Employees Forced to Work on Thanksgiving Day or Face Being Fired

[Rakehellion]

Thanksgiving is just another day. Don't like it? Quit your job.

Do you expect to get your birthday off and all of Hanukkah too?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

yay lets kill more indians! and be thankful they did not scalp us!

Holidays and traditions are what you make them. It's just sad that so many don't have any.

 

[Blanky]

Proper thread title: people fired for not showing up at work during assigned shift.

6am on tg day is retarded but people will do it. Black Friday hardly seems a real day anymore with many retailers opening in Thursday. Thanksgiving for many will be money fueled stupidity.

 

[Spungo]

Kmart is opening at a shocking 6am on Thanksgiving morning.

You can see the growing desperation in the retail sector. A mixture of economic stagnation and a growing culture of thrift (due to economic stagnation) seems to be killing sales. Black Friday somehow turned into Black Week. Boxing Day is now Boxing Week. Places put up Christmas decorations before the Halloween decorations have been taken down.

Maybe retailers don't understand this, but being open more days doesn't mean more sales. Do you think I'll buy more Christmas gifts simply because the store was open until 10pm instead of 9pm, or it was open at 6am on a holiday? They're doing this because they're running out of ideas. They've tried cutting prices, offering store credit cards, price matching, don't pay for a year, and none of it worked. Sales are still not improving. The only thing left to try is being open at weird times like holidays or 3am on a weekday.

 

[MovingTarget]

If you work an unskilled job, you ARE replacable. Period.

Hell, eve if you work a skilled job, you're replacable.

Companies don't exist to employ you and provide you with a living. Companies exist to make money. They need people to help them with that, but they do not need YOU specifically. Anyone with the skills and willingness will work.

Employment is a two-way contract.

I know that in the current environment, especially in "At Will" states like mine, that we are replaceable. Corporations are a legal construct, and as such they exist for whatever purpose we deem them to exist. You are a bit naive to think that this "two-way street" is in any way equitable between employer and employee in this economy. The majority of power currently resides overwhelmingly in the hands of the employer, not the (potential) employee. There are two remedies for this: legislation and collective bargaining. If employers do not shape up and treat their employees as people, then those methods will be used against them.

 

[Exterous]

Citation needed.

See? I can do it, too.

I see you are a bit slow so I will try to break things down into tiny bits so you can understand them:
You made a wide sweeping claim that 'Most people who work at retailers love working holidays.'

Now if you are going to claim that most of the ~4.5 million retail workers in the US like working holidays you really should have a citation to back up your claim. Sure there are no forum rules that require it but without one there is a reasonable chance you'll get called on it. Thats fine too unless you decide to get all whiny when someone calls you out for making seemingly idiotic sweeping generalizations

My statement was not even remotely close to speaking for 2.25+ million workers let alone a large group of individuals outside of my sample group and specifically stated it was my personal experience so 'citation needed' has no where near the same relevance to my statement as it did to yours. Furthermore you made the original claim so the generally accepted universal convention is that you need to prove your claim.

So congrats on having the intellectual abilities of a parrot as you were able to repeat something you saw\heard but failed to grasp the meaning behind it.

Nearly everyone I know who works retail likes working the holidays because of the extra pay.

We aren't talking about everyone you know. We are talking about your statement of 'Most people who work at retailers love working holidays.' Do you know 2.25 million retail workers? If not then this last statement of your has no bearing on the conversation at hand unless your claim is that the people you know constitute an sample size adequate enough for you to speak for 2.25+ million retail workers.

 

[OverVolt]

I don't shop on thanksgiving out of principle.

I feel like many B&M retail stores days are numbered anyway. You know... doing this to your employees will all but guarantee they and nobody they are close friends with will EVER shop there if you treat your employees like crap.

I'm cool with people working thanksgiving if they want to, but nobody should be forced to do it for the kind of money those places pay anyway. Its not like a hospital or the police or something where they serve an important need 24/7, its a freaking retail store.

