Walmart ups the ante by staying open for Thanksgiving

[TravelingGal]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40313456/ns/business-consumer_news/



C'mon walmart...opening to make a few extra bucks and making employees work on a holiday that is about family and spending time, without the usual commercial trappings of Christmas? There is no reason for RETAIL to be open on Thanksgiving.

I hope people stay home with their families...we don't need anymore stupid stampedes at Walmart....

 

[slg47]

I think it's silly but a lot of people will eat their Thanksgiving dinner and then go shop while the guys are watching football. I read a Black Friday article on CNN or yahoo and one woman said she was doing her Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday so that she could spend all day Thursday scoping out Black Friday scoops and making a plan??? Now that's crazy.

Also doesn't Walmart have groceries? A lot of grocery stores are open at least for a few hours on Thanksgiving because people inevitably forget something.

 

[atroop711]

Toys R Us are opening Thanksgiving night at 10pm. I'll be there. Better at 10pm than at 4am

 

[TravelingGal]

I think it's silly but a lot of people will eat their Thanksgiving dinner and then go shop while the guys are watching football. I read a Black Friday article on CNN or yahoo and one woman said she was doing her Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday so that she could spend all day Thursday scoping out Black Friday scoops and making a plan??? Now that's crazy.

Also doesn't Walmart have groceries? A lot of grocery stores are open at least for a few hours on Thanksgiving because people inevitably forget something.

Not all walmarts, I think. And I don't reckon they are staying open to sell some butter.

(but then I admit I am not a fan of walmart, although I understand in some parts of the country, that's the only big box store around.)

 

[TravelingGal]

Toys R Us are opening Thanksgiving night at 10pm. I'll be there. Better at 10pm than at 4am

Amazon.com is my friend.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I think due mostly to the economy, the stores that do sell the you-know-what out of holidays are making adjustments to suck in an even bigger crowd. It's mostly to compete with each other. For instance, if you could buy the same TV at Walmart that you could at Best Buy, even for the same price, and it's a "door buster"...chances are you'd go out at 10pm as opposed to 4am, thinking that the crowds will be slimmer increasing your chances of getting the TV. When every store opens at 4am, it may not matter so much where you buy. It's actually brilliant marketing from a business stand point...not so much from a life/work balance stand point....but, lets be honest, Wal-Mart isn't exactly known for loving on it's employees.

I've been nearly done with Christmas shopping for a few weeks now, but I still shop on the weekends for the day to day things you can't live without...I've noticed that stores like Target are HUGELY busy right now. And, most of the crowd seems to be congregating in the toy/electronic/Christmas area. People are doing this stuff earlier and earlier. Stores like Toys-R-Us are having weekly door busters...putting one brand of toy on sale now that may not be on sale (or as drastically on sale) on black Friday.

It's all a matter of dollar and cents...eventually we'll be having pre Halloween black Friday sales.

 

[gemgirl]

All companies are struggling to make their sales figures, so I guess it's no real surprise. That doesn't mean that I agree at all! I think it's awful for any store or business to be open on a holiday. You know what this is going to do though? It's going to pull families away from gatherings and away from their dinner tables. Those in search of that flat screen TV or camera or lap top that's available at a special price and in limited quantities are going to be standing in line for the stores to open at ungodly hours. All of these changes made in the quest to make the almighty dollar will slowly but surely chip away at family time and cherished customs and traditions.

I remember fondly the days when nothing was open on Sunday..... That was actually very nice. Everyone had the day off except for the people working at gas stations, 7-11s, doctors, nurses etc.

 

[fieryred33143]

Hmm. I'm wondering how much of a profit they are truly anticipating for Thanksgiving and I'll be curious to see if they meet that goal. You have to pay for labor, time and a half (assuming, since it's a holiday), overhead, etc. They must be expecting a large crowd.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I've noticed that stores like Target are HUGELY busy right now. And, most of the crowd seems to be congregating in the toy/electronic/Christmas area. People are doing this stuff earlier and earlier. Stores like Toys-R-Us are having weekly door busters...putting one brand of toy on sale now that may not be on sale (or as drastically on sale) on black Friday.

