyone will miss out.

Medical people, gas stations, transportation employees--there are so many people who do have to work the holidays. I don't understand why a "lowly" retail clerk has to miss Thanksgiving dinner with his/her family, so the the bonus of the high-level execs, who are most certainly not working that day, can be a little bit bigger.

[Square Peg]

I just got my local Shopko ad, filled with doorbuster deals. Here's the odd thing though: These doorbusters are at 6 am (what? they're not opening until 6 am?? They will be ruined!) on Thanksgiving Day!! Yep, that's right, Thanksgiving is also seen as a shopping day. They are open from 6am to 6 pm on T'giving, and then open at midnight for Black Friday.

The other thing that gets me, these sale prices really aren't that good. I remember in the 90s when the savings would be 70% off, and then additional coupons for the whole shebang. Now some are spouting 20% off! Really doesn't seem like that good a deal, especially not enough to be camping out for days on end.

[sweetana3]

A local super grocery (rivals Walmart) has Thanksgiving Day doorbusters at 6am. They did have a coat that was 70% off but I think I will keep the coat I have and sleep in.

[ApatheticNoMore]

A cynical part of me can't help but think: if you have to go to that much trouble to afford it (it being whatever gizmo you need to camp out and go shopping on thanksgiving for), you probably can't afford it >8)

[Zoebird]

i just don't get why people are up in the middle of the night for no reason.

[Simpler at Fifty]

@zoebird- But they are up in the middle of the night for a reason. The reason is they want to buy x and know if they wait 5 hours they will not get it or have to pay more for it. Our local news has reporters in several parking lots talking to people for the morning news. I remember a group of 5 sisters that do this every year, make sweatshirts to wear and then go for breakfast together when they are done shopping. That does not seem like a bad thing.

I really don't see what the fuss is about.

[Mighty Frugal]

As a Canadian I've always had a fascination over the American Thanksgiving. It is SUCH a special day for you. We have our own in mid October but it isn't anywhere near as popular as down south. It seems like a special day for everyone. To get together with family and friends. To feast on the 'roast beast' and to fly here and there.

There are so many American movies centreed around T.Giving. I recall it is a bigger travel day than Xmas

Your pilgrims...your 'indians'..your corn and turkey and that corn-o-plenty thingy with the food spilling out

Just such a 'rich' holiday

so it is rather gobsmack-ing when I see Americans forgo this wonderful holiday to sit on the concrete waiting for a Walmart to open:0!

Are you kidding me? Giving up this great holiday to be the first to buy a Wii? Really?

[JaneV2.0]

I mostly remember Thanksgiving as a blood sugar roller coaster, so shopping seems as good an alternative occupation as any. As mentioned before, I worked holidays for years and lived through it, so I can't get too exercised about that either. And I have to admit I'm kicking myself because I just noticed Michaels had an exceptionally good coupon deal yesterday. I could have finished my Christmas shopping on the spot. Oh well...

[frugalone]

I'm a little upset. I needed (but not desperately, thank God) a pharmacy product and thought I would stop at Wal-Mart on my way home from DSis' yesterday.

It was 10 p.m. and they were lined up outside Wal-Mart, as Duckman once said, "Like it was coupon night at Sizzler."

There was no way I was going to stand in that line for something I can drive to CVS for today.

Are people crazy? I know everyone says it, but I do think it gets worse every year.

[flowerseverywhere]

We had someone who was in line outside toys R us for 30 hours before the store opened. He said it was because video games were half price. We also had a fistfight at a Walmart close by. I just cannot imagine anyone fighting or spending a day and a half in line unless they were starving.

But to each his or her own. One of my neighbors always goes to the sales and makes a day out of it, texting other friends at other stores, meeting for breakfast. So it is a fun day for her.

[frugalone]

I was totally horrified to read in the news today that a lady in Los Angeles pepper-sprayed her fellow shoppers "to get an advantage," she told police. It almost makes me ashamed to be a human being.

[Wildflower]

I feel sorry for the employees. Too bad they can't enjoy their holiday like everyone else. My DD's boyfriend had to leave his Thanksgiving family dinner early to take a nap before he went in for his "night shift". He wasn't happy about it....