I think I'm fighting a losing battle. I've long refused to shop on Thanksgiving day and it seems that I'm becoming one of the very few who does. Opening the store at 5pm does not mean employes had the day with their families, anyone who has worked retail knows that entire day is dedicated to being prepared for those doors to open. To shop on Thanksgiving is to doom those that could have spend their day thankful with their families to a day of work supporting the base desire to have more stuff. Hey, I'm all for Christmas, presents, and capitalism, I'm just sad that it is at the expense of family and of being THANKFUL for what we already have. Last year I broke my vow, and though we got good deals, I didn't feel... wholesome, I suppose. I truly felt like I was supporting the wrong cause. So, whether I'm the last to support the idea of a day of thanks and not of commerce, I have to stand my ground. I take the pledge that no matter how good those deals, I will not shop on Thanksgiving day.
What about you all? Am I crazy? The lone voice of a fading age? Will you be shopping this Thanksgiving day?
~The DO
14 comments:
I may or may not order something through Amazon, but we WILL NOT shop on Thanksgiving Day or the "Black Friday" after. It's the principle of the thing.
And yes, we're probably dinosaurs.
Nope. Not I. And for the same reason.
Well, that and the stupid crowds who seem to be growing more violent every year.
no way... If I leave the house its to visit family or a last minute run because something was left off the menu. (does that count?)
I'm OK with Amazon... cuz 'puters don't need to take step back and share a meal and memories with family, friends and loved ones.
Give my best to Six!
We generally do not go out on either Thanksgiving or BlackFriday to shop. We shop online for that. Deals are much the same, and I don't have to mess with traffic, idiots, crowds and noise.
Don't shop on those days, but I, like you, are entirely gray.
Oh HELL no... I don't believe the stores should open either. Time with family IS important (more than the almighty dollar IMHO)!
I know exactly how you feel and I am guilty as well. I have two teenage boys and get caught up in the "shopping to save money" It is tough to pass up buying an iPad mini for $199 on Thanksgiving evening or wait until Saturday and spend $100 more.
Yeah - kinda a slimy feeling afterwards like "What did I just do?"
I'm going to second NFO's "oh HELL no" because:
1) I have spent entirely too many Thanksgivings and Christmas Eves behind a retail counter while my wife and child were with the rest of the family, and I refuse to subject anyone else to such despicable treatment. I don't even like hitting retail stores on Sundays if I can help it, but major holidays are straight out. The exception there is if the employees are well compensated for the holiday time and there on a voluntary basis.
2) Once, and ONLY ONCE, the wife and I got up early on Black Friday to chase down a desktop computer. This was so many years ago that I didn't even really know what "Black Friday" was. We got a good deal, and that computer was instrumental in the next job my wife got, but the experience was beyond miserable. The disgusting sea of greedy, ugly humanity - we had to physically stop fellow patrons from pulling items out of our own shopping cart. It was far from a safe experience.
3) If I can't afford an iPad Mini for $299 normally then I can't afford an iPad Mini on a major holiday in an unruly, chaotic mob for $199. (No offense meant Rourke or DO.) My safety and dignity, the well being of my spirit, and the sacrifice of what should rightly be sacred family time for me, my family, and those store employees is simply not worth the meager $100 savings. If you're sacrificing Thanksgiving for that much of a swath of individuals to serve the consumerism of Christmas, you've missed the point anyway and may as well skip it. Besides, that will save you the full $299.
I disapprove of the retail establishments for abusing their employees and the holiday, and for setting up such a potentially dangerous situation to employees and customers alike. Additionally, I disapprove of the uncivilized manner of many of the patrons I've witnessed taking advantage of such a setting. Thus, I will refuse to support such abuses with the meager capital that is at my disposal. Although this almost assuredly means that I'm going to have to go without some stuff I'd otherwise like to have, I know what I'm not compromising to attain said stuff.
/rant off.
Well I'm glad I'm not the only one! It does my heart good to know that there are more of us out there that see the need for Thanksgiving and for family.
Michael, I think you best summed up the crass nature of the fight for gifts that are suppose to be for bringing joy. Ironic, no?
I appreciate you all weighing in, I feel less like I'm on the losing side and more determined then ever to not give in to the low price temptation:)
I agree with you and will not even consider shopping on Thanksgiving. I won't even check to se what I am missing. We have dinner for three generations of my family, and love every minute of it. I also have never bothered with the day after. Crowds are not my thing.
DO, I'm glad you didn't take that the wrong way. It occurred to me after the fact that it could have come across as terribly judgmental. I have a lot of respect for your and your family, you should know.
No worried Michael! Last year the hubby dragged me to Michael's (ironically:) as we had left the kids with Grammy and were on our own. More of an impromptu date night than anything. I've not once done the Black Friday thing... that I remember at any rate. My experience was limited, there were limited crowds at that particular location, and I actually apologized to the staff (much to my husbands amusement:). I second the idea that if you need to attempt to destroy another human being to save $100 on stuff then you really need to not have more stuff. I get that there are those that need to stretch their dollars, and I feel for those that want to provide their kids the things they see their friends getting and feel that these sales are the only way to do so, but that doesn't make it okay for me to support business' open Thanksgiving day. At least that's how I see it!
You are not alone. Here is a link to what I posted on Nov. 17th...
http://www.borepatch.blogspot.com/2014/11/i-want-to-start-movement.html
Here's the text:
I Want to Start a Movement
I have watched the Christmas trend grow like a tinsel covered cancer. It took Thanksgiving decades ago. Now it's swallowed Halloween. The stores put Christmas lights and fake trees up for sale when they they put away the Back-To-School sales.
Three weeks ago the Big Green Siren Caffeine Delivery Shop put up the red menus, put out all the gift boxes and generally gave up on Thanksgiving before it even arrived. It was like being grabbed in a headlock by Santa Claus just to get a cuppa joe.
So here's my proposal. I've already done it personally. I've done it for years.
I do not shop for Christmas presents until after Thanksgiving. After Black Friday I do my shopping, such as it is. Refuse to participate and it will go away. They only do it because it is profitable.
Tell your friends. Tell your family. There's three thousand readers of this blog. Some of you are bloggers. Put it on your site, too. Call it the Take Back Thanksgiving Movement. Give the Thanksgiving holiday it's place back. Don't let it just be a speed bump in the race to Christmas. We can do this.
One more thing, a recent additional symptom to the situation, is stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day. Bad enough that our police, fire, and hospital services have to work. Forcing people to give up their Thanksgiving holiday to open up the Big Box Junk Shop is a terrible manifestation of the overall problem. I would not go to a store to go shopping on Thanksgiving Day under any circumstances.
Take the pledge. Stand in solidarity with us. Link arms and sing a couple of verses of Alice's Restaurant. If no one went on Thanksgiving, the stores would give up and be closed next year. If no one would shop for presents before Black Friday, the terrible specter of Christmas trees on sale the week after Fourth of July could be put to rest.
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