It's Official.. Black Friday Is Out of Control!

I feel in love with Thanksgiving. It is one of the holidays i look forward to the most. Hubby gets a day off (2 this year), and my kids are out of school. i even cook a pretty traditional dinner (considering i am foreign). I ignore Christmas decor until after Thanksgiving. i decorate my house inside and out, and I avoid black friday. There isn't anything worth to me to leave my family, shop all night, and the come home and spend the next day in a zombie-like state, plus I am done with christmas shopping early, except for hubby. I get best deals on things i want year round. but i love love thanksgiving/

Thanksgiving has become a retail race to who has the highest sales. It's sad that they don't care about the employees spending time with family. I also think the only way to stop them is for everyone to not shop that day, but we all know that will never happen.

If no one goes at 10PM they will never do it again and it won't become another "shopping day"...but unfortunately people will go, and the next thing you know Thanksgiving will be about the best deal, not family and being thankful.

I'm all for a good deal...but not like that.

Well, I don't think retailers can dictate our appreciation of a holiday and the level of importance placed on it.
I sure hope we aren't or don't come to dismiss it - I also don't feel Easter or 4th are dismissed. . . personally.
Maybe we should start our own "occupy" movement _ "Occupy Thanksgiving" lol.

Actually, Toys R Us is even worse--they are opening at 9 pm!

I won't be participating in any of the Black Friday insanity.

In fact, I will be boycotting ANY retailer who opens on Thanksgiving Day or anyone who opens before 6 am. Just crazy consumerism run rampant.

I WILL be patronizing Nordstrom this year (I never have considered it before), because they are not planning on opening early and won't even be decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving.

Hmmm...I don't know if it will or not. I don't really think that society is "dismissing" the holiday...I think retailers are thinking more people are willing to stay up late instead of get up early.
L.

I worked at Bass Pro, a hunting and fishing store and we were always open during Thanksgiving. From 9 - 6. Hardly anyone ever came in and we spent most of the time playing cards or sitting on the counters chatting.

It annoyed me, but I had some good times during it too. :)

I agree, Thanksgiving is slowly becoming all about the retail instead of the holiday. I think if one of the big retailers said, No, we are keeping these hours so our employees can enjoy the holiday with their families, I would be more likely to shop with them!

I know people who do celebrate Black Friday and Thanksgiving is just a meal to carb load for shopping stamina. :)

I, however, don't "do" Black Friday. I would rather pay full price for an enormous TV than try to get a great price and get my lights punched out by some wacko at Wal-Mart.

I will be enjoying Thanksgiving to the fullest! Can't wait to spend some quality time with family and remember how thankful I am for everything and everyone in my life. And to answer your question, yes, I do think that society is slowly dismissing Thanksgiving. It's a shame.

The only reason this has "gotten out of control" (your words) is because people shop the sales. I can't fault them for saving money.

And I don't see how this takes away from Thanksgiving celebrations. Who is eating a full turkey dinner at midnight?

I like to give thanks for getting a good deal on Thanksgiving. (Just kidding)

But, yes I'm a black friday shopper if anything just for the fun of it. I go with a group of my favorite gals, 2 of the them whom are related to me.

I still will spend all day with my family. My parents have Thanksgiving dinner at 11am and my IL's at 2pm. I will arrive to my parents house around 9am and leave my IL's around 5pm. 4 hours at my parents and 3 hours at my IL's....I think is plenty.

I think its funny how people hate on Black Friday but they don't talk about the stores that run Thanksgiving day sales starting at 6am and ending at 12-2pm. I know at least two stores in my area that do this. As for those that work retail...it would suck. But if you don't like it get out of it. I used to work at a video store in my college days....guess what the video store NEVER closed. I worked Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve...etc etc....

As one who avoids Black Friday like the plague anyway, I am SUPER disappointed that this is taking even MORE away from Thanksgiving. I LOVE Thanksgiving and the purpose of giving thanks, the story of the Pilgrims and Indians, everything, it's one of my favorite holidays. I know that I personally will always keep Thanksgiving as it's own holiday, but it makes me mad/sad that others are throwing it away for such selfish purposes.

