2013 Black Friday Openings

[morgana]

In remembrance of my retail brethren, I vow not to shop on turkey day, nor leave the house for Black Friday (save for a possible RPG meet-up) so as to not encourage holiday openings.

Except for the RPG thing, this has been my MO for years. I refuse to patronize the Black Friday sales. I make sure I have enough food, books, soda, etc.; then on the Friday I sleep late, watch the tube, and sew. I have enough crap; I don't need to fight idiots to get more stuff.

Not that my small protest will make any difference to the corporate Borg, but I feel better about myself for not being assimilated.

[Kanalah]

My usual Black Friday is sleeping in, putting something in the crockpot for dinner, and sewing on custom orders.

I don't want to add to the mindless zombie hordes fighting over cheap shit.

[sms001]

putting something in the crockpot for dinner,

WTH!? No leftovers? Best thing about Black Friday.

Also, although I suspect there are other pages with a similar thrust, this FB page has this nice piccy that I'll be putting up as my profile pic after the World Series:

[ZumZum]

I just went back into retail.

Was told about the potential that our mall was going to open at midnight on Black Friday.
Was reassured that my company didn't agree with that.

Found out recently that our mall is opening at 8pm on Thanksgiving, with huge fines for stores that don't open at that time.
Wonder if my company is going to agree with it now.....

[Mike Taylor]

I used to work at Ames, (anybody remember that store?) and we were always open on Thanksgiving. They scheduled everyone, but everyone only had to work a 4 hour shift so they didn't miss too much of the holiday.

Ames? Wow! That IS going back a bit. Were you in the Northeast or part of their expansion into Chicago?



As far as I know, the Big Yellow Price Tag is opening at 12 a.m. on Black Friday, which means we punch in at 11 p.m. Thanksgiving and effectively lose our time with family and friends to the need to sleep. I am hoping I do NOT get scheduled for an opening shift. I've opened for the last two.

[Gilhelmi]

I personally refuse to shop on Black Friday (or Thanksgiving) simply out of protest for the fact that stores are doing that to employees. I am but one man, but if I can convince others to join me perhaps then we stand a chance.

[Mike Taylor]

In exchange for two midnight system launches (XboxOne and PS4), I will not have to work the opening shift on Black Friday.

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

It's been a few years since I've had to work a black friday. Going to have a fun time this year, I get to drive a tow truck at the mall. Made the mistake of telling my buddy that I could help him out. I was originally supposed to just be his helper, but the mall is giving us security guards to ride with us, so I get to drive the flatbed.

It should be an interesting setup, I guess we don't even have to drag the cars off the mall proper, we get the farthest corner of the lot and a square o jersey barriers as a staging area, and we're only to concentrate on fire lanes, abandoned vehicles and people parking in non-spots.

[morgana]

we're only to concentrate on fire lanes, abandoned vehicles and people parking in non-spots.

Wish I could be there with a video camera. Let us know how it goes, yes?

[sms001]

Let us know how it goes, yes?

We could start a pool now - how many "I was only in there for a minute" BearLee hears over the course of the day...

[TheSHAD0W]

And more news... Kmart is starting their Black Friday at 6am on Thursday. Yes, that's Thanksgiving.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...n_4215055.html

[sms001]

From a teaser piece I vaguely overheard on the news, it looks like Shopko is going to very generously allow their staff SEVEN WHOLE HOURS to celebrate Thanksgiving. They'll be open from 6 am to 1 pm and then reopen for 26 hours starting at 8 pm Thanksgiving Day.

ETA relevant x-post:

For those of you who wish to express your displeasure:

http://www.change.org/petitions/all-...share_petition

In a few years it'll be 'Black Thursday' not Thanksgiving, and they'll start eyeballing that midnight Wednesday opening. . . .

[ZumZum]

It's official. We are opening at 8pm on Thanksgiving. I will be working a split shift.
Opening on Thanksgiving till 4 or 5am, then going back in at 4 or 5pm on Black Friday to close.

I must really love my job…..

[Indigo]

If I were at a place that required TG work -- and, in my experience, that means mandatory appearance for everyone below Salary level (they get the day off, paid as a Holiday, of course -- I'd love to see it done the way Indigo's store had it. I'd volunteer for the early-morning shift like 6am-10 or something, as my family never gets around to eating until mid-afternoon, at the latest. It's just hanging around the house doing our best impressions of logs until then

Yea, salary is no excuse at my job - assistants and store manager are salaried and they put in 5 hours on holidays as well. All management has to work 5 hours, all employees have to work 4 hours. Very rarely will an exception be made.

This year since I got promoted I get to work 5am-10am on Thanksgiving, then turn around and be back in midnight til 8 to handle Black Friday morning.

[Geek King]

In brighter news, one of the state senators is putting up a bill saying that if non-essential stores are going to be open on Thanksgiving/Christmas they have to pay 3x the wage for those hours. Its not likely to pass, but nice for someone to at least pay attention.