 

[Exterous]

A mixture of economic stagnation and a growing culture of thrift (due to economic stagnation) seems to be killing sales.

:hmm:

Sales reasonably strong, with the National Retail Federation (NRF) reporting November sales up 3.9% against last year

According to the U.S Census Bureau sales report the most robust year-over-year gains were seen in big ticket sellers like electronics and appliance stores (+8% over last year), and furniture and home furnishing stores (9.4% over last year).

http://www.forbes.com/sites/paularosenblum/2013/12/13/retail-holiday-2013-sales-the-final-lap/

That said I do agree that the traditional shopping 'deal' days are being diluted. I wonder if this will turn out to be a multi-year\decade cyclical trend . Slowly spread out so much that big days like 'Black Friday' and being open on Thanksgiving will dissapear, replaced by more traditional weekly or daily sales on small groups of items. Then it slowly re-congeals into a couple of big sale days again far down the line

 

[soccerballtux]

I don't understand why they are so insistent on having time off. Honestly if you're not willing to work then you shouldn't eat. I don't see what's wrong here. They should be thankful to have a job. The company is giving them one

 

[Franz316]

You can see the growing desperation in the retail sector. A mixture of economic stagnation and a growing culture of thrift (due to economic stagnation) seems to be killing sales. Black Friday somehow turned into Black Week. Boxing Day is now Boxing Week. Places put up Christmas decorations before the Halloween decorations have been taken down.

Maybe retailers don't understand this, but being open more days doesn't mean more sales. Do you think I'll buy more Christmas gifts simply because the store was open until 10pm instead of 9pm, or it was open at 6am on a holiday? They're doing this because they're running out of ideas. They've tried cutting prices, offering store credit cards, price matching, don't pay for a year, and none of it worked. Sales are still not improving. The only thing left to try is being open at weird times like holidays or 3am on a weekday.

Bingo. All these moves by retailers reek of desperation.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Big fucking deal. Doctors, nurses, cops, firefighters, and a myriad of other folks have to work the holidays too. Don't like it? Find something with holidays off.

...but they get paid a whole lot more than the lowly retail people and their jobs constitute "emergency service" work. A heart attack can't be delayed on Thanksgiving, but purchasing a TV can be delayed.

 

[OverVolt]

I don't understand why they are so insistent on having time off. Honestly if you're not willing to work then you shouldn't eat. I don't see what's wrong here. They should be thankful to have a job. The company is giving them one

Yea okay you go chase down those 10 on sale TV's that are already sold out.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

I don't understand why they are so insistent on having time off. Honestly if you're not willing to work then you shouldn't eat. I don't see what's wrong here. They should be thankful to have a job. The company is giving them one

Yea, fuck family time! So many internet billy-badasses here. There's a difference between being forced to work on a holiday and volunteering. I do IT support for a company that is open on Thanksgiving and it's expected that I'm here for it, however I do get greatly compensated for it.
Going forward, I doubt I would take a job that required me to be away from my family on holidays. Sorry, family time > any fucking job.

 

[dawheat]

Honestly the only thing that makes me sad is that we Americans are happily destroying what few traditions we have. Occasions that bring extended families together in a very-American experience - I like them and want them to stay part of our national fabric

Many countries with far longer histories than ours work to keep national holidays reasonably national - you'll always have essential jobs, emergency workers, etc. But otherwise it's a shared experience.

Let's at least try to keep July 4th somewhat free for most Americans.

 

[WelshBloke]

Maybe retailers don't understand this, but being open more days doesn't mean more sales. Do you think I'll buy more Christmas gifts simply because the store was open until 10pm instead of 9pm, or it was open at 6am on a holiday?

I don't think it's that you'll buy more gifts, it's that you'll buy more gifts from them. Rather than from the shop that's closed next door or Amazon because the B&M store were all closed.