It's annoying. Yes, a matter of time. It's all about making another $, and more importantly, you spending your $$s at their store and not their competitors. So each one will start opening earlier than the others to lure you their way instead of towards their competitors. To each his own! I'd rather go to our local mom and pops store, spend an extra $1.00 on an item that's not on sale, and know that mom and pop will eat better and hopefully be able to pay keep their business open. (Not to mention, I save money by shopping locally - I live 30 minute drive from a Walmart or Target or Best Buy.)

Didn't read everyones post, past April C yet. Wanted to add along the same lines. In the past years I've wanted to decorate for Thanksgiving. I LOVE the colors and thought I'd rather put a little more into that Holiday. I like making my own things so went to craft stores and to the Fabric store one recent year. The clerks treated me like I was crazy, one seemed to question my sanity regarding this mythical Holiday called Thanksgiving. You would've thought I was Linus looking for the Great Pumpkin or something. I left muttering (cursing) under my breath. I really don't like Christmas being shoved down our throughts for the sake of the almighty dollar!

It won't affect me at all. I don't play the "Black Friday" game.

If retailers have enough people that DO play the game, they will continue to have their employees work at whatever time they deem necessary.
If there wasn't a profitable bottom line, they wouldn't be doing it.

I do think it stinks that the employees have to go to work on a holiday.

I think that if Target wants to open at 12AM and WalMart at 10PM, they are preventing their employees from celebrating a relaxing day with their families. It is about the big buck and not being thankful. Places are already filled up with Christmas stuff and I refuse to buy any of it. I long ago bailed on Black Friday because the crowds are insane and by careful shopping throughout the year or shopping online, I can spare myself the agony. I have no need for a $50 TV. Our Christmas will be much more modest this year and more focused on family than things.

Easter has gotten pretty materialistic, too, but for us it is about going to church and then spending time with family. The Easter Bunny pays DD a visit and she's done an egg hunt, but that's secondary.

For those who see stores open on Sunday, do a little traveling. There are still many places where stores are not open Sunday at all, or close early every day. No 10PM groceries for them.

You couldn't pay me enough to put myself into the retail environment on the day after Thanksgiving. I don't understand why anyone would want to fight those crowds. And now that workers are having to give up their own holiday to accommodate those consumers with the earlier hours, I do agree that it's out of control. I sincerely don't understand the appeal of Black Friday. It feels like the stores are trying to manipulate us into certain behaviors (shopping frenzy, anyone?) and I'm just not buying it.

I don't agree with the retailers doing it...but I understand why...Sales have been soft and retailers are struggling to make a profit....Unless I can shop online for the deals on Thanksgiving day..I will not be going out shopping that's for sure.

I hate the whole idea of Black Friday. I mean, seriously, people have been trampled to death during these sales. How sad is that?

I think that if they want to have these crazy sales, then fine, but go back to just opening at 5am or 6am, not 10pm or midnight. Let the retail people of the world look forward to one day where they can spend with their extended family.

I think most holidays these days are turning into a money pit. No one seems to celebrate the ones that really matter.
Valentines day is HUGE for candy companies, jewelers, card stores etc.
I refuse to celebrate Vday. I think it's stupid to celebrate a day like that just for others to make money.
Me and my b/f celebrate our love for each other every day.
I have never actually gone shopping on Black friday.
Although I am kinda thinking about trying this year only to save money on the things I need to start my art business.

Possibly. 3 weeks BEFORE Halloween, I was trying to find Thanksgiving-ish stuff to decorate and stuff. There were 3 aisles of Halloween stuff (costumes, candy, buckets) and 3 aisles of Christmas. I was like "Dude, where's the Thanksgiving?" and the employee just shrugged.
That's terrible if true.....Thanksgiving should be so much more than a big meal. And it most certainly is, to me. But then, Easter and 4th of July are special and we celebrate those, too.
But like someone else said, how many of you are eating a turkey dinner at midnight??? And my children go to bed no later than 8:30pm. On a "normal" day, we adults are in bed for 10pm. So no, I'm not thinking this midnight shopping (or even 10pm shopping) is going to hurt family time at my house, IF I so choose to shop (not decided yet; my friends and I get together and start working on the lists and plans this weekend).

