Halloween is over here in the US and other places that celebrate it. Thanksgiving is 3 weeks away, the time for families to get together under no particular religious persuasion to enjoy each other and give thanks for what they have. Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving which traditionally marks the beginning the Crazy Christmas shopping season. Ok I get it, retailers are trying to get every cent they can in an ever squished economy.
For the last few years the beginning of black Friday has gone from opening at 6am to opening at 4am to opening at midnight and last year some greedy retailers including Macy’s decided 6pm on Thanksgiving day was the time to open… ripping family members away from their day of thanksgiving, their family time, their special meal, to stand in a mall or big box store to grapple with the crazy stampeding shoppers.
This year, well this year some stores have sunk to a new low. Kmart, Kohls, and some others have decided to open at 6am on Thanksgiving morning.
Before the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade even begins. That’s fucked up!
Is there nothing sacred anymore? Are we so greedy and in need of the almighty bargain that we make families miss a day together to serve us in our shopping spree?
Well personally, I’m disgusted. I hate black Friday anyway and I would never in a million years line up to rush a store for an item. It’s supposed to be about family and togetherness. It’s not about consumerism and it’s certainly not about making people work when they should be home with their families.
I applaud stores like Costco, TJ Maxx and Marshalls and others deciding not to open at all on Thanksgiving day. They know how to honour what’s important. They also know that doing so doesn’t hurt their bottom line at all.
There’s a movement to boycott the opening stores, please join it. Please let these retailers know that you stand for families and not greed. There’s plenty of time between black Friday and Christmas to get what you want and maybe a bargain in the process.
Let’s leave the third Thursday in November a time of thanksgiving for families to be together… however dysfunctional it happens to be.
Comments 3
I’m probably more surprised that they weren’t opening on Thanksgiving day. At least, that’s what I would expect in the USA.
May every day, everywhere, be a reminder that funerals are not the place to glorify and appreciate a life when every second presents the chance to do just that.
I’m so with you on this one. I have never shopped on Black Friday- think the whole tradition is repulsive. The fact that it’s creeping into Thanksgiving Day is awful.
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I agree wholeheartedly. I refuse!