McDonald's to Franchises: Open Doors on Christmas

Aside from the obvious concerns over whether employees really do "volunteer", I see no issue.

It's just another holiday and to those who aren't religious, don't follow it or otherwise don't care about it, Christmas can be a royal pain in the arse as everything shuts down. Here in the UK, pretty much everything stops apart from petrol stations and, if you're lucky, your local corner shop which might be open for a few hours so you can get essentials. If you don't drive or have a car, you can kiss goodbye to going anywhere either as there is not a single train or bus. I really do hate the fact that now, in the 21st century, we do not have a 24hr economy. Just because some people rever it as a holy day, shouldn't mean we all should suffer.

I work in a job where we work 24/7/365 - no exceptions. If your shift falls on a Sunday, Bank Holiday or Christmas, tough. We get a day of in lieu as a "thank you" for working holidays (not Sundays though) but otherwise we're not paid any extra. I was lucky this year as my shift starts today, but for the past 4 years I have worked, in some fashion, on Christmas day. There have been times when I have worked and no where is open to buy any kind of food and a McDonalds would have gone down a treat.

Personally, I could care less for Christmas; if I was in a situation where I worked at McDonald's and needed the money, I wouldn't hesitate to work on Christmas. Most McDonald's employee's aren't exactly leading lives of leisure and, given how these major fast food and retail outlets are going about dodging healthcare tax hikes, chances are that most of their employees are working more than one job as well.

Anyways, post-Christmas is nothing like Black Friday, at least for most retailers. If anything, they lose a ton of money from all the unwanted gifts that people return on the day after Christmas. Of course, most retailers get around this by giving customers "store credit," but that's another issue altogether. The reason why they don't open on Christmas is that it is, more or less, traditional to spend time with one's family rather than go shopping or run errands. If they were to open, it is unlikely that they would see many sales, unless they were to offer some huge promotion on Christmas day.

reply to post by jam321

it because it should be a sacred day

It should, to believers. A large portion of the population uses the day for other type of activities that has no religious content or meaning. This is the same with other type of holidays, it has a mostly festive purpose and that means commercial opportunity...

We all know society is all wrong...

I realize there are businesses that are going to be open on Christmas and people that happily volunteer to work as well as patron, but McDonald's, ehhh just doesn't feel right, especially for the blatant reason given is purely to gain a bigger profit. It just reeks of corporate greed to me.

So, working 82 hours this week as a military member, means I'm greedy?
Maybe McDee's is open to support people like us. Especially, the military members. I mean, there is at least 3 or 4 guys that eat McDonald's on night shift because it is the only thing open. I'm lucky to live 5 minutes from work and can go home to my wife making dinner on night shift. I understand it bothers you, but not everyone in the United States can enjoy the holiday season. And, its not just military members. Air Traffic Controllers work, police officers work, fire departments work...etc

As far as being open to make a profit? They are probably breaking even at most.

I actually volunteered to work Christmas as well

I have no problem with this. There are a lot of people, probably millions here in the U.S., on the road during Christmas and they need a place to stop and eat when everything else is closed.

reply to post by johngrissom


Don't forget us Telecoms engineers who enable this conversation to even happen in the first place

I had to get a taxi in this morning as all the public transport is still on shutdown (albeit Sunday service not totally closed) and the driver had a real hard time understanding why I was going into work.

I was like "Does your phone line and internet turn off during the holidays? No? There you go then"...

if memory serves me right....

in the story 'A Christmas Carol'... it would have been impossible for the re-educated SCROOGE
to have brought a Christmas Goose to the bob Crattchet home on Christmas...
IF that eras "corner McDonald store" were not open for business and selling cooked goose




as far as the 25th having any religious significance.... the birth was correctly revised to April 17th not the pagan date of 25 Dec... the commercialization & secularism of the gift swapping day has long ago superseeded any
holy-ness that may have been a part of X-Mas since it's hetday during the dark ages

Originally posted by St Udio
if memory serves me right....

in the story 'A Christmas Carol'... it would have been impossible for the re-educated SCROOGE
to have brought a Christmas Goose to the bob Crattchet home on Christmas...
IF that eras "corner McDonald store" were not open for business and selling cooked goose

It was a turkey...and it wasn't cooked...

But your right, someone had to be open for business.

Originally posted by Chadwickus
reply to post by opethPA

 

If their is a demand for something and you are running a business then why wouldnt you be open?

