The death of Thanksgiving?

[Unkotare]

The Hallmark Card image of the happy family gathered aroun the dinner table, for the most part, never got off the card.

It is a close enough approximation of millions of families across America. Not all, but very many.

 

[koshergrl]

Nobody forces them to work. See, that's the thing.

 

[Foxfyre]

The Hallmark Card image of the happy family gathered aroun the dinner table, for the most part, never got off the card.

It is a close enough approximation of millions of families across America. Not all, but very many.

Yes that is true. And it is the unmistakable image of what millions of Americans think of when they think of Thanksgiving--it is the cultural tradition most of us hold in our hearts even if we don't practice it ourselves.

Which is why I suppose I can emphathise so much with what Nosmo is saying here in this thread. Christmas has become a materialistic, stressful nightmare for many of us instead of the heartwarming celebration of God and family that it once was. And Nosmo hates to see Thanksgiving going down that same road. I understand that.

And I also understand my family members, who get together only once or twice a year in most years, have a ball skipping out on the football games and going shopping on Thanksgiving afternoon or early evening.

 

[Vox]

Nobody forces them to work. See, that's the thing.

yes they do force them to work. I f a retailer is open on a holiday - then the people who work in the store are forced to work that day
retail is not even close to the emergency needs.

 

[Sarah G]

I don't know, we usually go to a movie later in the evening on Thanksgiving. Some there might want to shop later on. We need retail sales especially this year.

I say it's ok.

 

[koshergrl]

Nobody forces them to work. See, that's the thing.

yes they do force them to work. I f a retailer is open on a holiday - then the people who work in the store are forced to work that day
retail is not even close to the emergency needs.

No, they are NOT forced to work. They are perfectly free to quit.

I maintain that you do not know what the word "force" means.

 

[koshergrl]

Forced:
1
: compelled by force or necessity : involuntary <a forced landing>

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Will you shop on Thanksgiviong Day

Heavens no.

 

[MeBelle]

Should Thanksgiving remain a holiday when families gather together to give thanks, share a meal and create their own Thanksgiving memories and traditions?

In response to the thread title:

The death of Thanksgiving?

Arm a turkey with a rifle, with proper supervision of course, make it mandatory allowing Turkeys to put Thanksgiving out of of it's misery.

Save a turkey, Ride a Cowboy!

/sarcasm

 

[BullKurtz]

This is close to a tie with the big box stores who tried dropping "Christmas" from their holiday specials.....dirtbags on parade. The problem of course is stores are corporate entities instead of the old mom & pop operations of yesteryear. They're run by boards who couldn't care less who leaves their family to work on a holiday as long as the registers are ringing. For those who don't have a family or don't like their family....stay home and pull the blinds....you should be ashamed for being in such a fix. We're getting pretty tired of catering to the lowest common-denominator frankly. If you don't celebrate the holidays, just STFU and suffer in silence.

 

[Foxfyre]

Nobody forces them to work. See, that's the thing.

yes they do force them to work. I f a retailer is open on a holiday - then the people who work in the store are forced to work that day
retail is not even close to the emergency needs.

No, they aren't forced in the USA. They CHOOSE to accept a job and either negotiate the terms of what they will agree to do for the employer or they CHOOSE to accept the terms the employer offers them. And if it is a retail operation, they almost almost know that the schedule will include some weekends, holidays, evenings, or whatever.

In the case of at least the local Wal-marts, they ask for volunteers for workers on big holidays like Thanksgiving and offer double pay for those who sign up for the shifts. They almost always get plenty of volunteers. The employees who work Thanksgiving at our local grocery store also get double pay for working those shifts. I don't know how other retailers manage it. At a refinery where our son is a supervisory engineer, the workers who have to be there on Thanskgiving, Christmas etc. take turns on a rotating basis. He isn't required to work any shifts but sometimes takes one just because he is available and somebody needs to be off.

Folks usually work things out. I doubt very many are feeling mistreated because their employer opens on Thanksgiving for awhile.

 

[koshergrl]

Hahaha...as it turns out, most people who work the holidays are generally perfectly happy to work the holidays. I never felt misused or abused when it was my turn.

I generally could plan it out so it worked out just fine for the family....it isn't like we MISSED Christmas because I had to work. We just celebrated it maybe on a different day, or a little earlier than other people....same with Thanksgiving..I've had it on days that weren't actually the holiday to accomodate my, or others', work schedules.

