My wife's Thanksgiving shopping rant she gave to her cousins. I thought I would share.

[diabeticman]

My wife's cousins are lucky enough to be well off. both have nice homes and enjoy shopping. She was very disappointed in them today and I know we have on this board for the past week argued about what's the is it or isn't it a big deal about stores being opened on Thanksgiving.


She basically said:

Really?! You actually want to go shopping today because it is boring sitting around waiting for your mother and aunts to cook Thanksgiving dinner. What's the big deal?


How about the disrespect we are showing to our fellow Americans more and more each year. We have these poor retail people working for wages that keep them at the poverty level with no vacation time and sick leave time--usually and because of most of the states being right to work states these people can be fired for not taking an extra shift or taking time off to care for their children or for call off because they are too sick and have a fever so high that they can't stand up OR they can easily be fired for twitting about a bad day at work.

In 2013 we are still under the illusion that we are the greatest country in the world when in reality we are the biggest joke ever on humanity. We are seeing the divide of the have and have nots becoming wider and wider and no one is serious about this! We let corporations get richer and richer on the backs of our fellow humans who are JUST trying to make a small comfortable corner in this world for themselves.

By going shopping today you in my mind are helping Corporation slap their workers in the face yet again.

The slaps in the face of low wages, of no benefits, of knowing they can so easily replace AND now you want greed to basically say these people are not deserving of time with their families?

You people are lucky that you have jobs that allow you to take LONG weekends off for holidays EVEN weeks. YES you work hard and I'm not denying you or just earnings BUT just remember while you are shopping and "Having Fun" today that person helping you or checking you out isn't making HALF of what you make!

And I think my wife summed up what some of us on this board have been trying to say.

We treat these people so poorly min wage that with all the hurdlers they have to go through with little pay and little to no benefits like holiday pay or sick time and those who may have it it seems they get penalized for using those times. Do we really want to force them away from their families?

It would be one thing if stores asked for volunteers and paid them time in a half but their are some stores who don't pay workers time and a half that they cut hours and manipulate schedules so these workers never get full time to qualify for time and a half and these people work their asses off for those few pennies an hour and yet we are okay with yet another slap in the face that you HAVE to work a holiday and you are not worthy to have a holiday.

If I offend I am sorry.

Yes, there are restaurants that are open because there are some people who don't like to cook. Of the restaurants open the ones I know that are open are family run sit down places who asked their wait staff to volunteer and they often had staff only work a few hours allowing them to spend the rest of their time with family.

Yes, hospitals firefighters cops etc are working but think logically you need these serves and these are people well pay who will see double time if not time and a half plus they often have festive parties in their break rooms (the retailers are not) and their jobs are important.

What I believe and my wife believe is that those who are in the worst situation shouldn't have to also see their holiday suffer for profits they will never see or benefit from.

[Sheldon Cooper]

1. Your wife rants a lot.

[diabeticman]

5. yes she does. I run when I see her going to the computer or watching rachel maddow.

[loli phabay]

6. she does seem to. luckily the poster has perfect memory recall.

[diabeticman]

10. With this one I was shocked her saying this and well just happened

the one from earlier this week was a lot of paraphrasing and asking her what she said as I typed.

[delrem]

24. Yours was an interesting post. Thank you.

I can't get the notion out of my head that we (our "western" culture) react to the marketplace like trained seals. So much as we do, it makes the Christmas or Holiday Season something to be endured with nothing (not a fucking thing) to redeem it.

My family (through my grandparents, and through theirs) taught me that presents from Santa were for children, that presents between adults were mere tokens.

I don't like corporations taking over our holidays. I don't think they should associate their sales extravaganzas with our holidays - I think it would be better all around if corporations coined their own schedule, and that it avoided and respected our holidays.

Just sayin'....

[awoke_in_2003]

26. We are trained like Pavlov's dogs...

And the bells (Christmas songs) are now starting before Halloween.

[NaturalHigh]

2. While I agree with most of what your wife is saying...

I will point out that some people actually like to work the holidays if they get the extra pay. When I was younger and sans wife and kids, I always tried to work the holidays because I could make 2.5 days pay for eight hours. Of course, I have one of those jobs that absolutely has to be staffed 24-7 (no I'm not a cop or a fireman), but some retailers do offer premium pay for holidays.

