There's a Black Thursday every week in most places.

[MineralMan]

An enormous number of businesses are open on every holiday and on every Sunday. A lot of us depend on them being open. They were open on Thanksgiving, and will be open on Christmas Day as well. They're our backup for the things we need on those days, and employees are standing by to sell things to us.

For example, I discovered that I had forgotten to buy canned chicken stock yesterday, just as I was beginning preparations for Thanksgiving dinner. The supermarkets were all closed. But, Walgreens is always open. On Sunday, on Thanksgiving, on Christmas and every other day. So, I drove over to my nearby one, and sure enough, they had chicken stock, green beans, French's onions and cream of mushroom soup, too, so I added a green bean casserole to the menu. I also bought some multi-vitamins, since my supply was about empty.

I noticed, too, that every convenience store and gas station was open, as were the fast food restaurants. In each of those places, people were working on Thanksgiving day. It's not just huge retail outlets. People work on every holiday, because there is a demand for what they sell, regardless of what day it is. Many are open 24 hours a day, to boot.

On Christmas Day, people will once again flock to those stores for the food they forgot to buy or for the batteries to power all the cheap crap stuff under the tree. Waiting for them will be staffs of poorly paid employees, just like every other day. We don't even think about that as we're condemning Walmart and Target and the rest for opening up on holidays. If they aren't open, people will still be going to all of those stores that are open 365 days a year and countless employees will assist them in buying what they need or want.

I'm betting that a lot of DUers went out on Thanksgiving and patronized one of these places, and probably will on Christmas, too.

[HappyMe]

1. There were restaurants, bars and movie theaters

open yesterday also.

[MineralMan]

2. Yes, indeed there were. If people will go to those places,

they'll be open and people will be working in them. Hotels are full of people at Thanksgiving, too, and airlines are having their busiest days. All require employees. Many of them require employees to work on those holidays. If they didn't, nothing would be open. We couldn't travel. We couldn't fill our gas tanks. We couldn't stay in a different city.

We tend to forget that people are working around the clock, every day of the year, to provide the things we need or want. If they weren't doing that, we'd be pissed off that we couldn't get those things.

Now, people are also working at retail businesses so we can go shopping on our day off, just like they are the rest of the time. And we will go where things are open. Now, I'm not going to any Black Friday sales. I don't like crowded stores, and prices will be even lower as we get closer to Christmas. But, lots of people will go, so the stores are open and people are working in them.

[we can do it]

3. Also, a lot of hourly people need the money, since they don't get paid holidays.

I used to hate it when my small paycheck shrunk even more.

[MineralMan]

4. That's also true.

Some businesses pay higher wages for holiday hours, too. Many don't, too. Still, a day with pay is better than a day without. Working conditions and pay should be much better, of course. But a job is a job. While some employees at those businesses probably would rather not work on Thanksgiving, but I'm betting there are many who are glad to get some hours that day.

I didn't ask the clerk at Walgreen's if she wanted to be there on Thanksgiving. She was smiling, though, as she checked people out, so there you are. I don't know how much she makes per hour, either, or if she got extra holiday pay. The line was long and it's none of my business, really, so I didn't ask about that, either. I did smile and say "Thank you," though.

[HappyMe]

5. That is true.

Also, sometimes people's families live in a different state. It's not always feasible to pack up and go home for Thanksgiving. I have worked in restaurant kitchens and worked retail on holidays. I got time & a half pay. I had a co-worker beg me for my shift because her family dinner was far from the Norman Rockwell/Currier & Ives type holiday.

[SheilaT]

6. People who work in offices tend to be oblivious

to the fact that real people work in those businesses that are open seven days a week, and or even 24/7. Since I have only briefly ever held an office job, but mostly worked in the other sorts of places, I'm quite aware of it.

Back when more places, specifically grocery stores, were closed on Sundays and Thanksgiving, people managed. Someone like you, Mineral Man, would have double checked your supplies on Wednesday and gotten the chicken stock, but knowing you'd have a back-up, you probably didn't bother. Please don't think I'm slamming you here, because I'd bet several million people across the country started fixing stuff yesterday, discovered they were out of a vital ingredient, and was happy to be able to buy it somewhere.

Personally, I was very careful to make sure I had everything I needed by midday Wednesday, and happily spent my day at home fixing my meal.

So yes, the essential point is that the businesses wouldn't be open if they weren't going to make money, if many out there weren't willing to treat Thanksgiving Day as if it's just a regular day of the week.

Firemen and policemen and hospital workers all need to be on the job. So do airline employees. But grocery stores? K-Mart? No. Every city needs to have a pharmacy or two open (more in larger cities) in case there is an actual emergency need for prescriptions or some medical supplies. Some restaurants, of course. A few gas stations. Beyond that, not really. But that's just my opinion, and I'm not dictator of North America at least not yet, so I can stay home and others can go off and get what they want.