Target has a coupon now for $25 gift card if an iPod is purchased within the next few days. It may be Sun - Wed. Another store (local - Fred Meyer) has $ off depending upon amount spent for electronic items, which also expires on Wed.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I think it's silly but a lot of people will eat their Thanksgiving dinner and then go shop while the guys are watching football. I read a Black Friday article on CNN or yahoo and one woman said she was doing her Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday so that she could spend all day Thursday scoping out Black Friday scoops and making a plan??? Now that's crazy.

Also doesn't Walmart have groceries? A lot of grocery stores are open at least for a few hours on Thanksgiving because people inevitably forget something.

It's an excuse to escape crazy relatives.

 

[IdLikeToBuyAVal]

I try not to purchase ANYTHING on a holiday whether it's gas, groceries, etc. I've worked retail (as most of us have at some point!) and I certainly did NOT want to be at work on a holiday like Thanksgiving. I wanted to be home with my family! It probably makes absolutely no difference but I feel better knowing I didn't contribute financially to a store that wants to make a buck by forcing employees to work on a holiday. I also really like that Hobby Lobby is closed on Sundays. It's old fashioned and is sometimes a little inconvenient but going on a Monday to get knitting needles has never hurt me at all but I'm betting their employees really appreciate that day off.

 

[TravelingGal]

I try not to purchase ANYTHING on a holiday whether it's gas, groceries, etc. I've worked retail (as most of us have at some point!) and I certainly did NOT want to be at work on a holiday like Thanksgiving. I wanted to be home with my family! It probably makes absolutely no difference but I feel better knowing I didn't contribute financially to a store that wants to make a buck by forcing employees to work on a holiday. I also really like that Hobby Lobby is closed on Sundays. It's old fashioned and is sometimes a little inconvenient but going on a Monday to get knitting needles has never hurt me at all but I'm betting their employees really appreciate that day off.

Chick-fil-A is also closed on Sundays and I LOVE me some Chick-fil-A! And since Sunday is a busy mall day, they must actually lose a bit of money by not being open. But on wikipedia, it says:

The chain is famous for being closed on Sundays. In an interview with ABC News's Nightline, Dan Cathy (son of company owner S. Truett Cathy) told Vicki Mabrey the origin of that company decision. His father, Truett Cathy, the founder of Chik-fil-A, opened his first restaurant on a Tuesday and "by the time Sunday came, he was just worn out. And Sunday was not a big trading day, anyway, at the time. So he was closed that first Sunday and we've been closed ever since. He figured if he didn't like working on Sundays, that other people didn't either." Cathy quoted his father Truett as saying " 'I don't want to ask people to do that what I am not willing to do myself.'"[3]

 

[MonkeyPie]

I worked at Wal-Mart many years ago, and we worked on Thanksgiving for a half day. So I don't think this is all that different.

 

[lyra]

My daughter works at WalMart. We're in Canada, don't know if it makes a difference or not, but they are a very good employer actually. She gets a regular discount, plus larger discounts for Nov.-Dec.. Anyone in the family can use her discount card too. They have profit sharing which in the past was $600-$1000 at the end of the year. They are completely flexible in scheduling. They are one of the few entry level job places that pays more than minimum wage.

When there are holiday openings, everyone bids on those shifts to make more money. Or they choose not to, if they want to stay home with family. Generally the younger people volunteer. They also have overnight shifts Nov-Dec again by volunteer. My daughter always volunteers. She makes double time and a half for those holiday shifts. Not every "holiday" is celebrated by everyone either.

I think in this economy businesses are having to adjust. The strange thing we've found where we live now (in the East) is that we are shocked when stores aren't open on holidays. When we lived in the west 13 years ago, everything was always open. I prefer to shop online wherever possible, but I think that is part of the reason B&M stores are having to up the ante--they have to compete somehow. It's neither here nor there for me. A lot of people are out of work and would gladly take any job. Longer hours mean potentially more employees and more jobs to fill. I don't see it changing anytime in the future.

 

[monarch64]

I have a different take on this. I think that these are times that it's entirely possible that employees are willing to work on Thanksgiving either to pick up extra hours if WM is their full time job, or to pick up extra hours they otherwise wouldn't have if WM was their part time job. Not everyone has family and friends to spend the holidays with, not every WM worker is native to the U.S. and may not even celebrate Thanksgiving, and I'm betting that their are plenty of WM workers out there who might rather be working on the day of Thanksgiving instead of being stuck at home without much to do since so many places are closed. I can think of lots of reasons why this isn't necessarily a bad idea or evil old WalMart take take taking once again.

