Your Turn
Once again, Wal-Mart has announced it will open its stores on Thanksgiving night at 8pm so people can spend money. My question to you is whether sales should start on Thanksgiving or just wait until Friday? I am in favor of Friday. Wal-Mart is already known for not being the most generous employer and now they are making all of their employees come in on Thanksgiving instead of being with their families. Do you think anyone who works at the corporate offices of Wal-Mart are going to be working on Thanksgiving? How long would the idea last if all of them had to go work in the stores instead of the store employees? I'm guessing about five minutes.
I refuse to go shopping on Thursday and usually avoid the stores on Friday as well. I used to work in retail. No thanks.
ReplyDeleteHow much time do you get off work for Thanksgiving typically?
ReplyDeleteI think it's sad that Wal-Mart is so concerned with making a buck that their employees can't even get one shift off to spend with their families. I only go to one place on Black Friday, and it's a little boutique that I frequent. They have a super fun event every year.
ReplyDeleteI never go shopping on Friday. I think this Walmart move is disgusting. I would never shop there, don't want to support them at all. Well actually there is no Walmart in Seattle! Every time they try to open one, they get ruled down.
ReplyDeleteI do understand the people who are financially strapped go there for the cheap prices....
They have to do this to compete with online stores. I'm so glad I don't have the shopping "bug". I buy what I need when I need it, and mostly online.
ReplyDeleteI just don't understand the desire for more and more stuff.
@Vicki - My company gives off Thanksgiving Day, and typically the next day though it's not promised in case things are nutso and we need to get orders out. It depends on the industry/type of business, though.
ReplyDeleteHere, Wal Mart is open 24/7 Except for Christmas Day. It would be open anyway, Thanksgiving or no. Additionally, some workers never get off for holidays. I have worked Thanksgiving AND Christmas day before. So has my husband. Some jobs just require it.
ReplyDeleteNo shopping on Thanksgiving, but then again i stay away from stores that entire weekend,Sears will be open on Thanksgiving too...but for all of those people who otherwise wouldn't get paid my guess is they are welcoming the work.
ReplyDeleteWalmart = Fred Meyer, though not the same ownership. Just in type of store.
ReplyDeleteI won't shop on Thanksgiving day. Can we not have one day without consumerism?!
Also, don't just blame Walmart. I think Sears and JCPenney also announced that they will be open
I think it blows. I guess they are trying to avoid tne stampede fri am. And i dont agree with them being open, but the arguement that they cant enjoy holiday with family doesnt hold water. Everyone has eaten or overeaten by then, and many getting a little sick of the fam by 8pm. Lol. But it does ruin the holiday. Seriously, walmart, you cant wait til fri??!!
ReplyDeleteIt's Target too, and I think it is a terrible practice. Retail workers already have a pretty difficult gig.
ReplyDeleteMy friends is a VP for a vendor in Arkansas. She starts working Monday the 19 12 hour shifts until Christmas. She must be IN STORE every day for the holiday season to deal with the Wal Mart Executives. So yes, most of the Wal Mart executives and vendors work the holidays. It's a fucking empire down there.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for having online-only sales on Thanksgiving day, but I have zero interest in going into an actual store. That being said, there are plenty of people who don't get the day off and it isn't as big a deal as this.
ReplyDeleteThere is a 0% chance that I will ever digest my food and desire to go into a pre-Black Friday shopping battlefield. I don't shop that weekend anyway.
ReplyDeleteI work at Eastbound Trading Company and we open at midnight. Luckily my manager rocks and is taking the midnight shift since I have not seen my family over the holidays in four years (military wife) . I'm her assistant and work 2-10. Woo hoo!
ReplyDeleteAaah, thanks Amber,
ReplyDeleteWe need more holidays in the U.K, hope that you all have a lovely day x
@Vicki E - it always lols me, and bums my UK friends, that we Aussies get the Queen's Birthday long weekend (not on her real birthday) public holiday, whereas you guys don't! UK definitely needs more public holidays!
DeleteI've never been in the US for thanksgiving but I got the impression that it is of similar importance to Christmas. if that is so, then I think it is awful that the shops open. I'd like people to collectively have the day off .. paid for permanent staff though like it is here -don't want people to miss the cheque (or even the 'check' as in the US!).
