Then don't work in retail, simple as that. I have worked in hospitality for years and I have had to work on holidays when everyone else was home with their families. Does it suck? Absolutely, but I choose to work where I do. I think Black Friday has gotten ridiculous, but it is the choice of the business as to when they would like to be open. Be grateful for a job at all, I am sure there are many who would be glad to take your place.

Fire, Police, Hotel Entertainment industry and Grocery store employees all work these holidays, why are you not crying for them. This same issue came up last year when Wally World did it, no one died. My wife works her regular schedule regardless of the holidays, she does not even get extra pay for doing it, but she knew that when she excepted the job.

Greed, is that the same as making enough money, to pay your overhead, keep your employees working and the doors to your business open for another year. I drive through many areas in So-Cal and see all the boarded up stores, I wonder if the people who had worked or owned those stores wish they could be open on a holiday instead of unemployed or out of business.

Why is it always the employer who is greedy, I do not think because you run a business and want to make money that makes you greedy, if you cheat your employees so you can have more, more, more, you are greedy, if they make changes just so you can keep the doors open and employees working, they should be considered generous.

Well, anytime I decide to go shopping Thursday at midnight it's a real waste of time. The deals are just not worth the waiting in line in the cold to get into a store. I'll walk off the turkey on Friday and that will work just as well. Hopefully the employees can at least get some overtime pay considering the weird hours.

This black friday thing has gotten way out of control. Even Friday @ 7 a.m. is silly.

I don't even go out to the stores on black friday. It's a complete waste of time & money!

Get over it. If you want stores to NOT be open on Thanksgiving then boycott the stores till Friday. Christmas is the largest shopping time of the year. It's not a sacred holiday, like everything else it is just a time for business to make big money in retail and entertainment. Before you pound on me for this statement ponder how you spend the month of December. Do you prepare religiously or spend your time preparing for parties?

I have worked in retail for the last 9 years in management here in California and can say that I haven't seen a holiday season with my family in all of those years. Is this upsetting at times, yes it is, but you have to look at the nature of the beast. We work in retail! In retail the holidays are by far the busiest, hands down. I hire a lot of seasonal employees under the pretense that they will be working long hours over the holiday season, because this is retail and this is how it works. I hire the seasonal's to hopefully give my regular employees a break during the holiday madness, it does not always work that way but we try.

It basically comes down to this. If you work in retail expect to work long hours during the holiday season, if you don't like it then move on and find something that you do like.

Sigh. Here we go again. Business is business. Consumers and Employees have drank so much kool-aide that they have forgotten where they fit into these equations.

We still have a capitalistic system. The best ever invented *IF* government keeps its regulatory nose out of it and the *PEOPLE* don't forget where they fit into the machinery.

If you don't like the practices of a particular business, don't shop there and don't work there.

I don't care *HOW* big the business is, without customers or employees it will simply die.

When that happens, other, more industrious and intelligent people come in, pick up the pieces and, if the business or industry was viable, resume operation with new protocols and community standards that are supported by the labor force and the consumer.

If not, the assets are stripped, sold off and the failed business venture is exactly that; failed.

We don't need government intervention. We don't even need "Organized" intervention such as Unions. We simply need for people to have the testicular fortitude to take a stand and stick to it.

The market is perfectly capable of sorting itself out if the people do their simple part.

If they joined a union, this would not happen because employers would have to pay double or triple time for hours worked on a holiday. It is only because they have no organization that these retailers can take advantage of them like this.

The average worker has only his labor to sell! Unless you have an organization behind you, this is what you get. No job security, no pensions, no insurance and unlimited abuse by employers.

Of course, someone will scream union thugs. Well, the union membership has been falling for some years now. Maybe that's why the middle class keeps losing wages and the 1% keep gaining. FDR recognized this in the depression but since history isn't taught in the schools anymore, I guess workers are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over. When will you grow a backbone and stand up for yourselves? Your politicians aren't going to do it for you. YOU have to take a stand.

I think everyone posting here realizes how bad the economy is and how bad we all need our jobs. However, it is yet another situation where employers can actually force us to do their bidding because there are no other jobs to choose from. The lady above who so blatantly commented that when she was tired of working holidays she got out of retail - what year was that I wonder? What other job is there to get? Most of us in retail have not yet found that "other job". The point is, yes, I will work Black Friday and have in the past because I have to but I DO NOT go in to work the evening BEFORE Black Friday nor do I shop on that day. Thanksgiving Day is my real issue CLOSE THE STORES and MALLS and allow employees to enjoy these holidays and come back the next day feeling good and ready to work. There has never ever been a good and valid reason to open a retail business on Thanksgiving and Christmas and it needs to stop immediately. For many years we got along just fine not shopping on these family days - the retailers decided to start opening the doors because of GREED. It does not matter that people come, the retailers do need to do the right thing and that is not open on those holidays - period.

I get the fact that people are out of work and need a job and would gladly take their place because they are complaining about working it. BUT think about it.....IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A NATIONAL HOLIDAY! Give the workers the day of - let them spend their time with family and friends. If you don't want to participate in this holiday - don't - but don't say you want to go shopping and can't. THIS IS AN AMERICAN HOLIDAY.....if you live in AMERICA - you should get the day off from retailers!!!! Too many greedy corporations and too many greedy shoppers. Let's get back to the good 'ole VALUES of this country....that are going by the way side.

And by the way...who works for these companies? My 17 year old daughter does, what is this teaching her? Getting time and a half is more important than spending time with her family......GREAT learning experience.