My husband goes out on Black Friday IF we are looking for an electronic. I'm not that crazy :). I do better with Cyber Monday anyways.

It's not just the stores my daughter works at an IHOP and customers want a good hot breakfast BEFORE they go shopping so the IHOP opens at 2 AM and customers are lined up around the restaurant. I worked at the Mall and had to be at work at 4 AM so this totally ruined Thanksgiving. We got to the point where we just celebrated Thanksgiving on a different day usually the Saturday or Sunday after.

I say BOYCOTT Black Friday.

@Lola - thanks for "adopting US" !! Enjoy the holiday!

@Jennifer - Hobby Lobby doesn't open on Sundays for that very reason - to allow employees to worship and spend time w/family. Don't think they are open on turkey day, but probably are that Friday.

ages ago places around here used to be closed on Wednesdays, and then be open for about half-day on Saturday for folks to get stuff done ... that has long since passed tho, but ya know, you learned to work with/around it...

Which came first...the chicken or the egg? People putting up their Christmas tree/lights in very early November or the stores using this as a business decision to sell more goods? Stores wouldn't be open if they didn't have the customers willing to come in...and there are A LOT of consumers looking forward to it.

We are not being forced to shop on Thanksgiving, black Friday or any other time...we have a choice. If this "ruins the holiday"...it is on the individual. Lots of Americans have a job where the date just doesn't make a difference and they KNOW that going into it by selecting that job or career.

In my very tight circle of friends, I have a few working on Thanksgiving: my daughter working at a restaurant, my sister-in-law the ER doc, one of my daughter's best friends at Target, my veterinarian friends, my best friend's son as a police officer and most of the people at the laboratory I work for (people still need their lab tests right!).

If people dismiss a holiday, it's about them and their family

For years and years my hubby and I have had a very strict policy for holidays. We absolutely do NOT patronize any kind of store, gas station, etc. NONE, on any large holiday.

No Easter, Thanksgiving day, Christmas eve/day, New Years eve/day, Memorial day, 4th of July or Labor day (I think thats all of them?).

No running out for more napkins, some milk, wine (if they are even open), or filling the gas tank. We plan ahead and just refuse if we are at my in laws (usually the case) and someone says we need some vanilla ice cream to go with pie or more napkins or whatever. WE will not do it. We feel its very very wrong that people have to work on those days and that stuff other than hospitals and police and fire and nursing homes and the like are open and needing workers.

My husband usually has to work on the "eve's"...at least half a day, but he will schedule it as a vacation day months and months ahead if possible. I do home childcare, so its written into my contracts that those are days off for me. I used to work New Years eve, but added it as a benefit a few years ago as well when I realized the bulk of my families had it off too and were spending the day taking down holiday decorations or party prepping...or like many, were still out of town from Christmas travel.

Sooo....no shopping for me. Plus I avoid the Black Friday thing already like its the plague. I just shop normally for the few I buy for. I have no plan this year so am a bit adrift anyway!

It's all about making a buck unfortunately these days.

I too avoid Black Fridays as well. Don't like fighting crowds and dealing with all the madness.

Not to be all through the rosy glasses here but I'm going to do it anyway. On Sundays all stores used to be closed and then slowly that changed. It's rare now for any store to be closed on Sundays. Again on holidays all stores used to be closed but slowly that has been changing. Time off has fallen victim to the all mightly dollar and convenience. To answer your specific question, I think it is already just another day. It's unfortunate for those working in retail since it undoubtedly affects their holidays plans. All I can do is avoid shopping on holidays since I disagree with the stores being open.

I agree with you 100%. I realize this is a big time of year for business but it's gross! There's no reason why stores cannot open their normal hours. Stores are trying to create "hype." It's a type of marketing so they will be remembered. However, it's very annoying.

I have a friend that works at Walmart and has to work Thanksgiving Day in the morning (9-5) and then go back to work that evening to work all night (9pm- 9am). Its just getting ridiculous. They deserve time home with their families too. I bet the big wigs that make these decisions that the stores will be open are not there working, I'd bet they are home with their families. Its all about the mighty dollar these days. There is nothing in any of those stores more important than spending time with family. The stores will be there tomorrow, my family may not be. God Bless!!

