Thanks for your analysis of the BP settlement. I see that you addressed JC's questions in the comments, so does that catch you all up? Don't get too comfortable in that. Someone will toss up some more questions for you I'm sure. But today, the day before Thanksgiving I'm giving you a break. :)
Note to the reader: Today's post is meant as a gentle reminder for all of us. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement and hype created around particular events. I am reminding myself along with you, to approach things thoughtfully.
Have you ever noticed how things creep, seep, and edge their way into other things? Things that are shocking the first time you see them, like a high school basketball game on ESPN or a Christmas commercial before Halloween. But we adapt quickly and in just a couple of years, though we may have some issues with it lingering in the back of our minds, we accept that it is "just the way things are."
In the past few years we've seen stores open earlier and earlier on Black Friday. The idea that a store would open at 4:00 AM should make us cognizant of the fact that employees would have to arise a couple of hours before that. Simple logic would tell us that they would have to retire early on Thanksgiving night, thus cutting time with family and friends short, if they were going to survive the retail wars the next day without collapsing. As if that hasn't been bad enough, the past couple of years corporations have added an even more direct assault on Thanksgiving: stores that are open ON the day when we are all supposed to be taking some quiet moments to reflect on and be thankful for what we already have. Surely we can do better than a day of gluttony followed by a day of conspicuous consumerism.
Thanksgiving becoming just another day, when we barely pause at all to think on all our blessings before heading out to the mall, cannot be far behind. This year, Walmart, Toys R Us, Kmart, and Sears are all opening their doors at 8 pm Thursday. Together with Target, that's two to four hours before they opened last year.
There is a petition being circulated by a Target employee to save Thanksgiving. The company's response through their spokesperson is:
"Target’s opening time was carefully evaluated with our guests, team and the business in mind. Across the country, team member preferences were considered in creating our store staffing schedules. Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest of the year, and we appreciate our Target team’s flexibility on this weekend and throughout the holiday season."
It's a nice touch that they put "business" last. Anyone fooled by that? The company is sure to make known the fact that employees are eager to work these hours and get paid overtime, so eager in fact that more employees volunteered than there were slots to fill. They don't seem to think this might say something about the regular pay of their workers.
Far be it from me to want to ruin anyone's holiday fun. I'm not averse to Black Friday shopping even. But I'd like to encourage it being done in a more thoughtful manner. Local small businesses and restaurants will welcome your patronage on the biggest shopping day of the year. And I doubt corporations like Target and Walmart will miss you. Or you could do something totally radical and plan a post Thanksgiving day that doesn't include shopping at all. I'm thinking it might be a lovely day for a hike to work off those calories consumed the day before.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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