Today is known by retailers as ‘Black Friday’. You don’t want even want to know what Michael Richards calls it. Black Friday is the day where shops open up early and sell some of their goods and wares for a discounted price. Actually, it isn’t as quaint as all that. In reality the day after Thanksgiving is an orgy of violent bargain hunting by soccer moms with a blood lust rivaled by even the fiercest of creatures. For this reason I typically don’t go to any establishment that sells anything on this day. “But Joel, it is a great day to get bargains on Christmas gifts!” That might be the case but that is one of the many reasons I don’t understand why today is so important as far as shopping is concerned.
The stores are not selling necessary items at a discounted price. I mean if milk was a nickel or bread was a penny or something I would maybe understand why people turn into lunatics on days like today, but I just don’t. “Look! I picked up Glitter on DVD for a buck and I bought a computer monitor I don’t need!” Why? It seems like days like today are nothing more then a planned battle to see who can get the most stuff for the least amount of money. That’s cool for some I guess. I just choose not to stand in line for twelve hours for dollar socks.
My stance on this is rooted in my view of the way corporations treat their employees. I feel bad for anyone who has to be at work at such an early time of day the day after a holiday. I understand early hours if you are in a potentially life saving field of work such as law enforcement or firefighting. However, and nothing personal, but the world isn’t going to come to an end if the girl who runs the register at Target isn’t there at four in the morning. Besides, I seriously doubt that any of the top executives of any major store was up at four this morning which is why I feel the hypocrisy involved in a corporation subjugating it’s underpaid employees around the holidays is another good reason to not shop on days like today.
This is why I am proposing something different for next year. We need to drop the unhealthy habit of converging on stores like a group of freaks the days after Thanksgiving and Christmas. First of all, next year, I propose not going to ANY store that is open on a major holiday. If you didn’t plan ahead in getting enough Redi-Whip then so be it. You’ll just have to choke down that pumpkin pie somehow. I’m not talking about boycotting the establishment all together, but rather just on the holiday. If no one shops at a store on a holiday then there isn’t a need for that store to be open on that holiday and maybe the people who work for five bucks an hour can spend their holiday with their family instead of having to ring up items we may have been too forgetful to pick up the first time around.
While that first part was geared more towards consumers and the criminally forgetful among us, this next part is for the employees. If you work at any major chain of department stores and that chain tells you that it is mandatory you show up to work the day after a holiday just to ring up or stock crap people really don’t need in the first place, don’t show up for work. Get all of your equally disgruntled buddies together and stand up for yourselves. I know you need your job. I know that it is hard to find work but Wal-Mart isn’t going to fire an entire store full of employees.
Almost a year ago a friend of mine and I went to a local establishment that shall remain nameless to watch the Super Bowl. I didn’t want to go as I don’t like football or football fans, but I went nonetheless. The place we went to was packed. Our waiter was really cool but was clearly frustrated. I found out that his frustration was caused by his having to be there. He had apparently already worked six days that week and was having a welcome home party for his buddy who had just gotten back from Iraq. He had asked for that day off months in advance. He told my friend and I that the previous night his manager called him and told him if he didn’t show up for work he would be fired. The manager had told everyone that. I wish that none of the staff would have showed up. This restaurant would have had to have closed that day. I told our waiter and he said that three girls had come in and quit that day. Good for them.
So next year remember, as a consumer, to not go in and buy anything from a store on a holiday. The least you can do is make it easy on the kid who bags your groceries by not making him bag your groceries on a holiday. I would recommend that no one shops the day after Christmas or Thanksgiving but that is where the employees come in. If all of them don’t go to work those days, then consumers won’t have a choice other than not shopping. Looks like you’ll be forced to pay regular price for a printer next year.
The people who work for less then they are worth would be thankful.
RIGHT NOW
SONG - Daydreams by Lupe Fiasco and Jill Scott - This song has been stuck in my mind for a week or so but not in a bad way like a Vanilla Ice song or a knife.
MOVIE - The Color Purple - One of my all time favorite movies. I might be poor, black and ugly but I’m here. Well, I’m not black but you get the point.
- Joel David
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www.myspace.com/joeldavidd