Haven't most Walmarts moved to being open 24 hours? Will it really make a huge deal for those few that aren't to open at 10p? probably not. I mean, I know it's getting out of control, but it would stop if people would stop shopping that early. My husband and I decided after las year that we aren't leaving the house until 6am. If we lose out on some good deals, oh well.

Its ridiculous - all the stores are trying to open the earliest to get the most shoppers. I have NEVER shopped on a Black Friday and never will mostly because my dad worked in retail and he never got a long weekend for Thanksgiving. My mom always said if people didn't shop on that Friday, he would get the day off so we, as a family, boycott Black Friday. Also, there is NOTHING that I want bad enough to deal with those types of crowds! And yes, I think eventually Halloween and Thanksgiving will be swallowed up in the Christmas frenzy!

I used to work at 7-11 and hubby used to work Safeway, so holiday's became just another day for us. Except Christmas. I have worked Christmas tho.

They did this last year too. They have SuperStores that are open 24h and there were people camped out in certain sections around the store waitng for that one item's time to come. They just didn't make it official last year. If I remember correctly, Kmart is acutally open on Thanksgiving during the day with sales.

Either way, no matter WHEN they open, there will still be employees that miss out on time with their families so that they can be stocking the store for your shopping arrival.

I think the commercialization of Christmas is what is contributing to all the nonsense, but at the same time, consumers don't have to buy into it. I've never got into the whole Black Friday thing - I will stay home and avoid it like the plague. My neighbor friend is trying to convince me to drag my butt outside with her shopping at midnight, and I'm saying, no way. I prefer to do my Christmas shopping on-line from home rather than fight the crowds, deal with parking and traffic, etc. I don't need to get trampled to death just for the chance to get a new laptop for $100.

I had to quickly tell my husband my plans for the Occupy black Friday were going to be bumped to meeting our Crew at 1130pm.

He was none to happy. But realizes it is only because the Greed and careless disregard to what Thanksgiving Truly is about.

I think they should HAVE to go back to just opening at 4 a.m. the DAY AFTER Thanksgiving.

I think we have to tell the retailers that they will not be allowed to destroy a holiday that many enjoy. Cause WE are the ones allowing them to do this.

So, yes, I think they are purposefully trying to dismiss the Holiday. SO we can go right into spending the money WE do not have in there establishments.

This is why we will be protesting outside AND inside Black Friday this year:)

SUPER EXCITED! HOPEFULLY we will not have to do this two many years in a row...To get them to understand they do not OWN us anymore.

I think people are taking every advantage of saving money in this tough time and the companies are trying to adhere to that--not sure to benefit who, but a sale is a sale to some people--I for one, dont have the money and if some of my family decide to go, I will go to be with them and recalling times of the holidays. Otherwise, just going to stay home and enjoy the time off.

Never shopped Black Friday and never will. Not into battling hoards of people when I can get good deals before Thanksgiving.

This year I won't shop any store that forces employees to work on a major holiday. I worked retail years ago and did the (daytime back then) Black Friday and Christmas Eve shifts, but it's another story to be told you have to work on a major holiday. Retail work is lousy enough already and I think it's rotten to make people work it just because you can. I understand many professions already work major holidays but those typically pay a whole lot more than retail and often involve critical, life-or-death situations (firefighting, healthcare, etc.).

I do think society is slowly dismissing the holiday if enough people go out there to support retailers that open on the holiday.

How sad for the employees that are told they have to work on a holiday or during hours that will mess up their sleep habits, time with family, etc. I can only hope it is a bust and not worth doing next year...

The rest of us can at least ignore the craziness and spend the time with family.

It's pretty crazy, but as long as they get a positive response (people showing up in crowds to shop then) they will do it! It bothers me that more people don't seem to stop, take a breather and truly be thankful for the fact that they can go to crazy big box stores and spend money on gifts (or eat a huge meal or anything). That's why it rankles me for people to be completely decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday, and I think society would do better to rest and enjoy it -and embrace it -before the holiday madness through New Year's begins. I don't mind sales or people going out in throngs for them the day after, but I wonder how they're going to continue to top themselves year after year. Already online I keep getting emails about "BETTER DISCOUNTS THAN BLACK FRIDAY!!!" -and this has been going on since Halloween.

