Yes, folks, it's the annual "are you working through the Thanksgiving holiday" thread, created partially out of response to the outcry that the "stores are open Thanksgiving, and the retail workers have to wwwooorrrkkk" stories. While I think that retail stores being on the US Thanksgiving Holiday is a bad idea, I think the general public forgets that there are people in hospitals, public safety, movie theaters, restaurants, hotels, broadcast stations, technical support, casinos, and such who also have to work the holiday.
So, if you are in the United States and are working the Thanksgiving holiday, give a shout out.
I'm working the Thanksgiving holiday. I'm in technical support, and my shift is 10 PM-7 AM Pacific Time. Since it is a normal business day in Europe, I will be working my normal shift the entire Thanksgiving week.
I'm on standby Thanksgiving morning. Part of a college team that provides winter forecasts to VTrans.
As for folks who work the holidays, there's also the military. Plenty of military folks both deployed and shore-based who will be working. I've worked plenty of holidays in the past (for example, was on deployment 2 years ago, and had a duty shift the year before that). I have 2 friends who are still active duty who are currently on deployment.
Don't forget football. Many of those that complain about people working Thanksgiving would also be complaining if there was no football to watch. Those games are staffed by hundreds of people, mostly working at or close to minimum wage.
As for me, it all depends on the weather forecast. If it snows Wednesday, more than likely I'll be working the plows either from midnight to noon or noon to midnight Thanksgiving. And there's no holiday rate; just the normal OT rate.
For me, the problem with stores being open on Thanksgiving is that they are non-essential. Hospitals, public safety, hotels, broadcast stations, the military are essential services.
Having stores open that day shows that we value things over people. Also, Thanksgiving started as a religious holiday but is now pretty much celebrated by all Americans, because who doesn't have something to be thankful for. We are ruining the opportunity for everyone to celebrate a national holiday so that we can buy more consumer goods that we don't need.
Also, seriously, I was at the mall yesterday, and stores are now having "pre-Black Friday" sales. What's the point of being open Thanksgiving if you're going to have sales before it anyway?
iPhone
No, thankfully. My new employer gives generous time off for Thanksgiving. Two weeks later, the Christmas-New Year's holiday break lasts for 3-1/2 weeks, as well. :D
Quote from: Laura on November 23, 2014, 08:51:36 AM
For me, the problem with stores being open on Thanksgiving is that they are non-essential. Hospitals, public safety, hotels, broadcast stations, the military are essential services.
Having stores open that day shows that we value things over people. Also, Thanksgiving started as a religious holiday but is now pretty much celebrated by all Americans, because who doesn't have something to be thankful for. We are ruining the opportunity for everyone to celebrate a national holiday so that we can buy more consumer goods that we don't need.
Also, seriously, I was at the mall yesterday, and stores are now having "pre-Black Friday" sales. What's the point of being open Thanksgiving if you're going to have sales before it anyway?
iPhone
AMEN SISTAH!!!! Even a couple of local radio stations started playing Christmas music the week BEFORE Thanksgiving! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
I get a case of the bah-humbug red-ass starting in September when I walk into Lowes, Wally-Hell, and other stores that start setting up Christmas display crap. Retailers are leading the flocks away from the individuality of each holiday and their true meanings...all for the pursuit of the almighty dollar.
That being said, all 7 of the class 1 railroads will run a train on their systems somewhere. My little shortline will be off Thanksgiving Day, but we'll be back to work on Black Friday. My fiancee works for a big health clinic, and they will be shut down both Thanksgiving and Black Friday. :no:
Quote from: Laura on November 23, 2014, 08:51:36 AM
For me, the problem with stores being open on Thanksgiving is that they are non-essential. Hospitals, public safety, hotels, broadcast stations, the military are essential services.
My wife has worked for Walmart for over 20 years (6-3 this year) and she gets the "You guys shouldn't be open" line every year. Her reply is simply "we wouldn't be if you weren't here."
Quote from: cjk374 on November 23, 2014, 09:52:07 AMAMEN SISTAH!!!! Even a couple of local radio stations started playing Christmas music the week BEFORE Thanksgiving! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
We normally have to wait for after Thanksgiving (so at least it's like nearly Advent) for the CocaCola Christmas Advert to appear on our TVs. It used to be the reliable guide of when it was OK - malls would start decorating and other ads start too early (around the first or second week of November), but they aired it Sunday 9th this year :no:.
Our town has a Christmas radio station "Radio Christmas" for charity, with the community involved with running it. They have an internal rule severely limiting Christmas songs they play until the week before Christmas. Last year I listened for about 10 hours and heard about 5 Christmas songs - 3 of which were when a local primary school had their weekly hour-long slot and the choir sang some carols. This year I might do their internet 'year-round Xmas songs' feed, rather than their actual radio when I want Christmas music.
Shockingly, despite not having Thanksgiving as a holiday (and if we did it would be in mid-September), Black Friday seems to have become a thing on the UK High Street this year, rather than just a niche thing that online shops do (since c.2010). Boxing Day (well the day after Boxing Day back when shops weren't open long Boxing Day), was traditionally the day with the crazy sales, but it looks like we're going to see it a month earlier.
