And next year it’s moving to April Fools’ Day.
No joke.
Well, maybe. But, very few parents are laughing.
News that several major retailers are planning to move the start of the Christmas shopping season to Thanksgiving evening rather than wait until Friday morning is no laughing matter for millions of parents who are employed by the likes of Sears, Wal-Mart, Target, and Kmart.
Those working moms and dads were the same ones who initiated a public outcry last year when their employers opened at midnight on Thanksgiving. You know, the holiday that is traditionally set aside for families to spend together counting their blessings… not lining up in the dark and cold in order to trample other human beings in an effort to score big savings on deeply discounted 50-inch HDTVs, laptops and Sony PlayStations.
So much for a family-friendly holiday.
Our neighbor is a manager at Sears. This year his store will be opening at 8 on Thanksgiving night.
Needless to say, he and his family (including his wife, two young children and a slew of in-laws) will be celebrating Turkey Day on Wednesday, November 21st–a full 24 hours prior to the actual holiday.
Last year, the family hosted a Thanksgiving breakfast because Daddy had to be at work by 9 that night, but now that Sears has moved Black Friday to Thursday, the entire clan had to modifying their holiday plans. Meanwhile, our neighbor’s two young kids are getting a crash course in commercialism, consumerism, and the collapse of compassion.
Greed has replaced prudence.
Still, it could be worse for my neighbor. He could be employed by Kmart. The discount retailer has some of the most confusing Thanksgiving/Black Friday hours. According to the company’s website, Kmart will open at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving. It will then stay open until 4 p.m., close from 4 to 8 p.m., reopen at 8, stay open until 3 a.m. on Friday, close from 3 to 5 a.m., reopen at 5, and then stay open until 11 p.m. on Friday.
Got that?
Good. Now, try explaining it to kids, especially the ones who are trying figure out why they can’t spend Thanksgiving Day playing football, eating pie and making paper bag turkeys with their mom and dad on a day that used to respect family values and promote bonding between parent and child.
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