There's lots of noise being made this year about all the retail stores who are opening on Thanksgiving Day and how they must be evil. There has been no shortage of news stories and social network pages stood up to "honor" or "protect" this day of giving thanks. Examples here and here.
On the outset it seems businesses are degrading the spirit of the holiday. They are "forcing" employees to work on a day when they should be with family. I'm sure, for those employees who are scheduled to work on the holiday, it stinks. I get it, and I wish they didn't have to work. We all want a day off. We all want to enjoy our time away from the J.O.B. After all, the reason why we work is to enjoy time away from work.
For years the American public has shown no mercy to the employees who have to work on Labor Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day weekends, just so the rest of us 'haves' get to enjoy our cookouts, picnics, boating and camping trips, first and last days at the pool, racing events and baseball games. There are myriad other lesser holidays that seem to have no polarizing impact to our moral compass. So what gives? Why now? Why Thanksgiving Day?
How many of the same people clamoring to keep Thanksgiving Day family-sacred, are the same who feel that our capitalistic society and commercial interests should be defended by the Constitution? Business owners deserve to make an honest earning, right? Sure, I guess, unless it's on Thanksgiving Day.
The streets may run red when the first retail store opens on -GASP!- Christmas Day! Okay, they won't run red, but I'd bet plenty of green there will be public outcry. That is until they realize the local stop-n-rob is closed and can't gas up.
It's easy for us for many of us to shake our head at retailers who are sentencing their staff to hard holiday labor. What about the plight of the employee? If they are working that day it's probably because they need that job. They need the paycheck. They are counting on every dollar they can scrape together. Make hay while the sun shines, right? If you don't understand the need to work a holiday, I recommend this quick essay on the matter. Please read here.
I will also offer up the idea that for many, Thanksgiving Day may be the only extra day off they have to get some shopping finalized. The few regular days off are likely spent on tasks around the home, helping with school, kids and myriad duties. What a blessing it will be for them to have other family nearby to occupy the kids so that mom and dad can go get some holiday shopping done.
I don't begrudge anyone who chooses not to shop on Thanksgiving Day. You have every right to relax at home and not get caught up on the shopping madness that will ensue. However, if you are one of those folks who supports any of those boycott petitions, I ask you this:
- Will you gas up the family truckster on your way to Uncle Frank's?
- Are you counting on grabbing a McMuffin that morning?
- Are you going to watch your beloved Dallas Cowboys or Detroit Lions get mashed amidst the witty banter of turducken-laden sportscasters?
- Are you flying anywhere? If so, who's piloting the plane? And who's loading your bags?
- Will you peruse Facebook, send a tweet or check in on FourSquare at Grandma's Rancharosa?
- Will you send a text or make a call?
I hope you aren't relying on my buddy Dennis, an emergency first responder, to come dowse your annual turkey fryer failure. And I really, really hope you don't have to call my friend, Officer Dorothy G., to break up the belligerent scuffle between Cousin Eddy and drunk Uncle Morty. If you do then I guess you will likely meet my friend, Doc Henry at the ER, along with his staff of hospital administrators and nurses. As for many other friends and coworkers here at Sprint, we're gonna work around the clock to ensure you can surf Amazon and use your iPhone to check in on Facebook. Like any of those hard working, retail employees, I wish they all could be home with their family, too. But we chose the professions we chose, and sometimes that means working the days we wish we didn't.
Maybe you will choose to shop on Thanksgiving Day. Maybe not. Regardless, we will all encounter hard working people on Thanksgiving Day. Among so many blessings we can count, we should be thankful for those people who work on our day off. Make sure give them all a heart-felt 'Thank You' so that we may drive, fly, eat, drink, get well, feel safe and, maybe, even shop on that thankful day.
Be well. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
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