Normal business hours were unheard of in the past during holidays. This year Thanksgiving was much different for many retail employees who were scheduled to work on the holiday for the first time. Over a thousand stores were opened for business during Thanksgiving day when many consumers were at home enjoying turkey with all of the trimmings.
Some employees working at the open stores pointed out their concern for the lack of care on the part of employers. Many stated they felt their employers didn’t care much about their employees or the value of family time especially during the holidays.
The new trend among retailers gearing up for the Black Friday madness is being coined the ‘Black Friday creep’. Stores are trying to capitalize on every opportunity to increase their profits during the holiday shopping craze. As a result, workers are scheduled to work hours that start earlier each year. Black Friday madness seems to have drifted into the Thanksgiving holiday.
This is a lot to ask of workers who traditionally are low-wage earners without many benefits. The extended work hours and sacrifice of personal time with family may start to become a real problem for employers. While customers may be thrilled to have even more opportunity to dive into holiday deals, employees may not be as thrilled to offer top-notch customer service.
Some employers are still concerned about family traditions, opting to open their doors at a more traditional midnight on Black Friday even if competition was doing business much earlier. But many retailers say they are just following the lead of the consumers who keep showing up whenever the doors open regardless of how employees feel about the changes.