And I really like it that I can run to the store and pick up a can of cranberries if I forgot them...or pick up cokes at the drive through when we're on the way to the beach for a walk or something.

And I always enjoyed spending the holidays at work, too. People are generally pretty mellow and appreciative of people who go ahead and punch in their card on a day that most people have off.

 

[bodecea]

He didn't argue that at all. What I saw him arguing was the concept that an ethical employer would put family ahead of profits for that one day. He wasn't suggesting that it be required or legislated or anything like that. He simply thought honorable people would respect the family traditions of their employees sufficiently to forego whatever profit would be made on those traditional family holidays.

It is just as valid opinion as is your opinion that there is no ethical problem with opening your store on Thanksgiving Day for those who prefer to shop than be traditional.

So the two of you disagree. He and I disagree on that in fact. But that doesn't make any one of us right or wrong so long as we express an opinion and don't presume to force it on somebody else as policy. Nosmo doesn't deserve to be berated or insulted for his opinion any more than you deserve to be berated or insulted for your opinion about whether to open on Thanksgiving.

I didn't say his opinion wasn't valid. I said it was wrong. And yes, an opinion can, in fact, be WRONG.

It is NOT unethical to keep your business open on a holiday. There's absolutely nothing unethical about it, as long as you pay wages for the hours worked.

What is unethical is any requirement that businesses close for state holidays...which is of course the next step, once one determines it's *unethical* to stay open on state holidays.

Actually, unethical would be forcing someone to work on holiday, unless you pay a much higher wage and without force.

Selling goods is not an emergency necessity, and while I was obviously jesting in my previous post, I do see the difference between a hospital and a department store.

And this is relatively new trend - and I do not consider it to be too good of a trend.
Remember the 3d Commandment?

People should have some holidays when they are not forced to work if their job is not in the 24/7 services.
Retail is NOT.

Why are we required to remember the "3d" Commandment?

 

[koshergrl]

Remember the sabbath and keep it holy?

wth?

 

[bodecea]

Remember the sabbath and keep it holy?

wth?

Which sabbath? Thanksgiving is a sabbath?

 

[Unkotare]

Why would some people working signal "the death of Thanksgiving" anyway? Some people have always worked on all holidays.

 

[Unkotare]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZJPYo-YUkA]Black Sabbath - Iron Man - YouTube[/ame]

 

[SteadyMercury]

We're all usually far too drunk to drive anywhere shopping thru most of Thanksgiving Day.

 

[BullKurtz]

These stores are pissing on their own shoes....."Black Friday" through New Years Eve used to be their meal ticket for the whole year....the first day they were finally in black ink (profit) all year. It was a day penny-pinchers lay in wait for....the first day of the holiday DEALS!

This just dilutes that tradition...we are rapidly turning into a nation without traditions....the progs like that....easier to trick folks without a heritage to continue on...easier to manipulate the little mush-heads into believing "it takes a village" to raise a child instead of a dad in the home. Easier to trumpet the teeth-grinding of those who feel left out and want to make anything not statist a mockery. Don't believe for a moment the large corporations are GOP affiliated anymore...they're amoral, self-centered, bottom-line cold fish same as the progs.

 

[syrenn]

More retailers have announced they will open Thanksgiving Day for your shopping pleasure, so to speak. Is this appropriate?

Should Thanksgiving remain a holiday, unique to America, when families gather together to give thanks, share a meal and create their own Thanksgiving memories and traditions? Or should Thanksgiving be a day when Mom or Dad has to excuse himself and go to work because bargains are offered to shoppers readying themselves for a holiday happening four weeks hence?

Will you shop on Thanksgiving, or will you take advantage of the day and enjoy it with family and friends?

Sometimes bargains are not really worth it, don't you think? If they come at the expense of yours or the clerk's family, are they really bargains at all?

I have zero problem with retailers being open on "holidays" I have zero sympathy for sales staff whining they want thanksgiving off.

The world does not stop becasue people want a day off..... sales people need to get a life...suck it the hell up. They to need to learn a something from the service industry.....Hospitals, hotels, airlines and airports, cops, firemen, caterers, restaurants....ect.. all work holidays.