Allisyn Rees, a sophomore at Ball State, has been working in the retail industry for 4-5 years. For Rees, Thanksgiving means more than just the turkey, pumpkin pie and the time with family.
It means working Black Friday, the day of discounts, sales and mega-deals that nearly every retailer in the nation celebrates.
As the years have passed, the capitalist holiday has gained more participation from retailers and customers. According to the National Retail Federation, more than 140 million Americans are expected to participate in the Black Friday shopping this year. The popularity and competition has now caused the Black Friday deals to start early, including into Thanksgiving Day.
“We live in that society where people need to buy things that are on sale,” Beth Butler, a Ball State social work major, said. “It’s a consumer society, that’s the normal thing. People miss their family dinners because they’re lining up outside the store.”
Butler works for Wet Seal at the Hamilton Town Center in Noblesville. Some of the Hamilton Town Center Mall retailers will open their doors at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve this year. Butler says she disagrees with stores opening during the holiday.
“I think people should be with their families,” Butler said.
Hamilton Town Center Mall is owned by Simon Property Group, the nation’s largest mall operator. Most of its malls around the country will open its doors at 8 p.m. Thursday evening, with some opening even earlier. The Muncie Mall, also owned by Simon Property Group, is one of the malls opening at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
“Heading to Muncie Mall with family and friends is the perfect way to wrap up a holiday about gratitude and togetherness,” Stacey Nance, manager at Muncie Mall, said in a Nov. 20 statement. “Many families enjoy entertainment traditions around Thanksgiving, whether it’s sharing meals, going shopping, seeing a movie, or watching a game together. “
Nance said the earlier hours will meet their customer’s different schedules. However, not all consumers are pleased with the earlier hours. Multiple online petitions at Change.org have demanded that Simon-owned malls stay closed on Thanksgiving.
The most popular petition, with 29,000 signatures, was authored by a Simon Mall employee in Green Bay, Wis.
“Shouldn’t malls, which are family friendly establishments, have good morals and standards that fully support the American family and their values,” Amber Baumgart, author of the petition, said in the petition. “This is a time for families to come together and enjoy a meal. To catch up. To have fun. Why are mall employees any different?”
Baumgart said opening the store on Thanksgiving was crossing the line. She also wrote that at her company, none of the employees will receive holiday compensation. Many businesses reward customers who work holidays with time and a half pay or other incentives.
Rees, who works at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, said she won’t receive any holiday pay. Neither will Cara Calanni, a senior Dance and Photography major, who works at Finishline in the Muncie Mall.
Calanni says her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, but she hasn’t celebrated the holiday with her family in Cleveland in three years due to work. Calanni said it’s because of the early hours on Black Friday that she is unable to travel for the holiday.
“I think it’s ridiculous they are opening at 8 p.m.,” Calanni said. “It’s supposed to be a day of thanks and not going out indulging in greedy behavior to get the best deal. It upsets me that big corporations make these rules pushing the time earlier and earlier each year when those who choose I doubt are out there working themselves.”
Les Morris, director of public relations at Simon Property Group, said the extended holiday hours are designed to be more flexible for their customers’ schedules. But, for some employees of Simon malls, the new hours don’t feel very flexible at all.
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