Beginning This Year; Black Thursday

By Nathan Young on November 21, 2012

This will be one of those posts which will make some folks not happy. As you know several retailers are opening on Thanksgiving night this year. So after you fill your stomach with dinner you can go and stand in long lines and be part of the Black ~~Friday~~ Thursday Chaos. Yes I am now calling it Black Thursday now. Thanksgiving started as an idea from Sarah Josepha Hale back in the 1800’s before the Civil War. Hale was the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book Magazine. And in 1846; she used the magazine to push for a national day of gratitude. She hoped such a holiday would help to unify the North and South, even prevent a Civil War. During the American Civil War; President Lincoln issued a presidential proclamation that Thanksgiving Day be celebrated as a national holiday.

Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a federal national holiday since 1863. But this is not the first time companies have messed with the Thanksgiving tradition. In 1939 President Roosevelt was convinced by business interests that the holiday falling so late in the year would interfere with their anticipated Christmas sales. So the president moved back Thanksgiving a full week. This caused lots of problems since the calendars were set for businesses and schools. Some states even declared they wouldn’t go along with the president’s new policy and of course people protested. That particular national day of feasting in the “spirit of peace and goodwill” wasn’t very unifying. And surprise, it was found that shoppers overall spent the same amount of money in the next month no matter when Thanksgiving was celebrated.

So why are retailers wanting to open on Thanksgiving night this year? The greedy companies are starting their own festival of profits way too early this year, that’s why! Sadly this is all about the commercialism and greed that is rampant in business America today. Many companies today are all about the “almighty dollar” and treats their employees as an expendable commodity. Many companies today don’t care about what many Americans thinks about Thanksgiving. They only care about their bottom line and profit for their shareholders.

People need to take a look in the mirror and think about this crazy shopping madness. You need to stop this gimme gimme madness! You can wait until Friday so employees can take Thanksgiving off! Corporate America’s thirst for money is just insulting! How many CEO’s and higher-ups of these retailers open on Thanksgiving night will be actually working? Sadly all of them will be at home with their families while the people who need their minimum wage jobs are the ones who will be missing out on Thanksgiving with their families. This is a big example on why the rich are screwing the poor in America and it needs to stop!

I say the Black Friday phenomenon has gotten way too out of hand. Every corporation needs to put their employees before profit. And sadly; many don’t do that today. Maybe its time for middle and lower-income folks to stand up and be counted against arrogant, greedy corporations and individuals. The only reason retailers are opening earlier and earlier is because they want to be first to get the customer’s money. People CAN wait until early Friday morning for businesses to open. And I do wish cities would enact blue laws to force retailers to not open on Thanksgiving night. I will not be shopping at any retailer opening on Thanksgiving night during the holiday season. I will still go out and take pictures of the madness like I did last year.

http://geekalabama.com/2011/11/25/black-friday-chaos/

I also wish Americans would buy products and gifts that are actually made in America instead of being made in China, India, or Mexico among others. As long as we keep going to retailers and buying foreign-made stuff this country will never recover! Here are petitions for Wal-Mart and Target asking the companies to open later.

http://www.change.org/petitions/target-take-the-high-road-and-save-thanksgiving

http://signon.org/sign/tell-walmart-to-give