Most here have no idea on how a business is run.

They just think that anyone trying to make a profit are evil NWO monsters.

oh please...alot of us know how a business is run...that isn't the point....why not 12 to 16 hour shifts every day of the week, with no overtime, like they do in china. how about paying 60 dollars a week at a GM plant in mexico, where they have 17,000 employees...
why do you think labor unions came into existance in the first place?....
ultimately, "business" wants to pay it's employees just enough to live on, so they are able to work the next day....that's how these large corporations (alot of them american) treat their employees in 3rd world nations
and they have been working for decades to get to that point, it's only a matter of time. why do you think wages have been stagnant for that last 12 to15 years in america,all the while productivity has risen, and the top 2 percent have done enormously well?

reply to post by Jeremiah65


yeah.... raw dead fowl....nice gift....like i said "IF memory serves me..."

Scrooge must have brought a bottle of vino to pass the time on that Christmas day
(edited out of the script by tea-toatlers no doubt)





of course to some. cooked bird is preferrable to ground bovine muscle (meat)
but in all fairness, McD's has a duty to be there for the first responders in our culture, having food & hot drinks avaible for cops on patrol etc... the franchises won't suffer, and the publicity will enhance the burger joints' (er Meal Place) status in the community, & a life experience for the fast food workers employed there s they grow their individual experience & resume'

Originally posted by Jeremiah65
It was a turkey...and it wasn't cooked...

But your right, someone had to be open for business.

Indeed it was, but during the visions he saw the Cratchits eating a stuffed Goose for their Xmas meal.

Oddly enough, the traditional English Christmas dinner was goose back in the day, Turkey being the preserve of the rich. In a twist of fate though, Turkey is now so cheap everyone can eat it, while Goose is very expensive, despite it being quite fatty in comparison to a Turkey. Had the story been written today, it would most likely have been the other way around.

But you're right, in order for him to wake up Xmas day and throw coins down to the lad who procured the bird, somewhere must have had to be open, unless the Street urchin stole the bird and pocketed the cash which, in my opinion and knowing what Londoners are like, is probably the most likely story.

i'm unsure why anyone cares what mcd's does, their food is garbage, their staff is garbage and their pay rate is garbage.

OMG! what F@#$%'ng difference does it make if they keep their doors open on the holidays or not...I am sure some homeless people would like a warm cheeseburger on the holidays.I love how people are so controlled by such trivial idealism.

reply to post by LittleBlackEagle


Odd that you don't care and think they are "garbage", but obviously care enough to post.. It's a bit harsh though, don't you think, especially calling their staff "garbage". They're people, like you and me, just trying to earn a buck.

That said, from what I understand about the shockingly low food standards you have in the US, I would imagine the food is garbage. At least here in the UK/EU, if it says 100% beef, it has to be, not the "pink slime" you guys had an issue with and our Chicken nuggets are made of actual chicken breast, not mashed up chicken carcass.

Originally posted by Jeremiah65

Originally posted by St Udio
if memory serves me right....

in the story 'A Christmas Carol'... it would have been impossible for the re-educated SCROOGE
to have brought a Christmas Goose to the bob Crattchet home on Christmas...
IF that eras "corner McDonald store" were not open for business and selling cooked goose

It was a turkey...and it wasn't cooked...

But your right, someone had to be open for business.

Not if he had raised his own turkey's... He could of brought eggs from his chickens. Chickens are always ready. Could of gave him cash then and let bob figure out what he wanted to spend it on.

reply to post by gangdumstyle


He did not, though. In the story, he wakes up Xmas morning, looks out the window, see's a boy in the street and after enquiring as to the day, throws coins down to him and asks him to get the butcher to send his fattest Turkey round to the Cratchit household....

reply to post by olaru12


Thats because the day to day living costs here in Australia is far greater than that in the USA.

Originally posted by stumason
reply to post by gangdumstyle

 

He did not, though. In the story, he wakes up Xmas morning, looks out the window, see's a boy in the street and after enquiring as to the day, throws coins down to him and asks him to get the butcher to send his fattest Turkey round to the Cratchit household....

Ya i know the freaking story........ Point still stands no business had to be open to give bob a goose if he had in fact raised his own...

Where we live all 3 were closed as we traveled about and if they were open the would pay double time because thats the law here.

When did Mcdonalds become considered a restaurant?