Thanksgiving may not be so jolly for many retailer employees. Though employees may be thankful for many things, their early hours during Thanksgiving most likely doesn’t top that list.
Walmart has angered employees after its announced that it will open 10 pm on Thursday in preparation for Black Friday. This earlier opening strips away valuable family time for many employees. Considering most of them work longer hours and earn lower wages than other workers, it is no surprise that workers are voicing their discontent.
Yet Walmart isn’t the only one placing consumers over employees, Target, Best Buy, and Toys “R” Us are taking similar measures and are facing much protest. Target’s employees have garnered over 200,000 signatures for their petition on the web.
Target Petition Target defends black friday hours amid protests, explaining that its earlier hours are all about staying competitive. Yet ironically hundreds of Target customers have voiced their empathy for employees, urging Target to save Thanksgiving. I strongly agree with Allen Ma’s blog “Treat Your Employees Like Customers” and as mentioned in my previous post, its time for Target and Walmart to follow the steps of Zappos.