Who is working Thanksgiving 2013?

[ZLoth]

So, the question I have to pose is who is working on a paying job on Thursday, November 28th, and why?

For me, because my shift starts at 10 PM, Wednesday is considered a normal work day, and thus I will be working into Thanksgiving morning. Then 10 PM Thursday is considered a "holiday" shift. I work in technical support where we have to be open 24/7 (and, lets face it, only the United States is celebrating Thanksgiving. Canada celebrated Thanksgiving in October).

[froggie]

Not this year, but last year I worked Thanksgiving because of deployment.

[Brandon]

No.  Being what I am, an environmental engineer in a consulting capacity, I have Thanksgiving off.  I do, however, get paid. 

[hbelkins]

If we get snow on Thanksgiving or there is another emergency situation which requires communication to the public about road conditions, I will have to work some, but I will be able to do it from home. Thursday and Friday are paid holidays for me.

[1995hoo]

Nope. Going to Florida to visit relatives for the week. Even though the day after Thanksgiving isn't a holiday, the courts are closed, and my wife's firm gives them that day off in lieu of Veterans Day, so it's easy to make a four-day weekend of it.

[Takumi]

Working in the morning. Because race car.

[amroad17]

Yes.  I will be working from 6 AM-3:30 PM at Frisch's in Ft. Wright, KY (I am one of the managers).  Because scheduled.

[signalman]

I'll be working my normal Thursday scheduled hours of 4:30 AM-1 PM.  I'm an assistant manager at a local convenience store.  Not a big deal for me personally...I'll be compensated well (double time and a half) and it's a quiet day.  I'll also be home early enough to get cleaned up and changed and still make 3 PM dinner on time.  My parents always host and they're just a short 15 minute drive via local roads from me.

[jdb1234]

Yes, I will be working from 5PM to 5AM at Walmart.

[empirestate]

Yes, because tourists. I am working this season at Radio City Music Hall on the Christmas show and so, naturally, I'll be working Christmas Day as well. Would be nice, I suppose, to have Thanksgiving off, but since Christmas now starts in October (my first day of work was on Halloween), and since Thanksgiving is a big holiday weekend and the city will be as full as always of tourists–many of whom are from countries that don't celebrate our Thanksgiving–well, we'll be there to entertain them.

Since my wife's out of town anyway, and the family gatherings I'm aware of are a bit more than a day's drive round trip, I'll work two of the three shows that day and take advantage of the company-provided dinner in between. I hear it's actually pretty good.

[roadman65]

Does Black Friday count?  I work at a retail store that day from 5 AM to 3 PM.

In fact I have worked a Black Friday since 06 for Aramark, when every single Aramark gave their employees a four day weekend, the plant in my area stayed open on Black Friday despite the few customers we had for delivery. 

I worked Thanksgiving and Christmas for Westgate Resorts many years ago, but hotels and resorts are open 24/7/365.  Other places I have worked in offices I always got a 4 day weekend.

[Brandon]

Yes, I will be working from 5PM to 5AM at Walmart.

You have my deepest sympathy.

[jeffandnicole]

Working for the government, we get Thanksgiving off of course.  We used to get Friday off as well, but only because the governor would sign an executive order permitting us the day off with pay.  For about 7 years now, we haven't had that convenience, so it's the rare day when government workers come to work and many private employers have the day off.

Since I do plow snow, if called in, I would then be working.  I'd get the normal contracted hourly rate, with no extra just because it's a holiday.

[Scott5114]

I happen to have it off, but just because my usual schedule includes Thursdays off. My coworkers that typically work Thursday will be there (picking up time-and-a-half, the holiday rate).

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Guess here in Spain there isn't such a holiday... however we will have a couple only two days apart soon!

[Sanctimoniously]

I work graveyards as well, so I go to work at 10 PM on Wednesday and get off approximately 6:30 AM on Thanksgiving morning. I'm off that night.

[tdindy88]

Odd, where I work, on night shift, we will not be working Wednesday night, with the plant shutting down after 11:00 that night. I'll make up the night though this weekend so it will turn out fine for me.

[Laura]

I have off Thursday and Friday and my office closes at 3pm on Wednesday. Because I'm a contractor for the company, I don't get paid holidays, but I'm perfectly OK with that. (I work as an production editor assistant for medical journals.)

I really despise that retailers are now open on Thanksgiving and start their "Black Friday" sales on Thanksgiving Day. I believe that only essential employees should be working that day, and possibly skeleton crews for semi-essential companies. (I will also give a pass to holiday entertainers and the NFL.) Thanksgiving is a truly American holiday, so there's no reason places need to be open for PC reasons. And I don't agree with the fact that places need to be open because international branches are - my company works with vendors in India and the Philippines, and they will fully close their offices for their national holidays, and we deal perfectly fine. I've ranted a bit in the holiday thread about how we need more holidays and we need to celebrate the ones we actually have. Thanksgiving is a huge example of a holiday that needs to be genuinely celebrated more.