I agree fully with Laura and find it disgusting that people use Thanksgiving as a shopping day, preventing folks that really don't need to be at work from being home with their families. I'm not even really cool with Black Friday- just open things up at 8 AM on Friday. There are a minority of people that don't mind working on those days, but it's certainly not the majority of workers. Holidays should be for everybody, not just people that can afford to go shopping.
I'll be headed back to Idaho after work on Wednesday.
Thanksgiving seems to still be sacred in Canada -- I was there that day, only traveler services and other essential services were open. Fortunately, they have theirs in October, so it doesn't interfere with Christmas/etc. shopping -- all they have to lose is a day of shopping ahead of Halloween.
Fortunately, we will have the whole family home for Thanksgiving Day. I have both Thursday and Friday off, but my wife is a nurse who works each holiday every other year. She works 24 hours over both the Christmas and New Year's holidays this year, as her hospital's policy is that the holiday also includes the day before.
I am with those who do not care for the stores opening Thanksgiving Day, and the further developments since. When car dealers are "celebrating" Black Friday all month, it is getting way out of hand. In order to fit in any more, some trick or treaters need to wear Santa Claus costumes!
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! No matter what you will be doing, be thankful for it!
My school system gave us a full week off for Thanksgiving!
I am in the airline industry and the traveling public does not take a day off (although I think a day wouldn't hurt) - and as such I will be at work assisting the traveling public to get to their destinations. :)
Being in a corporate, quasi-governmental, non-essential, and non-urgent world I am not working on Thanksgiving and never will at my current job.
But I am working on black friday since it's not a holiday.
As for lining up for 6 PM doorbusters on Thanksgiving, in my family that thankfully isn't a thing. Our party will run much later than that and nobody is leaving early to go shopping since that would be incredibly rude and we at least like to pretend we have manners.
But regardless of what time the stores open, you would never catch me doing any Black Friday shopping since I despise crowds and chaos. I buy most of my Christmas gifts for people online from the comfort of my couch. For things that I must visit a brick and mortar store for, my attitude is to stay away from all the idiot lemmings trampling each other and go to the store after they all leave when the lines will be much shorter and I can get in and out faster.
This applies to other things too. When the new Super Smash Bros game came out a couple months ago I considered going to the midnight release party but decided against it. Apparently according to the guy at the store there were more than 50 people there and it was nuts. But because I know better, I strolled into the store the following morning, walked right up to the counter (there was no line), bought the game, and left. No stress, no fuss.
Quote from: route17fan on November 23, 2014, 02:19:35 PM
I am in the airline industry and the traveling public does not take a day off (although I think a day wouldn't hurt) - and as such I will be at work assisting the traveling public to get to their destinations. :)
I would imagine it's due to low demand, but the airlines typically offer a major price incentive to travel on the holiday itself–rather than the day before or day after. Southwest still has many coast-to-coast flights on Christmas Day for under $200, but a few days before, you'll pay double or triple that.
Yes, very true! It is unfortunate that it takes a holiday to get prices like that, but true indeed.
If it snows (a possibility in this area, from what some of the early forecasts are saying) then I may have to work.
I have Thanksgiving off for the first time in five years because my supervisors at my new job are actually humans who care about such things. I will be able to actually make it to Kansas City for my family's Thanksgiving this year.
no
Oh yes, I'll be at work, that's show-biz. But I've got a matinee show and I took Friday off, so I'll drive Upstate after work on Thursday, where my whole family is gathering for Thanksgiving dinner the day after. Then back to the city on Saturday, just in time to do three more shows that evening followed by two more Sunday morning.
Might make for an interesting commute on Saturday & Sunday: I have to drop the dog off at daycare while I'm working, and I finish too late to pick her up Saturday night. So I booked her at a place in NJ near the ferry terminal; I'll drive there and park ($13), take the ferry over, then the free bus or a cab over to Rockefeller Center, subway home to the Bronx that night...then the whole thing in reverse on Sunday, picking up my car and the dog in Jersey after work. Or, I may pick up the car Saturday night and drive in to work on Sunday, since I can park in the city then. We shall see.
It seems worthwhile to link to the last major thread we had that dealt with doorbusters:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=8126.0
Nope
I have to work Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Just the way the schedule falls this year. In fact, I don't get a Thanksgiving off until 2019, unless I work a trade with someone.
I work when school's open, so I have Thanksgiving off, thankfully. I actually will probably have the full week off now, as our building's heat isn't working.
My son came home today and said he's not working Thanksgiving, but might as well be. He has to go in at 2:00 am on Friday.
I worked retail for 10 years at a few different Walmart stores. The ones that were Supercenters were open on Thanksgiving. The few years that I worked, I was scheduled from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m., but I usually left at noon. The last couple of years, we rearranged some scheduling to get the day off in my office in the store.
