Panelists answered the following: Is the trend toward stores opening earlier on Thanksgiving going too far in taking away from family time?
Jim West: “Yes, it takes away from that special time when the whole family gathers together to stare at football on the TV.”
Marty Richman: “Yes. Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, is just turning into an earlier and earlier trigger for the Christmas shopping season. Many retail employees will be required to work long hours limiting their holiday options. I don’t know what, if anything, can be done about it. The holidays are such a large part of annual retail sales for some sectors, that suppressing them is likely to cost more than a few jobs.”
Richard Place: “If you don’t like it don’t shop. The police, fire and the military are still working.”
Ruth Erickson: “Yes, the almighty buck needs to take time off for giving thanks.”
Mary Zanger: “Yes. What is most apparent is the bottom line profit minddness of the CEOs and corporate owners. They make the decisions. They go home to their holiday while the working class remains underpaid and works through the holiday. Without the voice of unions, workers are not heard. Without sufficient pay, workers cannot afford to purchase the wares they help produce and market. Thus the gap between the wealthy and the rest widens. The question we need to ask ourselves is, why rush to buy?”