Again, though, I do agree with your wife's sentiments.

[diabeticman]

4. And that's one thing if you don't mind working that you are in a position to volunteer you day

that you get paid well. She and I have done that ourselves so that people with children and families can be with them. Some retailers do but there are a lot --in fact a couple stores in our town --national chain stores that we have been told by workers that they DO NOT get holiday pay.

we have no problem with those type of situations but so many people today ARE not in those positions.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

9. Keyword, some.

Fuck that. If you are not essential to the safety of our country, ie police, you should get a day to spend with your family. In europe, thay call it holliday. Holy day. In this rat trap they call it "vacation" like you are vacating your responsibilities. Enough! People should get a break from profit!

[MADem]

15. One of the youngsters in our family is getting "double overtime."

Overtime is time and a half, so he's getting triple pay for working today.

He works with the profoundly disabled, and enjoys his work. It's not really a sacrifice; but the extra cash will come in handy.

[delrem]

25. He enjoys his work and he's getting triple overtime. cushy, I've gotta say.

[MADem]

29. Not cushy, really--but worthy--and he likes it, and he likes the people he helps.

He works with veterans and others who are profoundly disabled and need constant and continuous care. It's a job that takes a specific type of person, as well as a lot of mental grounding, because it's easy to get depressed. It also helps to be physically strong, and he is that. He not only helps them with their personal care, he coordinates their activities, provides support for them if they want to make a visit to their family home (they are so compromised they have to live in an assisted living setting) and he organizes outings for them. He's an amazing young man--he has the ability to communicate with/understand clients who can only blink and raise a single eyebrow. He gets as much back as he gives but it's not really cushy.

[MADem]

38. I would like to see the minimum wage raised to twenty bucks an hour.

I'd even settle for fifteen.

It needs to go up, it's crazy how low it is. People get paid in the dark these days....

[babylonsister]

36. Wow! He's giving so much back.

Please thank him for me for being so capable and loving!

[MADem]

37. He is MADE for this work, and it is made for him.

He's one of the lucky people who likes getting out and going to work. I will be honest, I don't know if I could do that job day in, day out, but he enjoys the challenges and really cares about the people he serves. He is a huge sports fan, and so are many of his clients--a few of them are former athletes (high school or college, not pros) and he will take them to sports events. He tries to get them out as much as possible, interacting in the world, despite their issues.

[awoke_in_2003]

27. And those that want to work...

make it harder on those that don't work. Don't want to work? Fine we will find someone who will. Like scabs crossing a picket line.

[NuclearDem]

28. Fuck that.

No retail store needs to be open on a holiday. The encouragement to bring people in to work on those days by paying them higher (which their employer should be doing the whole fucking year) is just insane.

[CrispyQ]

32. I don't know.

A lot of people would go crazy if the liquor stores weren't open.

When I was a kid, I don't think even gas stations were open. I'm sure I recall that gassing the car was always something taken care of the day before. ???

[MADem]

39. There was usually ONE. You might have to go two towns over.

I think they took turns. Sometimes they'd put it in the local paper.

OR....you could go out to the highway, to the truck stop. Those usually stayed open no matter what.

Pharmacies, too--just in case there was an emergency. "Your" pharmacy might not be open in Mayberry, but the one over in Mount Pilot might keep open till nine or ten!

[tammywammy]

3. Why doesn't your wife sign up to DU? n/t

[diabeticman]

8. because she is too liberal for some on this view. She is a critic of the president and Democrats at

time and I have seen people get banned from this board for critizing the presidents policies.

[daleanime]

18. I think she would fit right in....

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

7. How dare your wife

offer her opinion on what might be a moral decision. Does she not know that not everyone will agree? Especially the corporations.

[BlueJazz]

11. Your wife is a caring, intelligent woman.

[karend62]

12. just another day in Mississippi

With the opening of deer season and the Egg Bowl (Ole Miss vs Mississippi State), it's just another recreational day for a moneyed middle class. Might as well open up the retail stores to give the wives something to do. Employees who are forced to work won't complain (too loudly) - they need to earn an extra $36 to make up for the cutback in food stamps in November.