[roadman65]

I agree with you there.  Though this may be a conflict of interest, as I work in retail and for a store opening up on Thanksgiving,  I feel that it should be like it was before.  All malls and stores open up early (not during the night) like it was when I was a kid.  Santa made his first appearance on Black Friday, and even one year at Woodbridge Center in NJ, he flew in via helicopter in the parking lot for his grand entrance.

It made that day even more special as now you have Christmas displays up right after Halloween ends.  Plus Santa, is now available for pictures right now days before Thanksgiving.  In addition commercials for Christmas products are on TV already.  I used to remember when Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was when you first saw Christmas commercials on TV as you waited all year for that moment!  I remember McDonalds would have their icon Ronald appear in their Christmas Season commercials all througout the 70's and 80's for the first time during station breaks.

Now the Salvation Army is even jumping on the Bandwagon.  As for weeks now a man with the bell has been at my local supermarket ringing for donations.  They're supposed to be a Christian organization protecting the dignity of the Christmas season and here they are joining this nonsense as well!  Once we thought that we would have the Publix in Hunters Creek, FL to do our annual Knights of Columbus Candy Cane Drive the weekend before Thanksgiving to ourselves.  This was to avoid the competition with the Salvation Army and give the shoppers a break from having to give to two charities at once or even forced to choose.   In the past we did it later after Thanksgiving when they were out, so one year we decided to do it before so we would be all alone, but we were not.  They were already out there with the keg and the bell.

Anyway, it is getting out of hand with this Thanksgiving Day openings and its taking away another holiday for us to celebrate.  Only doctors, hotel workers, SOME restaurants NOT ALL,  airline workers, some public servants, and convenience store workers should only be working on Thanksgiving.  In addition, hotels and restaurants should be open for limited hours and no special promos to make more money that require more work than necessary for the employees that are already giving up their time.

[corco]

This is my first one off in two years, now that I'm out of the hotel business and into the gubment business. I get Thursday off paid, but have to take a vacation day on Friday. I'll take one off on Wednesday too since I'm going back to Idaho.

Anyway, it is getting out of hand with this Thanksgiving Day openings and its taking away another holiday for us to celebrate.  Only doctors, hotel workers, SOME restaurants NOT ALL,  airline workers, some public servants, and convenience store workers should only be working on Thanksgiving.  In addition, hotels and restaurants should be open for limited hours and no special promos to make more money that require more work than necessary for the employees that are already giving up their time.

Agreed.

[roadman65]

Congrats to you.  Enjoy your extended weekend. 

Your job reminds me of my job in New Jersey, where I would get both days off for Thanksgiving and use some vacation time to take a full week off to visit my folks in Florida.  Those, you remind, me were the good ole days as I had a job that let me take my days whenever I wanted.  The last full time job I had required you to take a week off at a time as you were not allowed to take them individually per collective bargaining.  Plus you had to put in a bid at the end of the year for the next coming year.  It was not by anniversary either, but the next New Year after your one year date.  My Jersey job let me put in for my days whenever I wanted as long as no one else took their days the same as mine or a black out event which we only had one day in June that qualified as that.

I only worked three years there in Iselin, NJ and had more time off in that little time than I had working my last employer for over 6 years.  Being you had only two times a year to use your week as whole, it was long gaps between them.   When I had days I could split up almost every three day weekend I would make a longer one out of  it using that day.  Then once I would use my vacation Memorial Day week and have an extra day off to use being Memorial Day was a paid holiday.  Then of course, I would use them randomly and make my own three day weekend.    There it seemed like I was well rewarded, and it did not help this last job was not exactly a trade that you could enjoy or brag about as a career either.

However, I am in retail and its still not as bad as some things and even though I enjoyed working in a Hotel/ Timeshare very much, it is a relief to have Sunday's off and to not work Thanksgiving even though the ladder is by chance of schedule, I am enjoying the moment you could say.

[Duke87]

I have Thanksgiving off, as I do every year. Office is closed. I don't have Black Friday off, but I will be working from home and I expect it to be a very slow day.

[andrewkbrown]

Working from 7am Thanksgiving Day until 7am on Friday the 29th at my firehouse.

I hope DC stays quiet. Being my firehouse is 3 blocks from the Capitol, and surrounded by office buildings that should be closed for the holiday, it should.

[roadman]

I'm off on Thanksgiving (paid holiday), but I'll be working on Wednesday and Friday.  Besides the fact I'd have to charge vacation time if I wanted to take Friday off, I actually prefer to work the day after Thanksgiving, as the office is quiet and I'm able to get caught up on things I normally wouldn't be able to get to.

[realjd]

Thursday and Friday are paid holidays for me and the office is closed. I may decide to take part of Wednesday off using vacation time also.