(no subject)

[lagilman]

Dear Retail World: if I hear Christmas music coming from your doors before 10 December, I will shop/dine somewhere else. Two weeks is PLENTY of time for you to assault our eardrums/make us hate the sound of caroling.

Seriously, I understand that many of you love the Christmas season, and it makes you all happy 'n shit to have reminders start before Thanksgiving, but c'mon, son....

Comments

[gonzai55.livejournal.com]

Heh. I was at a McDonald's drive thru in October, and they were loading in supplies - I could hear 'O Come All Ye Faithful' playing in the storage room.

[brickhousewench.livejournal.com]

When I worked retail back in the day, corporate sent us the Christmas CD in freaking August. Thankfully our store manager knew that if she played Christmas carols for four months straight that her employees would all be homicidal lunatics by the time the holidays actually rolled around. She "lost" the CD in her desk until Thanksgiving. Bless her.

[janetl.livejournal.com]

I saw Christmas lights on a house last night. Wrong!

[lagilman]

I will grant the affixing of lights pre-Thanksgiving, particularly in areas where we could get snow/ice that could make stringing lights treacherous.

Actually lighting the display, though... yeah.

(I will reserve my critiques of people who think Too Much is Best WRT lawn displays for a later date)

[gorgeousgary]

Can we make that December 11th? Then you'd also be wishing me a carol-free birthday...

But yeah, what happened to waiting until at least day-after-Thanksgiving to make the switch?

[madrobins]

I love the Christmas season, but I'm right there with you. My birthday is December 7, and I take serious issue with seeing/hearing Christmas tat before then (I know. Losing battle). I was particularly horrified, the day before Halloween, to note that the Halloween goodies and costumes were being unseated at Target and the Christmas decorations were already moving in.

Jeez, guys. Really?

[genobeba24.livejournal.com]

The only place that it doesn't bother me as much is at fabric/craft stores, because it takes time to actually make decorations. But if it's coming at me from a commercial or walking through any other store, I start twitching in reaction/reaching for the mute button.

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

they already have the Mall Santas out there... *sigh*

[mysocalledhell.livejournal.com]

I am actually SERIOUSLY surprised that they haven't started playing at my retail job yet. And happy, because we usually get very bad Christmas music. Last year they started in the middle of October. I nearly cried. They probably won't hold off much after Black Friday, if at all. Makes me sad to think about.

[jperceval.livejournal.com]

Word.

[smoemeth.livejournal.com]

I'm with you until after Thanksgiving is over, at least ... give us that buffer zone!!

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

Alas, there is no more Thanksgiving.

I was talking with a mall store manager this week, and he was looking really glum. Turns out he'd been expecting to have to open on Midnight, but the mall listened to the complaints of some national chain tenants and decided to open at 8 PM. He was pretty certain the word would come down from his bosses that he'd have to open at 8 PM too, and that would basically eliminate any chance at a real Thanksgiving dinner.

[lagilman]

There is some serious and significant pushback against this "retail open on Thanksgiving" thing which I am all for, myself

(despite Easter and Christmas being a wasteland of nothing-is-open-not-even-a-supermarket for the non-celebrants and the celebrants-but-I-need-to-escape-my-family-ites but hey at least our mass transit runs on Chrismtas whcih is more than I can say for the UK)


Personally, I think any store that has required work hours during Thanksgiving (afternoon/evening) is a store I won't shop in. Except restaurants. If a restaurant is open on Thanksgiving they're kind of staying true to the nature of the celebration and I should bloody well hope they're feeding their employees really well too and paying them overtime wages.)

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

Right now, it seems that the grocery stores are the only ones not opening on Thanksgiving evening. There are probably more stores out there, but chasing the buck has finally eclipsed Thanksgiving.

Drug stores, like Walgreen's, I understand. Somebody might need a prescription filled or need some emergency over the counter medicine, and in that case they're providing a service. But Walmart opening at 8 PM isn't a service, it's trying to pad their already obscene profit margin.

I certainly hope there's a big pushback this year, but knowing some of the shopper crowd I kind of doubt it.

[lagilman]

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/11/14/retail-workers-fight-back-want-stores-closed-on-thanksgiving/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Shopping-on-Thanksgiving-Day/170242469660854

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-target-to-save-thanksgiving

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/11/how_shoppers_will_ultimately_decide_if_retailers_keep_opening_on_thanksgiving.html

http://bangordailynews.com/2013/11/19/business/maine-retailers-wont-be-open-thanksgiving-for-shopping-bonanzas/

(just a quick grab of links)

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

I've been reading them with interest the past month or so, and the groundswell of discontent is bigger than last year. However, it's all on the shoppers to not show up. I do my part by not showing up, but until demand drops the stores have a built-in excuse to open earlier and earlier.

[lagilman]

Probably too much to hope - after getting rid of Blue Laws - more states pass laws similar to New England's. But bad press is almost as good (and sometimes bette) than a law.

Myself, I gave up on retail humanity after people DYING in "doorbuster" sales didn't stop stores from still using the term "doorbuster" (or people from being assholes to get a cheap tv).

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

Amen to that. I thought that when people were trampled to death it would have put a damper on the entire Black Friday rush --essentially a Who Concert moment-- but people just shrugged it off and kept on coming year after year. In effect, they were saying their lives were worth fighting over cheap crap that companies make specifically to be used as doorbusters.

[6-penny.livejournal.com]

Two weeks ago there were lights at a neighboring house. I managed to suppress the urge to amble in that direction with wirecutters.
It does get me working on my Humbug mood early. Perhaps the extra practice will be beneficial to my adrenal system!