<p>I remember when there were Sunday closing laws. You had to make sure you did all your shopping on Saturday. What a pain. </p>
<p>Again, being a curmudgeon, I prefer doing things when everyone else isn’t doing them as I hate crowds. </p>
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<p>Nobody used that word, so why are you insinuating such?</p>
<p>I personally prefer to shop online because I cannot stand navigating crowds, dealing with the parking hassles, being on my feet for hours (when I already do that 8 hours a day at work) when I can buy most of the same merchandise from my comfy sofa. It’s a preference and has nothing to do with superiority or inferiority.</p>
<p>Not insinuating. Sorry. But, there seems to be a tone in this thread and more interestingly to me in the Costco press release that suggests that their competitors who choose to open are tacky or exploiting their employees or something. I’m surprised people are buying it. It’s nonsense.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s nonsense at all. A local grocery store is open on Thanksgiving. The people there don’t want to work (I have spoken with a couple of cashiers), but they are made to, if they want to keep their job. I don’t think it’s OK at all. I am firmly in the camp that thinks that all non-essential employees are entitled to certain holidays off. No, it’s not OK for a business to just decide their employees get no holidays.</p>
<p>NJSue said it perfectly.</p>
<p>I am going to try not to support establishments that make their employees work major holidays. It’s one thing to have people want to work holidays - it’s another thing to require it.</p>
<p>Well, we’ll just have to a agree to disagree then. One last point though. When you take a seasonal job or work in retail or food service or any other position that requires holiday work this is not a surprise. I’m pretty sure on any Saturday night you can find a couple of cashiers who wish they had the night off. And, choosing not to support the open businesses is fine but since there are long holiday lines for the movies, the buffets, and the malls I doubt it’s going to change much. This has been an increasing trend for a few years now and the demand for Thanksgiving Day shopping is becoming increasingly clear. Like it or not, I don’t anticipate it’ll be going in the other direction anytime soon. </p>
<p>I think it’s a little different when it’s seasonal work, but these are full-time or nearly full-time, long-term employees. By the way, I have been required to work weekends before and there was a potential of working minor holidays (thankfully, didn’t happen), so I get having irregular work hours (I’ve had late nights and even all nighters, etc.). However, I think there should be some, just a few, days that are completely off limits, and it should be up to the employee to take them off, if they want. Just my point of view. Yeah, it’s likely not going to change. I find it unfortunate.</p>
<p>It’s true that this is a trend. Some of us are simply expressing our view that it’s a bad trend. In my view it’s bad because it tends to further break down social cohesion. Sure, it’s a slippery slope argument, because we’ve already gone pretty far, with movie theaters, etc., etc. being open on holidays.</p>
<p>@flossy, I dont know what you are reading, but for you to state that we think we are superior, is beyond the pale. Actually Costco is currying favor with those who matter, its employees! They have a history of paying their employees good wages, and great benefits. So this is no shock. You act as if everyone that works retail is a part time or seasonal employee. Newsflash, most of them are full time. The folks that like to shop will still have an opportunity to get said merchandise the day after thanksgiving. This is a new phenomenon, and no its not fair to the employees, I dont care if they want to just stay at home and see no family. It has traditionally been a day off. When a department store opens, not only is it mandatory for the all workers to be there, but the behind the scenes employees have to work as well( customer service, credit dept etc). If you have worked for ABC dept store for 20 years, and you always had Thanksgiving off, why you should be happy that they now start opening on Thanksgiving? If you are a nurse, emt etc, you enter those professions knowing you have holiday work. If you are the manager of customer service at Macys, it was not expected that you would work on Thanksgiving, at least not until 2011 or 12 when they started these Thanksgiving openings. </p>
<p>Wait, you think Costco is such an unpleasant shopping experience that nobody would go even if they were open? In a world where Wal-mart is open on Thanksgiving? If people go to Wal-Mart, I’m pretty sure some would tolerate Costco. </p>
<p>“Bravo to Costco” is what I read that led me to believe that people were buying into a silly spin on a business decision. Perhaps, I was mistaken. Here’s Macy’s take on the situation…</p>
<p><a href=“Macy's to open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving”>http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/10/14/macys-thanksgiving-store-hours/17244435/</a></p>
<p>People line up at Wal-Mart for door-buster deals. Costco is not comparable to Wal-Mart because you have to be a member to get in and I would bet that most of the folks in line at Wal-Mart are not Costco members. The mall experience which includes Macy’s is a different deal entirely. People there are going to an event. And, no the entire staff doesn’t work and many of the employees are seasonal. Hiring is happening right now, actually. </p>
<p><<newsflash, most="" of="" them="" are="" full="" time.="">></newsflash,></p>
<p>Actually, at Walmart they are likely “year-round” but not necessarily full-time. Why hire one full-time person when you can hire two part-timers and not pay benefits?</p>
<p>Because of ACA, Walmart has been cutting their fulltime employee hours to bring them to just below the level where they need to provide insurance.</p>
<p>I was speaking for dept stores, most of the employees are full time, or permanent part time. Either way, they are not allowed to take off on Thanksgiving which stinks for them and their families.</p>
<p><<because of="" aca,="" walmart="" has="" been="" cutting="" their="" fulltime="" employee="" hours="" to="" bring="" them="" just="" below="" the="" level="" where="" they="" need="" provide="" insurance.="">></because></p>
<p>Walmart was treating their employees this way long before ACA. (I’m tired of people blaming the ACA for everything. Healthcare costs have been spiraling upward for years and now businesses are happy have something to point the finger at when they increase employees costs for medical coverage.)</p>
<p>Macy’s is currently in the process of hiring.nearly 90,000 holiday employees. That’s up from last year. And most of the regular sales floor staff is definitely not full-time, by far. There are very, very few full-time employees in any national retail stores anymore. Benefits are a factor. But so is scheduling and the needs and desires of the applicants.</p>
<p>I think stores should be closed on Thanksgiving on principle, in the same way that Chik-Fil-A is closed on Sundays on principle. Whether Costco made this decision on principle or not, I don’t know, but I wouldn’t assume that they didn’t. Indeed, I think they’d have plenty of business on Thanksgiving, especially if they had special sales like all the others. The ones around here are always mobbed.</p>
<p>Costco also closes on Easter Sunday and Christmas. So Thanksgiving is nothing out of character for them.</p>
<p>I can’t worry about whether or not my actions will have a major, universal impact on others. All I can control is what I do, and for me it’s important to not shop or go to movies or eat out on Thanksgiving. I will support businesses that give their employees the day off for Thanksgiving and express my displeasure to those that don’t, both in writing and by not shopping there at any time during the holidays.</p>
<p>In my experience, most hourly employees have little say in their holiday work schedules and do not have the luxury of taking time off without fear of reprisal whether that’s job loss, loss of promotion/raise opportunities, or whatever.</p>
<p>It seems that the only time I ever have a hankering for a Chik-Fil-A sandwich is on Sunday. Never fails.</p>
<p>That’s because of all their commercials on Saturday college football games.</p>