I only do anything in regards to Black Friday (or Black Friday eve or whatever) when there is a specific item on someone's Christmas list and it's on a crazy, once-in-a-lifetime sale! And I don't mean $5 or $10 off -but like 50%. The last time I got up and was anywhere super early was several years ago at Toys R Us when my oldest had just really gotten into Thomas. Those Thomas wooden railway trains are EXPENSIVE! They had buy one-get one FREE before 7am, so I went and he got double from Santa of what he would have gotten. I have to see what Target is offering up at midnight this year -only because there are a few toys and games that, if they're on a super sale then, I may go for. We'll probably just be getting back into town from my aunt and uncle's anyway, so I could run over there without it being a big deal.

I think it's crazy. Who decided that Christmas should start on November 1st? Christmas is not two months long. By the time it comes, I'm over it, I already got bored of it. It is eclipsing my favorite holiday, Thanskgiving - a holiday that is not supposed to be about gifts, purchases and commercialism. Grrrr.

My husband and I have a personal boycott against black Friday! We hate it. Especially since people who are already working a ton and for not a lot of money are now being forced to give up any family time on the Holiday so somebody who got to eat turkey and relax can go get a cheap TV. It sucks. I am all for a good deal but we personally refuse to shop on black Friday bc of this and because people out there get so freakin' crazy. I mean are deals worth people's lives? c'mon.... I am glad to see so many on here who feel this way, I honestly thought we were the only ones!

You're just noticing this?
About 10 years ago, the earliest I ever saw a Christmas tree go up in a display window in a mall was -

wait for it -

4th of July weekend!

My mailbox starts becoming inundated with catalogs about mid October.
It starts with Halloween stuff but QUICKLY becomes Christmas oriented.
Last year the catalogs stopped abruptly AT Thanksgiving.
The economy sucks, no one has had a raise in about 5 years now, and many MANY stores ride the whole year long on what they make for holiday shopping.
So you bet they are stretching that shopping season just as far as they possibly can.
It's hard for store front real retail to compete with online shopping where store hours and weekends don't really exist.
It's 24 hours at the drop of a hat online shopping whenever you want it!
It's insane, but it's a sign of the times.

No. People have always worked on the holiday and people have always shopped on the holiday. It just wasn't so publicized as it has been this year. I used to work every year when I was in retail. Pharmacies are always open, and many of them have been in the business of selling gifts for more years than I can count. I used to work a family owned pharmacy that was also a gift shop and had to work both as a tech and wrapping gifts on Thanksgiving until 1:00 every year. Then I had to work it in clothing retail and then in the mall. Every year. They always closed early, like 1:00 or 3:00, but we still had to work at least a skeleton crew and since I was management I was the one who didn't have a choice.

So I don't see this as anything new except for the fact that it's being publicized.

I don't think society in general is dismissing the holiday, I think retailers are desperate to get customers in the door. Curious how many people will do the 10 pm thing, and how many more drunken drivers will be on the road. Also, how much more people will be out of control after a day with their families.

I think this is just another symptom of retailers trying to extend the xmas season as far back as they can, like decorating before halloween. Personally, I hate it, but that's just me.

I don't blame the retailers because I just don't care enough to blame them.

I wonder much more about folks whose top priority as Thanksgiving approaches is getting to those sales, getting the cool stuff as cheaply as possible, etc. I can't see that having priority over getting sleep, not rushing away from family and so on.

If folks are determined to give shopping their priority, the stores will play into that and open earlier and earlier. The stores will make money and the shoppers will be happy; they all win.

The folks who can wait will just wait and celebrate a much more relaxing and real holiday. Yeah, it's fun to get bargains, but not at the cost of sanity or family time.

And I think Easter is never "just another day" for those who celebrate it as a religious holiday.

And by the way: I'd love to see all those rabid shoppers spending their money in small, locally owned businesses instead of "big box" stores that pay their workers too little and don't give adequate (or any) benefits to workers. The small businesses are being killed by Wal-Mart and its fellow big boxes, just so we can save a few bucks. We won't get the small businesses back. Ever.

I think it was official the year that someone got trampled to death while everyone pushed and shoved to buy cheap consumer goods...