[blue14u]

22. Welcome to DU karend62....

[SheilaT]

13. It's the retail workers who are mostly

getting crap pay for working today.

I'm working today -- 9am to 8pm but I'm essentially getting double time, plus a free meal (which really wasn't worth it but that's another story). I work in a hospital, so I know that holidays come with the territory.

It has often seemed to me that a lot of people who do office work, during the daytime only, with weekends and holidays off, honestly have no idea what it's like to do shift work, to work weekends and holidays. Sometimes I think everyone should be required to work retail for at least one year of their lives. Or at least the bosses who decide to be open on Thanksgiving should have to work at the stores also.

[Skittles]

20. you got that right Shelia

I'll add that people who work regular hours have no idea what it's like to work 12 hours all night on three hours sleep because of WEEDEATERS

[TNNurse]

14. I like your wife

I gave a much abbreviated version to some coworkers. I do not think I was very successful. We work in a hospital, we know about working holidays..... it seems we should have more compassion.

[pansypoo53219]

16. luckily i do not care if my uncle's inlaws waste their money.

[lib87]

17. Your Wife is right on the Money

I remember working minimum wage jobs and they forced us to work holidays for the same pay as any other day. I hated every moment of it especially when a customer suggested working on the holidays wasn't bad because I would be getting time and a half.

[ErikJ]

19. Thanksgiving is arbitrary and a marketing gimmick

It kicks off the Christmas shopping blitz with the Black Friday deal. It is also duplicitous of Christmas which is SUPPOSED to be the holiday for getting together with family and friends. No other country has Thanksgiving as well. I just dont understand having 2 of them less than a month apart. Makes no sense.

[passiveporcupine]

21. how about a little respect to the Mom and Aunts

slaving in the kitchen. It's a joy for them to have family there to share the meal, but why should they be working alone in the kitchen while the grown kids are out gadding about and shopping? How about the young adults offer to help with meal prep, so the Mom and Aunts have time to sit down now and then and maybe sip a glass of wine with their feet up? How about they stick around and actually have some pleasant family time playing games or something, instead of being off doing something so self centered, and just the opposite of what Thanksgiving is supposed to be about.

When we get together, we sit at the kitchen table, playing games and laughing with everyone in the kitchen, and everyone who can pitches in to help with anything they can. The only ones who aren't in there are the little kids who are off doing their own thing somewhere else in the house.

And then of course, there is the issue of what is wrong with Black Friday (or now Black Thursday) in the first place. What is happening to this country?

[passiveporcupine]

23. this is perfect for this thread

[img][/img]

[diabeticman]

31. DiabeticMan's wife actually typing: MY own thoughts

Can't sleep and found this thread.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4107267


I watch the video and commented but still found the image very disturbing....I have to add and some may be offended by this - I find that this is a time where I am ashamed to be an American.

Can you imagine if we used all that energy to help those of us who really needed it.

[B2G]

33. But did she get them to sign up for Obamacare?

That's the really important question.

Sounds like you had a lovely holiday.

[Johonny]

34. But the day your wife went shopping and bought all the food to cook

That day it was OK to go shopping

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves


At stores that treat employees badly there is no right day to go shopping at them.

[FloridaJudy]

35. When I worked as a hospital nurse I often volunteered to work holidays

My family wasn't near, and I didn't have children then. So I let the people who wanted to spend that time with their families have them. While I didn't get paid overtime for it, it allowed me to accumulate more vacation days. The workload was also a bit lighter - while people still got sick, no one scheduled elective surgery then.

But it was my choice. It was also essential work. People aren't going to die if they can't get a flat screen TV right now! They might if they need a nurse/cop/firefighter/doctor and no one is available.

Forcing those poor slobs making minimum wage to work holidays is an abomination.

[cynatnite]

40. Well, it is plain rude to want to go shop out of bordom rather than help cook the meal...

We didn't have anyone home Thursday...actually, I should say I didn't. The grown up kids had plans and husband wasn't going to be home from work until late.

So I shopped.

Thanksgiving was moved to Sunday.