Chuckanut said:
What do you think of some stores opening late on Thanksgiving Day to get an early start on Black Friday sales? How would you feel if you had to leave the Thanksgiving festivities early to go work at the Megacorp Store?
I'd love having a built-in excuse to get out of the obligatory stuff-your-face Thanksgiving dinner, personally. I realize that most people wouldn't feel that way and I do sympathize with those who have to work on holidays but don't want to.
When I was a single person working my way through college, I LOVED coming in on holidays. I earned OT, I admit. But what I really loved was that management was gone!!!
I had the whole place to myself so I could get more done. (Granted, that is not at all the case for the Black Friday workers). Anyway, I got lots of kudos from management for getting so much done, but it was easy with nobody there. And then I got the thanks of my co-workers, too. Since we only needed one person there on holidays, the other 20-30 got the day off. I also worked in the evenings but usually there were others there at that time.
Also, I loved working on holidays because it touched my heart that others wanted to be with their little kids on Christmas morning and so on. I didn't have that, and felt lonely with no family get-together to go to, but going to work and staying busy there got rid of my loneliness. So, I always volunteered.
I think that if I were a single person working at Best Buy, I'd probably love going in on Black Friday (as long as security made sure the crowds were under control). What excitement! What fun! What an Event!! But if I was married with little kids, I'd probably just endure it. I'd arrange to have the family's Thanksgiving celebration earlier or later, when I was home. I admit that if I had to leave early, I probably wouldn't miss having to sit through a zillion football games surrounded by leftover food. Not my idea of fun.