Screw Black Friday and the insane shopping frenzy that comes along with it. I wait til Cyber Monday!
ReplyDeleteThe whole thing is ridiculous, by Wal-Mart or any store that does this, they aren't the only one. Besides the employees not getting the day off, there have been stampedes by customers waiting to get into the stores that have resulted in deaths and serious injuries to employees and to fellow customers.
ReplyDeleteMy state does a lot of crazy things, but refusing to issue the holiday permit to make retail sales for these stores has me very happy!!!!
ReplyDeleteFor this I blame the consumers. Enjoy te holiday America! The forefathers would be livid if they knew the spectacle we have turned into. If people stopped being so stupid and desperate for last-year's TV on sale for $100, Walmart won't be open. Walmart is a corporation. I blame them 0% for this. If not there, the masses will go elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteYes In-and-Out! If they didn't have people who wanted to trample others to get 100 bucks off laptops, they wouldn't do it. This is the fault of consumers and not Walmart.
DeleteFor this I blame the consumers. Enjoy te holiday America! The forefathers would be livid if they knew the spectacle we have turned into. If people stopped being so stupid and desperate for last-year's TV on sale for $100, Walmart won't be open. Walmart is a corporation. I blame them 0% for this. If not there, the masses will go elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteBut does walmart hv to feed the beast?
DeleteI shop at Wal-mart, mostly because there are few options in my area. I'm not that fond of the store and only go 1-2 times a month.
ReplyDeleteHaving to work on Thanksgiving would be crummy, but part of me understands why they're doing it. A lot of online stores are already doing Black Friday type of sales and discounts. Brick and mortar stores are behind and have to make up ground somehow.
They are not the only store doing this.
ReplyDeleteNothing is sacred...No I won't shop on Thanksgiving..
ReplyDeleteIf you don't want to work those hours, get another job. Wal-Mart is making a business decision. I worked at Disneyland for years and never got holidays off. As someone mentioned above, some jobs are just that way.
ReplyDeleteAnd also mentioned above, many Wal-Marts are open 24 hours and would be open anyway.
Much ado about nothing, and lots of whining from the kind of people who think the world should revolve around them.
If you don't like your hours, don't work there. If you don't like what the company does, don't shop there.
Boycott Walmart. Period. This is only one of countless reasons how they treat their employees like shit.
ReplyDeleteBeen walmart free for more years than i care to remember, lol. Dont like the way they treat their help.
DeleteSeachica - do you have inside info on Fred Meyers and how they treat their employees? Because I like that store and would be bummed if I found out they suck as corporate owners.
ReplyDeleteDevon: with all due respect, the whole get another job meme is old and played out. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. A crappy job is better than no job at all and having us criticize people again for applying for welfare.
ReplyDeleteYou say others are whining. Well, you're being dismissive and inconsiderate of others. Understanding works both ways.
"Get another job"??? Have you been out there lately?
ReplyDeleteNo, I won't be shopping. I feel bad enough that I'm planning to go out to eat this year on Thanksgiving, and plan to tip very very big to make the poor server feel better. But I live alone and kids live on the other coast, so unless I want pizza rolls for Thanksgiving dinner, it's a restaurant for me. But I avoid going anywhere to shop anyway, I love my online shopping. Where else can you buy a new vacuum at 3:00 am while wearing jammies? I know, Walmart, but I don't shop there anyway.
Typically there is holiday pay, and some workers choose this.
ReplyDeleteMy husband works in a hospital, open 24/7, he has not had Christmas, Thanksgiving off in years, he lets the folks with kids take those days off. It's just business folks.
You're husband sounds like a very good person x
DeleteYes, kisses for mr delriser!
DeleteEntwood, tons of stores are doing that, including Toys'R'Us. Hopefully, they pay over-time as an incentive. There will be a lot of people that will want to work for the extra money. Plus those who work the 8PM overnight shift will not have to work the Friday day shift. This is part of the working class today, Entwood. What world are you living in?
ReplyDeleteI buy everything online. Enjoy thanksgiving. This sh*t is crazy to me, just hop online, don't deal with it... Ugh, these people freak me out a bit, really???
ReplyDeleteWalmart always stayed open on Thanksgiving until 6:00 PM and then closed. They are only reversing the hours in which they will be open. Closed during the morning and afternoon.
