Today's post is simply intended to plead with all holiday shoppers to not patronize brick-and-mortar stores on so-called 'Black Friday.'
It is an unfortunate tradition that is very disruptive to families' holiday celebrations. If really feel you must shop that day, please shop online only!
I was just going to post a link to my Face Book page, so everyone could read what I wrote in detail, but I then realized that not everyone who may read this blog is a Face Book friend, and so would be unable to read it. Thus, I've just copied/pasted that text here:
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Ok, people. Here it is: it's far past time to kill he over-hyped, over-priced, obsessive consumer shopping monster that has this country in its grip!
Here are TWO websites to help in this endeavor:
http://www.adbusters.org. and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Nothing_Day
I have been annoyed in the extreme with corporate 'rushing of the season' for many, many years. This year, however, came the straw that broke the camel's back--and I'm GOING TO NAME (corporate) NAMES!!
KOHL'S is REQUIRING ALL of its employees to work on so-called "Black" Friday. That's bad enough, that they (and all other brick-and-mortar retailers) are SO greedy that they cannot even allow thier employees to have the entire Thanksgiving weekend holiday in peace and quiet with THEIR families.
No, they have to take it a step further, and open the freaking store at FOUR A.M.!! I'm sorry, but NO ONE needs to be shopping already at THAT hour! It's the middle of the danged night for pete sakes!! If anyone seriously has to shop (doubtful) on THAT day... they can surely do it just as well during the store's normal operating hours!
This means that every single person who insists on going shopping that day is RUINING SOMEONE ELSE'S HOLIDAY!! There is no more plain and simple way to put it than that.
FURTHERMORE--there is a ripple effect...for many families, this means curtailing or cutting short their own holiday plans to accomodate the outrageous, obscene work schedule of the retail employee in the family. My own plans have been affected, even though my kids are adults with their own families. However, my husband and I are spending the holiday with HIS mother this year--3.5 hours from home. We won't be home till Sunday. Ergo, I need someone to care for my pets, and administer meds ON SCHEDULE to one of them.
Thanks to KOHL's extreme family UN-friendly policies, my daughter will now NOT be available at the appropriate times to do this....forcing us to seriously impinge on and alter our own plans. She is the best (and really only) option for this; she lives near, our animals know her, and she knows their routine. (And no, I cannot afford to have them boarded, so don't even go there! )
You'd better believe I just sent a scathing e-mail letter off to KOHL's corporate! I even told them that I was struggling to maintain civility as in truth, I had NOTHING ladylike to say about the matter.
WHY NOT just start the shopping season on Monday? Let FAMILIES have thier 4-day Thanksgiving weekend. In my opinion, anyone who thinks it is that necessary to go shopping that early should be taken out to a field and horse-whipped! That is unbridled consumerism at its very worst, and about as necessary as watering the lawn in a rainstorm!
GET A GRIP, people! STAY HOME!! BOYCOTT BLACK FRIDAY!! HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR THE STORE'S EMPLOYEES! LET'S KILL THIS MONSTROUS TRADITION THIS YEAR!
PLEASE RE-POST THIS ANYWHERE AND EVERYWEHRE YOU CAN--BLOGS, YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE, TWITTER, CHAT ROOMS YOU ATTEND...WHERE EVER! LET'S PUT A STOP TO THIS CRAZY NONSENSE FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL!!
Thank you!!
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14 years ago
7 comments:
I am TOTALLY with you on this one, Lizzy!! About 10 years ago, I stopped shopping on Black Friday. I will post your "rant(and well-deserved!!" every place I go.
BTW, I got here via the Cat Blogosphere, and your wonderful fur children.
Thank you very much! I appreciate it. After all... the Boston Tea Party began with a single person's idea! ;-)
I tried to follow your kitty, but your name link did not seem to go to an active site. :-(
I totally agree with you. I have not shopped anywhere on Black Friday in years. I was appalled last year when a mob of people trampled to death the man who opened the door of a store on Black Friday, because they just had to be first in. It's obscene.
I used to shop on Black Friday, but this year I am going to do my shopping online instead!
Great post!
The "black Friday" shopping tradition is sick, sick, sick. If Kohl's comes back with "it's just a cat," this could just as well be an employee's child/spouse/parent who needs special care on schedule. Their requirement is insane and I hope many of their employees are suddenly taken ill (blue flu epidemic, anyone?).
~ Tabbymom Jen, reaching over Victor's paws.
I think you need to take a step back and realize that many stores NEED black friday sales in order to continue to stay in business. If Khols (and other stores) lose their business or have to close stores - then the employees will lose their job. There is no difference between shopping online or in B&M stores. Peoples jobs and livelihoods are at stake in both situations.
Cindy: Sorry, but I do not agree with you.
I think you are missing the point. There are no other industries that pin their entire profit hopes on a single day. This is unreasonable in the extreme.
Shopping online is NOT AT ALL the same, as it is all computerized. The employees can still have their day off while the computer calculates the order and bills the customer's credit card. After the holiday, then the 'real people' come back to work to pack and ship the orders.
No store is going to close or go out of business just because the did not open at 4:a.m. This is just plain ridiculous. Anyone who wants to shop on that day can just as well do so during normal hours.
It is bad enough that the families don't get to have a holiday weekend, given that the stores do open the very day after Thanksgiving, but THOSE HOURS are simply unconscionable.
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