The Turkey has officially lost to
the toys. For years Christmas has loomed over its Turkey themed cousin with the
shopping bonanza known as Black Friday taking place the day after Thanksgiving,
but now a new level of intrusion has arrived. Before marketing ads for this
massive Christmas shopping spree began in early November. The competition to be
the store first on every ones shopping list has gone to new levels. Instead of
the traditional suspenseful opening taking place in the wee hours of the
morning, many retailers have decided to open even earlier: at Midnight of that
morning. For starters Target, Kohl’s, Best Buy, Macy’s and others are following
the trend while other company’s like Toy’s
R’ Us’ and Wal- Mart are opening at 10PM on Thanksgiving night. This action
begs the question: is this invasion of an important national and social holidayjustifiable to the employees and consumers it affects?
Some major
retailers are already feeling the backlash from their decision make their employees
cut their holiday short to benefit the brand. For instance, a few Targetemployees have started a petition seeking 50,000 signatures to show the company
their outrage. The petition reads:
“A midnight opening robs the hourly and in-store salary
workers of time off with their families on Thanksgiving Day. By opening the
doors at midnight, Target is requiring team members to be in the store by 11
p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. A full holiday with family is not just for the elite
of this nation — all Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones
and get a good night's rest on Thanksgiving!”
For example one Target employee in Omaha, Nebraska said the
decision negatively impacts him because he would have to leave Thanksgiving
dinner with his fiancée’s family so he could sleep before starting a shift around
11 p.m. on Thanksgiving, followed on Friday by a shift at his other job, at
OfficeMax.
The employees are not alone in voicing their displeasure; even
consumers are showing their outrage for the new trend. One previous Black Friday enthusiast said
what retailers were doing was crossing the line:
“I just don’t think that’s good business, in a sense, to
make your employees come in on one of the biggest holidays of the year and cut
their family time short. With the economy the way it is, no one’s going to say,
‘I’m not going to do that, I’m going to quit or get fired over it.”
However,
CEO’s and managers say that their hands are tied: "We're trying to stay
ahead of the curve... I don't like the fact I have to come in on Thanksgiving,but when you work in retail it's the nature of the beast.” But even with this
rational is the decision for businesses to cut into a major holiday associated
with football and family a smart move for the image of Black Friday and the
effects it has on consumers and employees alike? I personally don’t think so.
By having Black Friday cut into Thanksgiving you are isolating your consumers
and forcing them to make the decision: Family or Bargain? Having Black Friday
at 5AM allowed consumers to enjoy their traditional Thanksgiving with their
families: separating Thursday as a day of family and Friday as a day to shop.
However, by having the sales 5 to 8 hours earlier, companies are forcing their
consumers to choose between the two. Forcing consumers and employees into a corner
to make decisions is not smart PR or Advertising. Black Friday will still be
one if not the biggest shopping days of the year, but the decision to downplay
Thanksgiving for a sales edge is still unsettling.
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