ReplyDeleteI say it every year. The day after Thanksgiving should be a national day of community service, but Americans are such doughy, gluttonous, ignorant, arrogant pricks, it will never happen.
ReplyDeleteHey! Some of us are un- doughy , smart, and totally un- prickular!!!! Seriously, some of us are nice , do good things, and dont shop on thur or fri!!
DeleteI buy everything before Thanksgiving. The local shopping center and mall here turn into a zoo. I won't go near it until after Christmas is over. I shop online mostly. While I enjoy a good sale, I'm fortunate enough that I don't have to let that dictate what I decide to give someone for a gift.
ReplyDeleteI am apparently the only one here who ...gasp! Doesn't buy anything! My family has never been happier since we banned presents. We donate to Salvation Army and the likes. I know that people with small children can't really do this, but it's a wonderful thing to do and takes the stress out of the holiday season.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many will be killed at this year's Walmart stampede.
ReplyDeletewhy don't they just do it now? I already have fucking Christmas commercials and music shoved in my face.
ReplyDeleteI hate what the Holiday season has become.
I think it becomes what you make of it. :)
DeleteIt's not usual to work holidays. If you work in a hotel, airline, or airport, you will be working a holiday.
ReplyDeleteParis, CVS had Christmas shit up before Halloween was over. I'm seriously considering doing nothing this year except writing my mother a letter and donating money to animal shelters and abused women's shelters.
ReplyDeleteGiving to charity is great, but I can't lie. I want some gifts. It's the only time of the year I actually receive something. If that makes me a gluttonous prick, so be it. :-D
ReplyDeleteIn this day and age, it's more likely for a business to be open on A holiday than closed. Hell, even McDonald's stays open. That's how jobs work though. If you want something with no responsibility and flexible hours, you have to work shitty hours. That's the incentive to find something better.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong with buying presents at all. It's just Black Friday has become an obscene exercise in humanity at its lowest.
ReplyDeleteEveryone's trying to outdo each other, to be the first to get the crowds and the $$. Sadder still is that there will almost certainly be people there when the doors open. It's appalling, all in the quest for material trinkets--that is not what the holiday season is supposed to be about (and I'm not even Christian).
ReplyDeleteThanksgiving should be about enjoying your family and loved ones, not prepping to go to work (and not even being able to enjoy it!) or prepping to on a marathon shopping trip. How are they going to top this next year? 6pm? Where will the madness end?
I will say i you work for a good company yo can make a killing working holiday, when my husband was hourly, he would work Thanksgiving and the day after was also considered a holiday in his company, he would get paid double time and a half, in those 2 days he made as much as a full week. It was awesome!
ReplyDeleteWhere I'm at, every year someone gets shot in the Walmart or Best Buy parking lots. It's really scary shopping that weekend. I'm staying home.
ReplyDeleteGeez, tough neighborhood!! Be safe!!
DeleteI'm Canadian, our day of gluttonous shopping is Boxing day, but I do enjoy Amazon's black Friday sales
ReplyDeleteBut humanity has always been low, IMO. Black Friday may rub our face in it, but if it weren't mass consumerism, something else would bring out our base desires.
ReplyDeleteNot trying to be philosophical, and I actually love humanity on the whole. But it's obvious that we have always been bad seeds.
Remember the crazy bitch that sprayed a crowd with pepper spray so she could get whatever the toy du jour was? I just can't. I'm going to my friend's for Thanksgiving and I might just stay at her house and clean the Turkey Day aftermath instead of going shopping with her.
ReplyDeleteI bet Lincoln never dreamed this is what his holiday would turn into. It was Lincoln who made it an official holiday.
ReplyDeleteNot everyone celebrates Thanksgiving, and not everyone has a family to be torn from on a holiday. They are far from the only business that has people working on a holiday--hotels, hospitals, the entire travel industry, transit, cab drivers, clerks at gas stations and corner stores, restaurants and diners that are open 24/7. Take a look around where you live...there are plenty of people who have to work a statutory holiday.
ReplyDeleteWho doesnt celebrate thanksgiving? C'mon over!!
DeleteThanksgiving Day retail hours are ridiculous and it makes me sad that there will be long lines waiting for those sales. God forbid if you can't get Aunt Gertie that bargain $10.00 crock pot that she really doesn't want or need anyway.