For the record, I spent many years in retail, I hate shopping, I won't be buying any gifts in brick/mortar stores this season (all online purchases), and I cannot for the life of me understand why people want to get up before sunrise on Black Friday to stand in line for some piece of plastic that will be obsolete in six months anyway.

ETA: Lyra, I completely agree with your post.

 

[gemgirl]

I have a different take on this. I think that these are times that it's entirely possible that employees are willing to work on Thanksgiving either to pick up extra hours if WM is their full time job, or to pick up extra hours they otherwise wouldn't have if WM was their part time job. Not everyone has family and friends to spend the holidays with, not every WM worker is native to the U.S. and may not even celebrate Thanksgiving, and I'm betting that their are plenty of WM workers out there who might rather be working on the day of Thanksgiving instead of being stuck at home without much to do since so many places are closed. I can think of lots of reasons why this isn't necessarily a bad idea or evil old WalMart take take taking once again.

For the record, I spent many years in retail, I hate shopping, I won't be buying any gifts in brick/mortar stores this season (all online purchases), and I cannot for the life of me understand why people want to get up before sunrise on Black Friday to stand in line for some piece of plastic that will be obsolete in six months anyway.

ETA: Lyra, I completely agree with your post.

For more than a decade, the major stores around here have been opening at 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. on Black Friday. Then a few started to open at 4:00. Now we have a few doing midnight madness sales.

You'd need an ejector switch to get me out of bed at 3:00 a.m. in order to be at a store by 4:00. It's totally insane. After cleaning and cooking for a holiday, I want a nice little break.

 

[TooPatient]

I don't think it is bad that they are opeining on Thanksgiving.

I mean, it is sad in the sense that I can see this as one more thing taking away from what had been family time.
BUT

For a few years, I didn't have Thanksgiving -- I sat in my apartment by myself and microwaved leftover pasta and worried about how I was going to pay the bills since I had lost a day of work.

There were Starbucks open on the holidays (but not the one I worked at) and every once in awhile there was a shift that no one in their store wanted (since they had family and stuff to do) and LOTS of us wanted those shifts.

I REALLY could have used that money when I was working there.


So, I guess while it is kind of sad I think it is actually a good thing:
1. there are employees who really NEED that money to live
2. there are employees who don't celebrate (or who would but have no one to celebrate with)
3. think of the additional jobs it could add (even if they are seasonal)

 

[JulieN]

Eh.

Free market. And I don't think it's /that/ bad.

 

[TravelingGal]

I have a different take on this. I think that these are times that it's entirely possible that employees are willing to work on Thanksgiving either to pick up extra hours if WM is their full time job, or to pick up extra hours they otherwise wouldn't have if WM was their part time job. Not everyone has family and friends to spend the holidays with, not every WM worker is native to the U.S. and may not even celebrate Thanksgiving, and I'm betting that their are plenty of WM workers out there who might rather be working on the day of Thanksgiving instead of being stuck at home without much to do since so many places are closed. I can think of lots of reasons why this isn't necessarily a bad idea or evil old WalMart take take taking once again.

For the record, I spent many years in retail, I hate shopping, I won't be buying any gifts in brick/mortar stores this season (all online purchases), and I cannot for the life of me understand why people want to get up before sunrise on Black Friday to stand in line for some piece of plastic that will be obsolete in six months anyway.

ETA: Lyra, I completely agree with your post.

Yeah, I can agree with those reasons in that it might do good for some people. But I hate Walmart. And I just don't think the bottom line is thinking of their employees. However, the bottom line, as JulieN said is free market.

Like I said, I'm biased.

 

[KimberlyH]

I'm not bothered by Walmart any more than Target, very similar business practices but Walmart does much more charitable giving if memory serves.

People don't celebrate holidays as they used to, for all the reasons listed. And for some the money they make is more valuable than a turkey dinner. I used to be bothered by stores being open on holidays, but now realize my desire to celebrate with m family isn't shared by everyone.

 

[TravelingGal]

I'm not bothered by Walmart any more than Target, very similar business practices but Walmart does much more charitable giving if memory serves.