Two years ago, I worked at a hotel. The front desk manager and I each worked 12-hour shifts so that the rest of the staff could have that day off. My family and I had Thanksgiving earlier in the week so I could travel on my days to see them. As a result, I got several days off at Christmas.
I'm glad that I got out of retail by the time Black Friday started this creep into "Gray Thursday". My family has never been the type to shop on that day. Personally, outside of essential services, I think that the only businesses that should be open on Thanksgiving or Christmas are limited in number. Marquette's restaurants take turns opening from year to year so that one is available, usually with a limited menu. I'm not sure the fast food places even bother opening. Not all of the gas stations open, and I suspect that rotates from year to year. Last time I checked, bars are forbidden from operating after a specified hour on Christmas Eve until noon on Boxing Day.
I'm at work now, and in about an hour, it will be Thanksgiving.
I have tonight (Wednesday) off, but have to work Thursday night. We were gonna have T-Day dinner tonight, but nobody felt like cooking! What the heck, at least we already got the turkey.
I'm in retail, so today is indeed a work day for me. I'll be working my normal 5am-1pm shift. I'm paid time and a half for it, and I don't mind working Thanksgiving. I go to my dad and step mom's for dinner and they live locally. IMO, Thanksgiving is a better holiday to work than Christmas, although I've worked plenty of Christmas days too. Not this one though, it's my turn to have that one off this year.
Since I'm lazy, my first thought this morning was that I need to buy a cup of coffee before I hit the road. Then I realized this creates demand for people to not be home on Thanksgiving, and thought better of it.
I work for a company that provides crew transportation for the railroads. The railroads aren't shutting down for the holiday, but most of their industrial customers are, so there should be fewer trains running and less work for my job.
My days off are Tuesday and Wednesday. We have more drivers than vans in Columbus at my company, so this Thursday like any other, I'm waiting for a call from my supervisor or a coworker about getting in a van. If that doesn't happen, I don't work today.
If a business wants to be open on the holiday, that's fine. But the stores having mega sales today are artificially increasing the demand for their wares today (or shifting it from other days, more likely) and increasing the pressure on their employees to work the holiday. Staying open but low-key with a skeleton staff is respectable. Holding a blowout and asking all your employees to show up because you "need" them for the event is a dick move.
And since I live across the pond, I had to do my 45 mile commute as every day. Today is like another day here, but we'll have two holidays back to back soon. Too bad this year December 7th is Sunday...
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on November 27, 2014, 08:33:29 AM
And since I live across the pond, I had to do my 45 mile commute as every day. Today is like another day here, but we'll have two holidays back to back soon. Too bad this year December 7th is Sunday...
In the U.S., December 7 is Pearl Harbor Day.
Quote from: vtk on November 27, 2014, 08:31:20 AM
If a business wants to be open on the holiday, that's fine. But the stores having mega sales today are artificially increasing the demand for their wares today (or shifting it from other days, more likely) and increasing the pressure on their employees to work the holiday. Staying open but low-key with a skeleton staff is respectable. Holding a blowout and asking all your employees to show up because you "need" them for the event is a dick move.
:clap: :nod: :thumbsup:
I see crew vans working for the KCS and UP all the time, but we don't use them because we are such a small railroad. What is the name of the company you work for?
Yes.
We're having my parents and brother over for dinner. My feet feel like I've been doing manual labor for several days.
We cheated and wound up using a pre-made pie crust after the first two crusts fell apart.
I'm at work now. It's dead, to say the least.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on November 27, 2014, 08:04:18 AM
Since I'm lazy, my first thought this morning was that I need to buy a cup of coffee before I hit the road. Then I realized this creates demand for people to not be home on Thanksgiving, and thought better of it.
Well done. I wish more thought like you. Sadly, I don't see thinking along those lines progressing as time goes on.
I have to laugh at people who say things like, "I can't believe that you have to work today" or "I can't believe that you're open." My response is usually along the lines of, "Well, had you planned ahead a little better, I wouldn't need to be open" or "You stopped in expecting me to be open, didn't you?"
Other people who work on Thanksgiving: nurse aides and physical therapists in rehabilitation hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, as well as the patients themselves (you get PT even on Thanksgiving Day itself).
And, I'm at work. Because of the schedule today, I'm working from 8 PM-5 AM instead of 10 PM-7 AM, which means that I will be going to work and back home... in the dark.
Despite our sales being valid all day, it was pretty dead until about 8 PM, when the floodgates opened for whatever reason. I'm now trying to forget it with alcohol :spin:
I wound up having fairly normal workday, though I managed to spend about an hour between trips with some family members at my dad's house. I took some pumpkin pie to-go and ate it while waiting for a train.
I got lucky, I had the night off from Walmart. Everyone else on the night shift at the store I work at had a shift from 5PM to 7AM.
On Friday morning someone responded to an email I sent at about 4 PM Wednesday and they were impressed I had been still working at that time.
One interesting aspect of working from home is that when everyone else leaves the office at lunchtime because it's the day before a major holiday, you don't really notice and don't get the message to stop working. :-D