ReplyDeleteWalmart has online shopping available so it's not like they're not competing with other ecommerce sites.
So true, Audrey.
ReplyDeleteI worked in health care for years and worked my share of holidays. It sucks but you do what you have to do to keep your job. And if you're so concerned about people working on Thanksgiving, what about those who go out to eat on those days? Or don't wait staff/cooks/etc count? What if you need gas? You expect a gas station to be open, don't you? If you don't want people to work on holidays, don't go to businesses that are open on holidays.
ReplyDeleteAs for Black Friday, the only thing I make sure to do is go to Walgreens - every year for the past 10 years or so they have reading glasses buy 1, get 2 free. I go through them like water, so I end up buying 3 and getting 6 free. But I do plan on doing most of my shopping on line this year. (and no, I don't work at Walgreens)
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ReplyDeleteEh, by Thursday night, many people have cabin/family fever and want out. I don't think it's a big deal to open that night - the employees are getting double-time and I'd much rather deal with the evening crowd than the five a.m. nutjobs.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I'm trapped in Boston where Blue Laws still keep stores closed on Thanksgiving. All day (exceptions for convenience stores and the like). I think the merchants should have the freedom to open if they think it makes good business sense to do so.
black friday is ridiculous anyway, sorry, perhaps at one time it used to be fun but now it's just a game of greed. there is nothing absolutely that i want that would make me shop on that day.
ReplyDeleteThere are some things that are worth more than making share prices go up and profit margins increase. This really scares me that businesses think that it's ok to treat people like cattle, take them away from their families, make them work ungodly hours and then give no benefits.
ReplyDelete@Seachica, WalMart actually stole the one-stop shopping concept from Fred Meyer.
ReplyDeleteI am in favor of getting a good deal, so it depends what's on my list.
ReplyDeleteI read something about boycotting Walmart black friday sales because of the way they treat their employees. I doubt it will work.
ReplyDeleteI once drove by Walmart at whatever ridiculous time they opened, laughed at the line and went back home to bed. I find I spend much less shopping from home even if the price on each item is a bit higher.
Fred Meyer is an excellent store to work at, they treat their staff very well. Their customer service is awesome, you can return makeup you didn't like.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays to all
cosign @dewie.
ReplyDeleteI went over-night shopping a few years ago when it was a new, experimental thing. There was a line on the highway to get into the mall parking lot.
However, people might be thankful for these hours/holiday pay. Under obamacare, full time will go down to 30 hrs max. Walmart is currently at 34.
Thats the store's choice, not obamacare's fault. The ceos already said they wont take any money out their ASTRONOMICAL profits to pay for health care for employees, so they wld cut hours to get around that. I think they are huge , ethic free dicks for doing this- and being so public about it. I hope they rot in hell. And they said this BEFORE election to scare any employees into not voting for obama. God forbid they slhd gv up one of their billions to get people who make them the money healthcare !
DeleteDon't shop at WalMart, union family, so there is that. My husband's former job required holiday work from time to time, which was triple pay. I'm sure that's long gone (retail clerk union).
ReplyDeleteLove Fred Meyer, union shop in this area of the country.
In my younger years, the stores would open around 6 am on Friday - I admit my sister, sister-in-law and I would make a big deal about it. We'd get 3 newspapers on Thanksgiving, read the ads, cut out coupons, make lists, then hit the stores at 6 am, have an 11 am lunch (mostly liquids ;) ) and then shop a little more. Then go home and order Chinese food delivered. That was our ritual for around 10 years. Now you couldn't pay me to go shopping at 6 am. Or in the middle of the night. And I haven't shopped in Walmart in years - just don't like the way they've treated women in the past so I vote with my dollars.
ReplyDeleteYes, it used to be kind of fun, now like a deathsport.
DeleteShop on Amazon. I bet you will get better deals and they ship your goods right to the front door. If you get gift receipts when you make your purchases, returns are a snap for your gift receivers. On Black Friday you can just sit at home in your pajamas and laugh at all the idiots getting trampled for a waffle iron.
ReplyDeleteI worked at a Walfart for 5 years before quitting due to pregnancy discrimination. What they don't tell you is that the employees are forced to work 12+ hour shifts with only 30 minute breaks every 4-6 hours. No time off was allowed from Oct-Jan regardless of your situation. If you called out during these days you were severely disciplined or fired. This place needs to go out of business, it's a shame they have such good lawyers.