You're right that they are desperate and that's why they want to be able to capture any available sale.

 

[drebo]

I know that in the current environment, especially in "At Will" states like mine, that we are replaceable. Corporations are a legal construct, and as such they exist for whatever purpose we deem them to exist. You are a bit naive to think that this "two-way street" is in any way equitable between employer and employee in this economy. The majority of power currently resides overwhelmingly in the hands of the employer, not the (potential) employee. There are two remedies for this: legislation and collective bargaining. If employers do not shape up and treat their employees as people, then those methods will be used against them.

You don't understand what "two-way street" means. It means that both an employer and an employee must agree to work together. If you don't like the terms of your employment, you are not bound (unless by contract, in which case you knew what you were getting) to continue working there.

Clearly there isn't as much of a problem as the media continually paints, as people still work for these companies and people still take seasonal temp jobs with them and people still agree to work knowing full well that "retail" means that you work to serve others.

Again, if you don't like it, you ARE free to seek other employment. In that sense, the employee has the power. If you are valuable to a company, they will try to retain you. If you are not valuable to a company, then you will be replaced if you leave.

And, no, not every employee is valuable enough to a company to try to retain.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Americans should get their collective heads out of their collective asses and stop shopping on these days. It's been years since I've bought something on black friday. I sure won't be shopping on Thanksgiving. eff that.

 

[z1ggy]

It's capitalism at it's finest. Profits and increasing shareholder earnings above all else. What else could be expected???

 

[DCal430]

In Bangladesh there are news stories of workers being found chained to factory machines, forced into labor against their wills. I suspect some on this forum and on the right would have no problem with this.

 

[michal1980]

It's capitalism at it's finest. Profits and increasing shareholder earnings above all else. What else could be expected???

your blaming the wrong groups.

You know what would keep stores closed on thanksgiving? Shoppers. If no one, or very few showed up to shop on Thursday, stores wouldnt open.

However consumers have spoken, they want to shop on thursday. So the stores just open to meet that demand.

 

[DCal430]

your blaming the wrong groups.

You know what would keep stores closed on thanksgiving? Shoppers. If no one, or very few showed up to shop on Thursday, stores wouldnt open.

However consumers have spoken, they want to shop on thursday. So the stores just open to meet that demand.

Consumers are ignorant that workers are being forced to work against their will. Retailers keep them ignorant.

 

[Blanky]

In Bangladesh there are news stories of workers being found chained to factory machines, forced into labor against their wills. I suspect some on this forum and on the right would have no problem with this.

Considering you advocate murder of a person acquitted by a grand jury, I think I speak for many here when I say your moral compass is nonexistent and thus your opinion on such matters is of no merit at all, regardless of your position.

 

[QuantumPion]

Maybe retailers don't understand this, but being open more days doesn't mean more sales. Do you think I'll buy more Christmas gifts simply because the store was open until 10pm instead of 9pm, or it was open at 6am on a holiday? They're doing this because they're running out of ideas.

Maybe you don't understand this, but retailers having to compete with other retailers for your purchases. If one store opens early, and another does not, they will lose sales. It's sort of an arms race. In the end, the consumer wins with more choices and more sales.

 

[DCal430]

Considering you advocate murder of a person acquitted by a grand jury, I think I speak for many here when I say your moral compass is nonexistent and thus your opinion on such matters is of no merit at all, regardless of your position.

Grand juries do not acquit people.

 

[tnt118]

Meh, holidays are just another day. I have worked every holiday in both the Navy and my current job though now I get paid overtime plus an eight hour holiday pay for working on a holiday.

Big fucking deal. Doctors, nurses, cops, firefighters, and a myriad of other folks have to work the holidays too. Don't like it? Find something with holidays off.

This, a million times this... there are a LOT of people who work holidays, even outside of emergency services. I rarely have a holiday off and I know going in that is part of the job. I really don't have any sympathy here, not sure why these jobs should be treated as any different.