people should'nt work on Thanksgiving or Christmas

So my thesis is that know one should be forced to work on thanksgiving or Christmas. and I am meaning forced as in your boss gives you a dirty look for wanting the holiday off or your superiors make it difficult for you to get the day off. Not as in forced forced you get what I mean? I almost want to go as far as to say that it should be illegal to work on those holidays. but I realize that can be see as a extreme.

I approach this also on another front that the allure of getting holiday pay and some of these business getting people who should be spending time with their family and loved ones are working and have to leave early from the function. While I enthusiastically support family members or anyone for that matter that wants to make money, these are the times that families come together. and also I believe these black Friday/late Thursday night sales play apart into it as well. Where I have had it on both sides where a family member will say well I have to go and work late Thursday night sale. or we have to leave early so we can get up super early in the mourning to be one of the first for the black Friday deals.

I again contend that these two days are meant for family and loved ones. And people should not work on these days. I also can see where maybe some one cannot get to their family and will just say why not work on those days. I also see that as well. I think that would be the exception though,

That is unfortunately the nature of the beast when you work retail and essential jobs. Don't want to work on Christmas? Don't work at a gas station or hospital.
Remember that we are not a Christian nation, just ask people on this website. So people have no right to christmas off. Hard to have it both ways.

people should do what they want to do.

a reply to: American-philosopher

I find it ironic that there are cities that will fine a business that closes on Thanksgiving! There was a news story a couple of days ago, I believe a city in Oregon, that the owner wanted to close on Thanksgiving to give his workers the days off to be with their families but he was facing a fine if he did so....just saying.

a reply to: American-philosopher Doctors, nurses, paramedics, care workers, firefighters, police, security guards, prison officers, road gritter drivers, workers at motorway service stations, electricity/gas/nuclear power station workers, coastguards?
I guess they are needed, as a quick off the cuff list plucked from my head.

What about restaurants/bars/leisure industry? You want them shut down because they are not important? How about those without family or those who don't actually care about Christmas or Thanksgiving?
I'm all for workers being paid a premium for the day, or getting a day off in lieu, but you choose to work in any particular industry, and if the job you agree to take is one that is likely to be busy on those holidays don't take the job.

originally posted by: American-philosopher
I again contend that these two days are meant for family and loved ones.

There are a lot of people that don't observe those two days. I'm one of them.

And especially in a place like NYC, where a sizable percentage of the population doesn't observe those two days, you can't simply shut down the city. People need to get around, eat, shop, etc.

I disagree completely, but based on the premise that there are more than just two days a year where individuals can dedicate time to their families. Just because there is a tradition to do so on two days doesn't mean that, if people can't make it happen on those specific days, that there's something wrong with that or them.

You forgot about the people who need to work to pay the bills. There are quite a few people grateful for holiday pay and working on those days because it allows them to pay the bills and keep a little extra (if they get additional holiday pay).

I get your sentiment--I really do--but I just think that it's an oversimplification of how life actually works.

a reply to: American-philosopher Working Thanksgiving or Christmas is a new phenomenon, or last since Sam Walton decided to get a jump on his competition back in the mid 80'. Back when I was a kid which was the 50-60. There was no such thing as Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Everything was closed on those days even gas stations. So i blame this commercialism completely on stores that think they have to make most their profit for the year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. If a store had the right management, and a good sales structure they would not have to make up for it during November and December.

Bring back Blue Law. Which is nothing is open after Saturday midnight.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord
I agree, neither mean a thing to me and I've worked a few Christmas days in my time quite happily.
Perhaps the OP assumes everyone should care about these two contrived dates. I don't, at all, and many other people in the world don't.

originally posted by: Ceeker63
a reply to: American-philosopher Working Thanksgiving or Christmas is a new phenomenon, or last since Sam Walton decided to get a jump on his competition back in the mid 80'. Back when I was a kid which was the 50-60. There was no such thing as Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Everything was closed on those days even gas stations. So i blame this commercialism completely on stores that think they have to make most their profit for the year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. If a store had the right management, and a good sales structure they would not have to make up for it during November and December.

Bring back Blue Law. Which is nothing is open after Saturday midnight.

The Black Friday thing is a myth, you can't make your years profit in the 11th month of the year.

And this whole thing comes back to ' you can lead a horse to water, but you can make him drink'
IF nobody showed up to these stores, they would not open. Way to many people love to shop Black Friday for it to go away.

originally posted by: Ceeker63
Bring back Blue Law. Which is nothing is open after Saturday midnight.

If there is no public nuisance and the employees are happy then a business should be allowed to keep it's doors open whenever it likes as far as I'm concerned. How would it affect you otherwise?

a reply to: American-philosopher

Okay... so you've made it clear that you personally take these two particular festival celebrations to be quite sacred.

But are you willing to admit that not everyone thinks, believes, and feels the same way you do and therefore, is rather ridiculous to legally mandate across the board ?

a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

sorry I whole heartedly disagree I think you should have a right to Christmas off its more of a family thing then a religious thing.

a reply to: nwtrucker

and it was a private business??

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71


The Black Friday thing is a myth, you can't make your years profit in the 11th month of the year.

Most retail businesses operate on the fiscal year, which just started October 1, rather than the calendar year. This is the first quarter of FY2015, so it isn't chasing the eleventh month, it's chasing, and attempting to extend, the time frame when consumers traditionally spend a great deal of money. To that end, a retail outlet can certainly bring in enough earnings to cover a few leaner months.

a reply to: grainofsand

I thought I mentioned about the people who don't have family close to them. and I mean if you want to work on those days its okay I guess. hahha


I think we should have a purge scenario where all services are shut down for 24 hours. joking

a reply to: American-philosopher

It was the owner that was being interviewed, so I'd assume that was the case.

a reply to: American-philosopher
Lol
...I'll work any day of the year if I think the price is worth it, and last gave a toss about Christmas when I believed in Santa.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

We can go one day without shopping right?? and Are you going to get mad at a business because they decided to shutdown for the holiday??

a reply to: SlapMonkey

and wait you can't continuously pay your bills on holiday pay. I don't think you can can you. theres only like 4 or 5 holidays that you actually can get holiday pay for right.

and I thought I mentioned that in my family I had people make that choice to take the holiday pay. I said I get the fact that people want to make money.