Target Employee launches Campaign to keep Stores Closed on Thanksgiving Day

Black Friday sales are starting earlier and earlier.  Anthony Hardwick, a Target employee of three years in Omaha, Nebraska, wants to turn back the clock and save Thanksgiving for store employees.

Many retailers have moved up the opening hours for their Black Friday 2011 sales to midnight. Store employees therefore have to leave their Turkey dinner early to arrive to work in time. 

“All Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones on Thanksgiving,” said Hardwick, who works as a part-time parking attendant at a Target store in Omaha. “With the midnight opening, employees like myself will have to leave for work right in the middle of Thanksgiving Dinner. We don’t mind hard work, but cutting into our holidays is a step too far.”

Hardwick published his campaign on Change.org and already garnered already the support of close to 80,000 signatures. 

I support this push back, as I do not see the point. Retailers are pushing each other in a spiral of opening earlier and earlier. ToysRUs for instance opens now at 9pm on Thanksgiving Day, because Walmart opens at 10pm with a Toys Sale. Walmart moved ahead to 10pm, because this is when ToysRUs opened last year.

I am for an online only Black Friday on Thanksgiving Day sale. This is anyway already happening. The online Black Friday sales start at midnight on Thanksgiving Day.  No need to open stores on Thanksgiving Day.

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