ReplyDeleteAnd the store itself is such an ugly shit pit
DeleteI will not shop at any of these stores on Black Friday, and I rarely shop at WalMart at all any more I am so disgusted with the way they treat their employees and all the corporate welfare they get from the Feds, states, and local governments. I'm not happy with Target either, they should not be participating in this crap, but I suppose they feel they have to be competitive.
ReplyDeleteIf I go out at all on Friday, it will be to Costco because they are opening at the perfectly reasonable hour of 9 am and allowing all of their employees to have a full day at home with their families.
Lanya, thank you for disagreeing so politely!
ReplyDeleteI am no doubt older than most of you and have a different outlook, I suppose. I definitely feel as though people nowadays whine a lot and expect to be catered to. This reminds me very much of people who tale out huge student loans, then whine about having to pay them back, people who take out mortgages then whine when the price of the house drops and don't want to pay their mortgage any more. I just don't get it.
No doubt I am old and out of touch. If the whiners keep getting what they want, I guess I am the stupid one for not joining in whining.
Devon- marry me!
DeleteWalMart is evil. Greedy, evil, wretched company.
ReplyDeleteGive people a freaking day off with their families. Please! They probably don't even get double time or triple time for working on a holiday. This is horrible. My boycott of WalMart continues!!!
Kewi, thanks so much for sharing your experience with them. The more people who know about the "hows" of cheap pricing will hopefully shift the tide. I could never buy from them knowing how badly they treat their employees.
ReplyDeleteSomeone else will say at least they have jobs. But I say to what end? I think working there must be the most horrible, stressful, soul sucking existence. No one deserves that. No one!
I haven't shopped at Walmart since I watched an episode of Frontline on WTTW almost 10 years ago called "Is Walmart Good for America?" That show opened my eyes to their disgusting business practices. I decided to vote with my wallet and stay away. Dropped the Sam's Club membership too and never looked back. I also wish they would go out of business. I'm doing my part to make that happen by not spending my money there. As for Black Friday - I never shop that day. I like to start putting up my holiday decorations instead. It's a lot more fun than fighting the crowds!
DeleteI used to work retail as an assistant manager at a chain gift store. I was offered my own store but would never take them up on the offer. The managers basically LIVED there. Not for me. It was the hardest job I ever had. Many customers were horrible and treated us like trash. It made me a hell of a nicer customer myself!
ReplyDeleteOur corporate office SUCKED. On Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas Eve we closed at 6pm, felt thoroughly beaten and like death barely warmed over and would have liked to have gone home to our families, but we would have to TOTALLY clean and reset the store for the post-holiday sale (when we got to come in at 6am... YAY!). It took *hours* to set the redisplay, which mainly consisted of moving stock around. Because that makes people buy stuff. Putting it in a different place.
Oh and though we were supposed to close at 6pm on those nights, if there were still customers in the store, we weren't allowed to close so sometimes we couldn't start the redisplay because some jackholes were lingering until 6:30/6:45, etc.
Retail sucks. Be kind to your sales people. They have to work on their feet all day and deal with rude customers for crap pay.
Yes thank you! I've done retail for 13 years and refuse to manage my own store. Or be a department store manager. One more year of college and ill be a teacher! I can not wait to have holidays off! And yes be kind to your sales people! We are exhausted and trying our best!
DeleteOK so other stores are open, didn't know that - but Walmart is getting crap because this is just 1 incident in a long line treating their employees like shit.
ReplyDeleteLady Constance - thanks for the good news about Fred Meyers, I love that store.
@Dia- gladly, more people need to know what monsters this company has become, I could tell stories for days.
ReplyDeleteI haven't shopped at Walmart since last century (personal boycott). However, I understand their stuff is cheap and there are a lot of people who couldn't afford things otherwise. But the corporate greed in trying to impinge on a national holiday and not giving their employees the time off is stunning. I'm going to buy local again this year.
ReplyDeleteOh also I have to say, since I was brought up Jewish, I've always thought Christmas fever was bizarre, and it's just gotten worse and worse. I happen to love the spirit of Christmas, the spiritual aspect of peace, joy and love, but I don't see many practice it! Hanukah used to be a holiday with no presents, none expected except maybe a small one the last night, but it's gotten nuts too, with parents giving expensive presents all 8 nights.
