Sometime last week, or perhaps the
week before, someone passed along a blurb in the news about Target workers
complaining the stores would be opening at Midnight, Thanksgiving night, and
they would have to come in a couple of hours early to set up, giving up a part
of their Thanksgiving. Of course several
of my FB friends complained about how this “greedy” company could ruin the holiday
for their employees. Some hoped for
action to teach Target a lesson. I think
the action they hoped for was an employee boycott, the action they got was
increased sales for Target.
As I pointed out to the person who
accused Target of being a greedy corporation, they are only reacting to
consumer demand and its consumer geed that is, in this case, the controlling factor. If shoppers were to leave the stores vacant
until 7 am on Friday the next year they would open at 7 am.
So what happened on Black Friday, or
Black Thursday night and Friday? I think
this video is probably pretty typical.
4 comments:
I'm not a big fan of boycotts nor of blue laws, but I was disgusted by Target having employees come in on Thanksgiving. Is there any distinction left between a time to do business and a time to refrain from doing business? Is there such a thing as sacred time or is all of it subject the profit motive? (I say this as one who is very supportive of business in general.)
I won't go shopping on Black Friday. What a disgusting and embarrassing horror. The prophets spoke about such things.
While Target took a lot of heat, we didn't hear much of WalMart and other retailers who did about the same thing. Each year as the retailers gauge business and what the consumers will do we drive them to this kind of schedule.
I came to really appreciate Sundays in Germany when retail stores were closed on Sunday. We had no excuse to prevent us from spending family time.
I am with you on not shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving and I don't feel a need to return gifts the day after Christmas.
I learned not to shop years ago...
The things I learn blogging! Men have to be taught to shop, women have to be taught not to. It must be a Y chromosome thing. Thanks for the smile.
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