Walmart, Sears To Open on Thanksgiving Evening

[Cachoo]

Apparently they will open at 8 p.m. I find this depressing but I'm sure the stores will be busy.

[Bostonfan]

In New England, the Patriots are playing Thanksgiving night. So while the boys are mellowing out from the turkey dinner and watching the game, it seems a good opportunity to get some shopping done. Not for me, I do all my shopping online. But I'm betting my sisters will be there.

[TheGirlCanSkate]

My mom and I went when stores first did this and we left pretty quickly without buying anything. It was depressing. Not only for us but it was depressing seeing the employees who would rather be anywhere but at work. We never did it again.

[manhn]

8pm, heh? I can cross the border after work and go home at a decent hour. Thanks, Americans!

[Jenny]

My mom and I went when stores first did this and we left pretty quickly without buying anything. It was depressing. Not only for us but it was depressing seeing the employees who would rather be anywhere but at work. We never did it again.

Whether or not they actually open on Thanksgiving night, they have to work anyway to put up all the Christmas decor, stock the merchandise for Christmas and Black Friday sales, and get ready for early openings the next day.

[MacMadame]

And I'm sure some of them are happy to get the extra hours and the overtime.

[TheGirlCanSkate]

Whether or not they actually open on Thanksgiving night, they have to work anyway to put up all the Christmas decor, stock the merchandise for Christmas and Black Friday sales, and get ready for early openings the next day.

I get the Black Friday stuff, but here Christmas is already up. I just found it lends to stores opening that wouldn't normally open - usually grocery stores close at 3, some are now open.

[Spareoom]

Yeah, Christmas decor goes up on Halloween in retail stores nowadays. It's already in full swing by the time Thanksgiving rolls around.

I work for le Tarjay, and we've not formally announced our open time (to my knowledge). But rumor has it that it's going to be 10pm, and given that Wally-mart is now opening at 8pm, I predict it's going to be at LEAST 10pm; maybe earlier, now. Who knows! I signed up to work as early as possible; I would rather work, go home, sleep and then have the majority of my Friday off to do whatever. I work in the market section, so it will be a slow day either way, haha.

ETA: Oh, now I remember what I came in here to post. Opening times have steadily been creeping up more and more, but eventually it's going to hit a point where the corporations realize that they need to ether go back to legitimately opening on Friday, or just not close at all on Thanksgiving. Which frankly I don't see happening because they would hate to have to pay time and a half to every single employee (Black Friday is the one day of the year that every single person is scheduled to work). I dunno, I just think eventually they'll just go back to 5 or 6am on Friday.

[Cachoo]

And I'm sure some of them are happy to get the extra hours and the overtime.

My hope is those that don't mind coming in on Thanksgiving are there and those who have long commutes to celebrate with family are off.

[Fridge_Break]

I hate Black Friday. I am required to work that day and therefore can't travel to see my family on Thanksgiving. The thought of stores opening earlier and earlier each year just makes my skin crawl, I'm waiting for the day that it becomes a 2-day event, both Thursday and Friday.

[peibeck]

My hope is those that don't mind coming in on Thanksgiving are there and those who have long commutes to celebrate with family are off.

I think that is a great hope, but sadly I don't think a corporation like WalMart really cares that much about their employees.

[Nan]

Not that I want or hope to change anyone's mind over the Thanksgiving Day opening (just an FYI), but all employees that work that day will receive a voucher for an extra ten percent off one purchase the second weekend in December, no limit to the number of items included in the purchase.

[my little pony]

for anyone who is having a miserable time with their family on thanksgiving, excuse yourself to go shopping

[Prancer]

I think that is a great hope, but sadly I don't think a corporation like WalMart really cares that much about their employees.

Maybe not, but my brother's pizza businesses always did pretty brisk business on Thanksgiving because a) there are plenty of people who aren't spending time with families but are alone on the holiday, b) lots of people are already to be home in the evening, having escaped from their relatives ASAP and c) there are plenty of people who don't celebrate Thanksgiving at all. It wasn't the busiest day of the year by any means, but it was busier than a typical Thursday.

So I would guess that if WalMart asks who wants to work on those times--which, IME as a person who comes from a family that does not celebrate any holidays is not at all atypical for companies to do--there will be more people than you might think who will be readily available to do it.

[jamesy]

8pm, heh? I can cross the border after work and go home at a decent hour. Thanks, Americans!

I was wondering how long it would take you to find this thread.

[BigB08822]

What is the point of Black Friday if the sales all start on Thursday. You couldn't pay me to get anywhere near one of those stores. I did it once and will never do it again. I am far too cheap to think those deals are even worth it. I think their huge sales end up backfiring on me because all it does is remind me how much they overcharge the rest of the year. That thought makes me never want to shop for anything again.

[zaphyre14]

In New England, the Patriots are playing Thanksgiving night. So while the boys are mellowing out from the turkey dinner and watching the game, it seems a good opportunity to get some shopping done. Not for me, I do all my shopping online. But I'm betting my sisters will be there.

Thanks to state Blue Laws, Walmart stores in MA and RI will probably not be opening on Thursday, or so I heard on this morning's news. NH stores will open. I don't know about Connecticut but, if they do open the stores, then maybe there will be a reverse in the shopping tide, with MA and RI shoppers heading there, as long as the discounts cancel out CT's astronomical sales taxes.

[danceronice]

And I'm sure some of them are happy to get the extra hours and the overtime.

People have been calling the restaurant to find out if we're open on thanksgiving. We're not (though it's going to mean driving home after working the night before and rushing back on Friday morning as we're open both of those days) but I said if they paid quadruple overtime I'd do it. I can't afford to pass on hours, none of us really can. Our boss won't do it (his son has been known to complain about EVER paying overtime, because one hour of work's the same as another, right?) but I would if it were offered. Money's money and these days most people can't be picky about how they get it.

At least they haven't started playing the Christmas CDs yet, though it might be a nice change (AT FIRST....) If I hear that damn ukelele cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" again I'll poison someone.

[Artemis@BC]

What is the point of Black Friday if the sales all start on Thursday? You couldn't pay me to get anywhere near one of those stores. I did it once and will never do it again. I am far too cheap to think those deals are even worth it. I think their huge sales end up backfiring on me because all it does is remind me how much they overcharge the rest of the year. That thought makes me never want to shop for anything again.

ITA.

And, according to the subject line I got in an email from a certain retailer this morning, "Black November is HERE." WFT? Sales creep has been going on for years now, but a whole frickin' month of "sales"? :shudder:

I love a good bargain as much as the next gal, but Black Friday in the US and Boxing Day sales here at home are just not worth the hassle imo.

[Norlite]

Apparently they will open at 8 p.m. I find this depressing but I'm sure the stores will be busy.

They were all open last year in upstate NY. My son went over around 9ish and the stores were all packed and he couldn't even find a parking space in the lot, even all the closed restaurant lots across the highway had crowded lots. Some sales were on but the big ones didn't start until midnight.

He told me some stores, like Walmart and Target, had pallets of sale stuff in the aisle still wrapped in packing paper ready to be revealed at 12 and people were ripping them apart before to get their crap in their cards so they beat the rush (!) and get out of the stores as soon as the prices came into effect.