ReplyDelete@ButterKwup- I've been saying for YEARS we(our family) need to stop with the gifts! Really, unless there are kids in the family I think it's unnecessary. We buy stuff all year, as needed, so the extra $ should go the less fortunate.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone really need the five dollar discount? I'd rather pay more because being shot/stabbed is a possibility also.
ReplyDeleteMy poor neice works for Target and has to work on TG night as they open at 9 pm!
ReplyDeleteI am hoping shoppers boycott this ridiculous trend and stay home.
The one-stop shopping concept started with urban department stores, then went suburban decades later with the mall phenomenon, then went into rural with the big box stores. It's definitely not Walmart-specific (there have been best-sellers written about how the family took the idea to the poor when other companies considered it but didn't think there'd be a market). But Walmart is not only disgusting when it comes to how it treats its employees (and shifts its cost of providing health care to state and federal taxpayers while putting competitors out of business) but what's even worse is that of course other companies are looking at the Walmart business approach and moving toward that model rather than away from it to stay competitive.
ReplyDeleteGives the thumbs up to Devon Barnett
ReplyDeleteFred Meyers is a lot better than Wallyworld to their employees.
ReplyDeleteI have worked Thanksgiving many times, the day after, Christmas Eve, it's all part if retail and hospitality..
Except that now at least a get dbl pay !
Well, anyway, all of this makes me very happy to realize all my xmas shopping for 5 grandchildren is done!! Most online on free shipping days!!:)
ReplyDelete@ Devon: no doubt there are those who whine about everything. I can understand frustration in those people.
ReplyDeleteBut to suggest that someone should quit a job, even if the reason is good, isn't fair, IMO. While the economy is slowing coming back, few can afford to be cavalier about giving up stable employment, no matter how sucky.
People have families, bills, and everyday expenses. Many of those folk are not living beyond their means. They're doing the best they can and the job some criticize is what's keeping them from being on public assistance.
Instead of pointing a finger, we should find ways to help. And boycotting stores, while nice, isn't going to change corporate attitudes in this regard, IMO.
And there have always been those that expect to be catered to. I don't think that's a generational thing. Maybe it's becoming more noticeable, but holier-than-thou attitudes are par for the course, regardless of age.
It's easy to judge, but harder to understand. But I try to see the other side. That's all.
I've worked retail for 30 years and in the past few years finally made it to the point I am not in the stores on black friday and there is NOTHING short of free money that would get me out shopping either on Thursday OR Friday.
ReplyDeleteIf I had kids to shop for maybe but at my age there are just no "things" that are worth the hassle.
We just had a Black Friday meeting at work a little while ago. We are actually going to start out sales on the Wednesday before (not announced to the public) to make sure everything is ringing correctly, etc so the Friday after goes smoothly.
And just to comment on the economy--our stores are gift stores--we don't sell anything anybody really NEEDS....and this weekend was a record breaker for us. WAY over the same day last year. Hope that's a sign of a good Nov/Dec.
I refuse to shop or go to the movies on Thanksgiving. Can't we have one day off in this country? The black Friday sales are annoying--I just shop online.
ReplyDeleteLayna- no one is suggesting that people that work at Walmart should go without a job. In this day and age, people are actually able to look for other work while keeping a job. The economy is not recovering, we are on the edge of another recession. But good employees who aren't picky will find jobs. I worked at a retail chain that was especially busy at holiday time and it sucked working holidays. But instead of whining or quitting, I started putting in applications to other places where I could get holidays off. Retail is a stepping stone to something better.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, sometimes shitty hours on holidays are the trade off to having no job responsibility or having flexible hours for parents or young people with social lives. Not only that, but in this day and age families are less and less likely to actually celebrate on the day if it includes a lot of travel. Celebrating on the 27th feels the same as celebrating on the 25th.
Don't shop at these places. Seriously, Walmart has 4 or 5 Waltons who are worth well over $20Billion apiece just for being born to the right parents. These people got rich selling Chinese garbage to people on welfare, using employees who are getting the minimum compensation/benefits required by law (and therefore also on welfare).
