The Black Friday Dilemma

     I recently saw a petition on my Facebook feed asking major retailers to push Black Friday back to where it belongs - y'know, Friday. It's definitely disturbing to me that we're at this point where we have to fight major companies to give back one day when retail workers were pretty much only ever guaranteed Thanksgiving and Christmas before anyways. As if the other 363 days of the year weren't enough (which is 99.45% of the year, by the way), they want to have the right to schedule you to work Thanksgiving too?? Jesus. This is truly ridiculous. However, even though I'm already riled up about the ridiculous attitude people can have towards work and laborers, I'm going to write about this situation from a different angle - how we are going about trying to solve the issue of stores opening their doors earlier and earlier. 

     Like I said, I saw the petition online (here). It has 13,586 signatures as of this writing. That's insignificant, considering the fact that as far back as 2011 there was a petition with over 200k supporters (here). Just consider the petition: someone thought it was a bright idea to write a letter to someone whose job, ultimately, is to optimize money-making. And the author and supporters of that petition thought it would be a bright idea to ask that CEO or company in general to stop doing what they were made to do. It just doesn't really make sense to me, and previous failed petitions have shown that this year's version probably won't be any more successful. So I'm gonna go ahead and say that the online petition isn't going anywhere, unfortunately. 

     On the bright side, there is something we can do. Instead of writing a letter to someone whose job is to optimize money-making and asking them to stop doing what's driven their success, we can fix the issue ourselves. How? The answer is simple: stop. Stop engaging with Black Friday. Stores wouldn't keep opening if they didn't keep making money, and stores wouldn't keep making money if droves of people weren't packing stores to buy stuff. So...don't do it anymore.

     Not only that, but instead of writing to people who will never see or even care about online petitions, why don't you tell the people you can impact? One of the pleas across these holiday petitions is that the controlling members of these major companies need to think about the families that are impacted by workers who miss out on quality time. Well instead of trying to get that idea across to a stranger... why don't you share that sentiment with your family and friends? Consumers need to understand that they are the ones who need to stop and think about the families across the country that are missing a loved one - a mother, a father, a brother or sister or any manner of loved one - and realize that when they go out to shop at Target or Wal-Mart or wherever else to buy stuff on the cheap - they are the ones responsible for ruining the holidays. 

     So, there it is. While I agree completely with the goal of the petition - fight against Black Friday, think about the families - the idea behind it is all wrong. Why plead with someone who has the power to change things - but won't? Instead you can take things into your own hands by 1) not participating in Black Friday (at least not so early, if at all) and 2) encouraging your friends and families to be considerate of others (namely: all the workers and their families and friends). 

     For full disclosure, I have a vested interest in this because it seems like every stinkin' year my family has to account for my aunt's work schedule on Thanksgiving!! & I'm just like....

     Anyways, I sincerely wish you a happy Thanksgiving. and before you get any shopping in, I urge you to tell people how their actions are literally ruining Thanksgiving for others. Happy holidays!