I have worked in retail since I was 17, and have consequently had plenty of experience working on Black Friday. At first, working on Black Friday gave me a rush; it was mind-blowing to see people lined up in front of the store just for the chance to get a new television.
I didn’t mind coming in at midnight to start my shift since usually the store managers kept everyone organized and in high spirits. It was fun and energetic, but as years went by my shifts started getting earlier and earlier. Soon I was scheduled to work on 5:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
In recent years, the consumerism of Black Friday has almost overshadowed Thanksgiving and the gratefulness and appreciation it’s supposed to represent. We act thankful for what we have on Thursday and then go shopping for whatever we don’t have on Friday (or Thursday night).
According to the National Retail Federation, “an estimated 135.8 million Americans definitely plan to shop over the Thanksgiving weekend.” Millions of those consumers will be heading out on Thanksgiving night to start their shopping.
Thanksgiving has evolved from a holiday focused on spending time with friends and family to a retail competition of who can make the most money. At first, only big retailers like Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Kohl’s were open on Thanksgiving night, but now there are even more stores with earlier opening times. Kmart stores are open at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. This means there will be thousands of Kmart employees completely missing their Thanksgiving.
“I kind of enjoyed the fast-paced challenge of it all,” said Elizabeth Galanti, a fourth-year who worked on Black Friday at South Moon Under. “But not everyone has the opportunity to not work over the holidays. That’s heartbreaking. Black Friday spilling into Thanksgiving almost makes me sick knowing so many retail employees have to sacrifice their time with their loved ones.”
The people who make up the workforce have parents, friends and children who they could be celebrating with. According to CNBC, “more than 70 percent of college students have worked while attending school.” Many of these retail workers are college students who should be using their Thanksgiving break to spend time with family — not coworkers.
The year I had to work on Thanksgiving evening, I had to celebrate the holiday on Wednesday in order to have the maximum amount of time with my family. I was able to still spend quality time with my family, but I felt like my holiday was taken away from me. I was missing out because I had to work.
That night at work, I had multiple customers give their condolences to me since I was working so late. I smiled and told them that it was alright, but I took their apology in one ear and out the other. I kept my real thoughts to myself and wished I could say that if they felt so bad for me then they shouldn’t be shopping right now.
If consumers did not have this extreme shopping mentality during Black Friday, retail employees would not have to miss their holiday. Black Friday can be an excellent opportunity to start your holiday shopping or simply get a good deal on a product you’ve been eyeing, but if you go Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving night, know that you are the reason why someone is missing this holiday with their friends and family. It is because of the increasing demand of the consumer that retailers open earlier and earlier.
If consumers would stop participating in Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving, retailers would not force their employees to miss this time with their friends and family.
So please don’t go into a store on Thanksgiving and apologize to the retail employee for having to work. By showing up to a store at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, you’re telling every retail employee there, especially your fellow students, that their holiday is not worth as much as you getting an iPhone on sale.
We have to look at ourselves as a society instead of blaming the retailers — they’re only giving us what we demand.