ReplyDeleteI don't know the areas you all live in but I have been in retail over the last 10 years and in my area if the store would normally be open (grocery stores, department stores, gas stations, etc) on a Thursday or a Friday then you don't get Holiday pay. My store is only closed on Christmas. No other day is considered a Holiday by them. No Holiday pay is ever paid out.
ReplyDeletei agree with everyone. vote with your dollar.
ReplyDeletealso, for as "cheap" people think walmart is....... if you learn how to coupon, you can buy nice stuff for less, sometimes getting products free.
T. E. Cuz said...
ReplyDeleteObamacare will limit full time hourse to 30hrs??????????
Where do you get your ridiculous information? You do realize it is still up to Walmart how it schedules its employees, right?
Move to Brazil if you think we're too good to our workers in the USA.
ButterKwup: you clearly have strong opinions, and I agree with some of what you're saying. But what we disagree with is likely to cause an argument, and frankly, it's not worth doing that over a post on a gossip site.
ReplyDeleteI wish you saw my side of things a bit more, but you don't. That's your right. I would suggest not being so 'above it all' in your analysis of those who still have retail jobs like you did. Everyone's story is unique.
And everything is a stepping stone to something better, I think.
Hey Layna! I wrote a long post to support you and it went into the ether.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say that most whiners are not whining bc they are lazy cracked out welfare moms. They are people like you and me who have fallen on hard times. Life happens. People get laid off or get sick or have babies or have bad luck or live through a natural disaster or have a death in family or have a husband walk out. Bad things happen all the time and given how hard it is out there for a lot of folks I think we should all have a little more compassion for our fellow Americans.
Holiday time used to mean something. It was about family and friends and community. Not commercialism and $$$.
And being grateful to have a shitty soul sucking job is not living. It's a slow painful death. No one should have to endure a bad work environment just to put food on the table. Why do you think so many Americans are sick? Somewhere along the way this became the norm bc companies got rich and the workers were desperate for work. Something is broken here.
Sorry that sounded like a rant against Layna. Not so. wanted to agree with her and add my two cents!
ReplyDeleteThis is an area I feel very strongly about bc my partner was laid off twice for a total of 18 months. We couldn't sell our house and used up all our savings to avoid foreclosure.
Bad things happen to good people. And until you've been at the bottom of the shit pile it's really ease to judge the "whiners".
I work every holiday (the only employee at my business who does) so it's no big deal to me. I guess I understand this may not be typical though. I don't get the whole black Friday thing. I usually do most of my shopping online because I don't want to have deal with all the other shoppers.
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ReplyDeleteI have boycotted this tragic white trash emporium since 2002, when I had a dispute trying to return an item, and actually told them to call the police if they wanted me out of their store. I got my refund, but declared never to shop there again, and I havent. I wonder how many people will get trampled/ shot/ maced/ hurt this year at Walmart?
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty sad slap at Wal-Mart, alleged Enemy of the People (who shop there anyway because other places are too expensive).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wouldn't be too quick to deride Wal-Mart as a "white trash" emporium. You may be shopping there sometime soon yourself. And calling people white trash is, well, very white trashy.
Wal-mart won't bring in all their employees, obviously, and those that do work Thanksgiving will get overtime and holiday pay. How awful.
What does worry me is that there will be people who hurt each other trying to get into the store for the sale, like last year. Maybe opening the store for a while on Thanksgiving evening will take the pressure off the crowding the next day.
Lets be honest: walmart is trashy. There are other places to shop, no one "has" to shop there as only cheap place. There is target, aldi's, pricerite, coupons, sales, 2nd hand stores, bazaars- been to all, done well some times. Also dollar stores are great!!! Esp for cleaning products, paper goods, pet good, soda, if y need that for holiday or company. So dont get on high horse; people who boycott walmarts arent being snobby, just doing a little something to hv effect on walmarts unfair practices. There ARE other options!
ReplyDeleteI stopped shopping on Black Friday probably 1987 or 1988. I no longer have the patience or stamina to deal with the crowds. And I'm spending Thanksgiving at Disneyland so I don't have to cook.
ReplyDeleteI just hope they're paying their employees time-and-a-half. When I worked retail, I always liked working holidays because the paychecks were great.
ReplyDeleteRight on auntliddy! I <3 you and your birth control knowing cat!
