Black Friday is nearly here and, due to the continued poor economy, many retailers plan to open earlier than ever this year: some at midnight and others even on Thanksgiving Day itself.
However, not everyone agrees. Anthony Hardwick, a Target parking lot attendant in Nebraska, scheduled to work the midnight shift on Nov. 25 and needing to report at 11 p.m.. In protest, he has started a signature campaign to ask the Minneapolis-based retailer to go back to its original plan to open at 5 a.m. Hardwick fears for his job, but says customers are also signing his petition. He had more than 75,000 signatures by Nov. 15. Hardwicke said that, because he will need to sleep before his 10-hour shift, he will miss most of Thanksgiving with his family. See his story in the Baltimore Sun.
Other people have countered that getting a start on holiday shopping right after their holiday meal is easier than getting up in the middle of the night for early morning store openings.
Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports that Target’s plans – along with Walmart and Macy’s – have run up against Massachusetts’ blue laws, which prohibit stores opening on Thanksgiving. They are changing their hours.
What’s your opinion? What’s more important? A family holiday? Getting a jump start on holiday shopping? A boost for the retail economy?