Shame on ALL the places opening any earlier than 6 AM on Friday AFTER Thanksgiving. I love Black Friday, but I won't go to any of the stores that are open on Thanksgiving Day.

AND IF you are one of those that do go on Thanksgiving Day......please say THANK YOU to the people who ring you up and don't be crabby. Because I gaurantee you that most of them don't want to be there.

Well, if idiots didn't shop on Thanksgiving in the first place we would not have this problem. As long a people shop, stores will open and if you work for those stores, you will probably be working.

Here is a refreshing idea----Why not blame the shoppers instead of your employer? Start a revolution---get on facebook and twitter, pass out flyers. DON'T SHOP ON THANKSGIVING! Be a community organizer it seams to work for some people.

I am 65 yrs old. Never shoped on Black Friday and never will !

Sorry but after all the cooking and preparing and having a good time with family the last thing I want to do is shop. I want to sleep!! Besides, all the hordes are stupid. If you are the 20th in line for that $100 dollar TV or whatever drags you out of the house at that early hour you won't get the TV since they only stock 10 or 15 of them anyway. Why bother? It is just a lure to get you in. I went to best by one year (the one and only time mind you being curious of all the hype and all)and couldn't even walk around the store never mind find the prize discounted item never mind waiting 2 hours in line to be checked out.

If you don't like it quit. The libs will give you food stamps for the holidays.

'YOUR LUCKY TO HAVE A JOB"

For those out of work, there really are a number of retail jobs available at $6-$7 and hour with no benefits for hourly employees. The keep the hours under 20 a week when they can so these employees do not qualify for unemployment or disability in my state. My wife has to be in at 11:30 PM thanksgiving night until 4:30 AM and then be back by 11 AM on Friday. Yes it's holiday pay so she will make$60 instead of $40 less commuting expense for gas. Is it that important that everything be opened on every holiday? If people want to volunteer to work these insane hours than that should be the first line of defense, people should not be threatened with job loss because they wont work 15 hours during a 24 hour day. Take a clue from Europe, respect holidays for what they are, a respite from work. Also I could not agree more with the writers who said we complain about outsourced jobs, then rush to buy goods made in china. Hypocrites all. I assume all executives of these companies will work the same hours right? And for those who say you are lucky to have a job, have you applied at McDonalds or Burger King or KFC? they are always looking for help and they pay the same as retail, so dont tell me about lucky to have a job, you want one, low pay or not, they are there so take it and work 90 hours and week and die young.

I think the next step in this will be for all store everywhere to be open 365 days a year. No more holidays, all in the name of greed.

Its all about the corporate greed. We need the blue law back. Which was mandatory closing on Sundays and holidays. So employees can be with family. I'll bet anyone that disagrees like some posters above , will be off enjoying the holiday looking for stupid deals.

I use to work for an airline. There are no holidays for them. Retail should be open 24/7 365 days a year, plus one every 4th year. If they are not open, they are loosing money. You never know when you might need a new pair of socks.

I never go out on Black Friday. It's stupid and ridiculous! And I sure as heck wouldn't go out on Thanksgiving night. Let's those employees have a day with families. Quit being so damn greedy! It's bad enough that Christmas and Black Friday is being promoted in October.

It seems silly to me to take a retail job during the holidays and then be pissed when you have to work on the holidays. HELLO? Its retail, everyone knows you get the bad hours. I have worked at many retailers throughout my life and never expected to have holidays off. I worked Christmas morning when I was working at Starbucks. If you don't like it then quit! If you can't afford to quit then you really can't afford to complain now can you? Be thankful you have a job. My best friends family always has thanksgiving the day before because her father and brother always have to work on Thanksgiving day. It has never been a problem for us, it still feels exactly like Thanksgiving when we are all around the table eating, day ahead or not because we get to enjoy having her father and brother with us to celebrate.

As the recent electoin results indicate, a majority of Americans no longer really care about family values, sadly. Thanksgiving has always been a "traditional" family holiday. But most Americans don't seem to value family or the traditional family. It's a shame, but it won't be long until Black Friday begins at 9 am or noon on Thanksgiving. Why should traditional families infringe upon everyone else's right to shop for bargains on Thanksgiving morning? After all, they have no place to be.

I have stopped celebrating Christmas. When we get back to having morals and stop worshipping the dollar bill, then I MAY reconsider

I have worked 28 years in medicine. The ER never shut down for holidays. I raised 3 children as a single mom from 3,5&7yr. My children learned that we were a family and we made our time together special. Maybe our Thanksgiving was on Wed or Sat but it was OURs and just as special as the ones celebrated in other homes on Thurs. I do not do Black Friday shopping, way too crazy for me...I saw enough crazy in the ER! While I do feel for others forced to work on any holiday, by 6pm the meal is over, family is tired and employers need to maintain their edge in this economy if they are to remain in business and continue to offer jobs to the public. I would treat this situation as I treated mine...just glad to have my job and get my check on pay day!

The petitioner C. Renee needs to quit her retail job if she doesn't want to work retail hours. Or, maybe she needs to move out of California. It certainly is more expensive to live there (maybe you wouldn't need to work 2 jobs). Or, she could invite her family to California for Thanksgiving. I am so tired of the whiners!

There are MILLIONS of people who have to work on holidays: Police, Fire, Emergency, Food Service and hotel workers, truck and bus drivers, utility people to name just a few, so this big victimization of retail workers is crazy. This is their best chance to get plenty of hours. These folks need to get over themselves and be happy they have a job!!