ReplyDeleteMooshki - I don't know if Wally World pays Holiday Pay. Something tells me they probably don't. Maybe Kewi can chime in on this one. I worked retail forever during college. Never again. I am scarred forever. I still fold my shirts in that perfect way at home. Damaged I tell you. Still straighten up in stores too (when I can bring myself to go in)...
Once again I am saddened but not surprised to read about your crappy labour laws.
ReplyDeleteWhen an employer here wants to open on a public holiday they must pay the relevant penalty rates to those employees who are being made to work. Double time minimum.
All other employees get a full days pay and a day off.
Astrogirl, that is exactly the way it used to be in the USA.Once the corporations were allowed to go Global without penalty, gone. Along with a lot of jobs and a lot more to go. Sad.
DeleteAustralia sounds very civilizied Astro. We could learn a lot from your country...
ReplyDeleteFor a lot of people, a holiday in the USA means no pay at all. Just a day off. If you're not salaried or full-time, you probably don't get paid.
I love shopping at dollar stores. Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, it's all good to me. Not a huge fan of Fred's, only because I don't like their stores' layout. I like K-Mart, but for as big as the stores are, they don't seem to offer a lot. But I usually make at least one trip to my closest K store during the holidays. I enjoy thrift stores, too. I look at any store that has good prices.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, there are other options. But WM is usually the 'best' among the cheaper stores for if no other reason, they probably have a strong clothing section if you're looking for new threads.
Again, not to hurt anyones feeljngs but their clothes are generally poorly made by peoplw not getting paid alot
DeleteI don't blame retailers for being open 24/7, I blame us consumers. I remember not too many years ago there was NO Sunday shopping. Only gas stations & corner stores were open. You were forced to pic up neccessities on Saturdays. But because we all want to shuffle around shopping malls like cattle & purchase bullshit items instead of spend quality time with families or friends, we have this monster we have created where we are all expected to do something 'productive' every fucking day of the week. It's no wonder depression & anxiety is reportedly exploding in the workplace (seriously costing canadian business & gov't alone some 3billion ea year in lost productivity & worker attendance)
ReplyDeleteBy boycotting Sunday/holiday shopping you are not just supporting retail workers, but also reminding yourself & your loved ones we are *worthy* of a day of relaxation and not just some drone that keeps the $$ machine going.
I personally am taking back my life. No fucking handbag is worth it.
True, the clothing isn't great. But it's fairly cheap. If someone is looking for new clothes, Wal-Mart and K-Mart are the way to go. Most of the dollar stores in my area carry only a few garments. Of course, this will vary based on geography.
ReplyDeleteoh fuck, you all act like Mom and Pop shops NEVER treat their workers like shit, make them work holidays or leave them without pay when they go bankrupt! Nope that never happens!
ReplyDeleteIf i stopped shopping at every place that had issues with their employees, I'd be churning my own butter instead of playing internet.
FYI- calling Walmart trashy and talking down your nose about their clothing is TACKY AS FUCK. Get your head out of your uptight asses and realize that's all some people can afford!
Someone was asking about Fred Meyer - I live in a suburb of west Portland, and our local Fred Meyer is staffed by quite a few of our neighbors, all of whom say it really is a great place to work. They have good benefits, manageable hours and shifts, nice bosses, etc. There was a fear when the company was bought by Kroger that it would no longer be our familiar (NW owned) Fred Meyer, but according to my friends, not much has changed. Most of the stores, in fact, had zero turnover during the transition, which is unusual in the takeover game.
ReplyDeleteAnd for those who have zero idea what I'm talking about :b, Fred Meyer is a Pacific NW-only store that stocks groceries, clothing, household goods, etc. The only resemblance to Wal-Mart is that they're both "super, one-stop shopping" stores. Freddy's quality is much higher and honestly, the prices are comparable to Wal-Mart (even better with their sale prices). The stores are clean, the staff is nice, and I really, really like not having to drive to different stores to get what I need.
I don't shop at Wal-Mart on principle, and the working on Thanksgiving thing just makes me more sure that I'm right.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, a friend and I would grab some booze and go to the mall when they opened on Black Friday, which was maybe 12:30 am. We wandered around all night, gawking at the shoppers taking it way too seriously. Ahh, good times!
ReplyDelete