People don't celebrate holidays as they used to, for all the reasons listed. And for some the money they make is more valuable than a turkey dinner. I used to be bothered by stores being open on holidays, but now realize my desire to celebrate with m family isn't shared by everyone.

I think the reason I probably dislike walmart is more insider. Business is business, but you don't have to train your people to be an a$$hole while doing it. You can push for the best deals from vendors without being rude. But supply and demand...not too many massive retailers like walmart out there, so if you want to be in their shore, you have to deal with the egos, and likewise, they don't have to give vendors the time of day who aren't going to give them the best deals for walmart consumers.

 

[monarch64]

I have a different take on this. I think that these are times that it's entirely possible that employees are willing to work on Thanksgiving either to pick up extra hours if WM is their full time job, or to pick up extra hours they otherwise wouldn't have if WM was their part time job. Not everyone has family and friends to spend the holidays with, not every WM worker is native to the U.S. and may not even celebrate Thanksgiving, and I'm betting that their are plenty of WM workers out there who might rather be working on the day of Thanksgiving instead of being stuck at home without much to do since so many places are closed. I can think of lots of reasons why this isn't necessarily a bad idea or evil old WalMart take take taking once again.

For the record, I spent many years in retail, I hate shopping, I won't be buying any gifts in brick/mortar stores this season (all online purchases), and I cannot for the life of me understand why people want to get up before sunrise on Black Friday to stand in line for some piece of plastic that will be obsolete in six months anyway.

ETA: Lyra, I completely agree with your post.

Yeah, I can agree with those reasons in that it might do good for some people. But I hate Walmart. And I just don't think the bottom line is thinking of their employees. However, the bottom line, as JulieN said is free market.

Like I said, I'm biased.

I'm not a lover of WalMart, either, and heck no their bottom line isn't about opening on a holiday to help their employees. I actually thought that WM had been staying open on Thxgiving the past few years? I have a checking account at a bank that is inside WM, (I don't have direct deposit and they stay open 364 days a year and have extended hours so I can make deposits after 6 pm), and that bank has been open in the local WM's for 3-4 years. They close on Christmas Day here and that's it.

When WM came to my hometown, they were the big bad wolf, and did succeed in knocking out a lot of the locally owned businesses. But, people adapted, created businesses for niche markets, and WM brought jobs for people who already lived there and brought people from other areas who turned around and supported local businesses as well. The town has certainly seen its ups and downs, but at this point in time the WM presence isn't viewed as a bad thing.

 

[HollyS]

One more reason not to shop there. That's one long list of reasons.

Too bad they have everything you need in one-stop shopping.

But, I can honestly say, that they NEVER get me in the door between Thanksgiving and January 10. It is a zoo, and I prefer a more Zen approach to my holidays.

 

[April20]

The one in the town where I grew up is open on Thanksgiving. It was last year too. I know because I left my pajamas at home and had to go buy some at the Walmart. It was surprisingly not busy when I was in there.

 

[packrat]

TGal, the Chik-fil-A thing made me laugh-first off b/c that's one of our favorite places to eat when we're in the mall, and second, it made me think of a bit in the movie Mall Cop. "Why would I blow up the Chik-fil-A? It's f*cking delicious"

 

[atroop711]

Toys R Us are opening Thanksgiving night at 10pm. I'll be there. Better at 10pm than at 4am

Amazon.com is my friend.

I do a lot of my shopping online but there are some things I like to see for myself before buying.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Where I live it is our primary grocery store and I believe it is open 24/7 including holidays. But it is such a small town that they really do not have any competition.

So I guess I am not surprised by that article, but I don't think Wal Marts in larger cities have the hours we have here.

 

[lyra]

I have no idea what a Chik-a Fil a is....

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Having been someone who has worked retail for many years and been forced to work on holidays that should be meant for family and friends the best way to fight this if you think it's wrong is not to shop. If they loose money, they won't be open next year! I do not shop on holidays except for the internet.

 

[April20]

I have no idea what a Chik-a Fil a is....

Oh the horror to live in a world without Chick Fil A! They are basically the best chicken biscuit on the planet. Or chicken sandwich. Or sweet tea. Or shakes. Don't forget the waffle fries!!!

All the chicken is hand breaded in the back and fried in peanut oil. It's fresh, it's yummy and it about KILLED me when I lived in Seattle and there was no Chick Fil A. How I love being back in their home territory!