Is Black Friday Turning Thanksgiving Into Black Thursday?

By Zion Decoteau

On Thanksgiving Day, many Americans were home with family members cooking up favorite dishes, watching the parade or football on television, while others simply enjoyed the day off. 

For millions of retail workers however, Thanksgiving was spent behind the register, stocking shelves, or organizing clothing racks. 

According to a 2016 BNA CareerBuilder Survey, 32% of retail workers spend Thanksgiving with their co-workers, and 91% of those surveyed said they’d rather spend that time with family. Only 1% preferred to be around co workers on turkey day. The remaining 8% said they wanted to spend the holiday with neither.  

“I did not participate in Black Friday shopping,” said Brooklyn College student Steven Duba. “It probably takes away from Thanksgiving. We live in a very consumerist society. It’s all about what we can get. I do understand why people participate given the frustrations they have in their lives, but it’d be nice if there was more giving.”

As Black Friday grows in popularity, the bargains are creeping into latter half of Thursday. Many large retailers have begun opening stores on Thanksgiving to attract more crowds. According to Black Friday.com, stores like Walmart, Best Buy, Kohls, Sears and Macy’s opened between 5 and 6p.m. on Thanksgiving. And those were the later start times! Big retailer JC Penney opened from 2p.m. on Black Friday. Rite Aid and Walgreens — which opened between 7 and 8 a.m. — didn’t close at all (excluding their pharmacy sections). 

Brooklyn College student Veronica Medina participated in Black Friday shopping. “I guess stores should be closed on Thanksgiving. I feel like most workers want to spend time with their families. Maybe it [working on holidays] should be optional.”

Many retailers stayed open well into the night on Thanksgiving and re-opened early for Black Friday the next morning. Macy’s closed at 2 a.m., and reopened at 6 a.m.. Best Buy closed at 1 a.m., and reopened at 8 a.m.. Kohl’s had marathon hours, opening at 5p.m. Thanksgiving and remaining open through 1 p.m. on Black Friday. 

With store hours extending into the holiday, and millions of  retail workers clocking in instead of staying home, that begs the question: Can a company legally make its employees work on Thanksgiving? The answer is yes. 

The Balance Careers reports that companies aren’t legally required to give employees time off on national holidays. Likewise, The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations or holidays. Such stipulations could be gained through an employer-employee/union agreement.

The news isn’t grim for every worker however. Full-time employees who get holidays off from work are legally entitled to an “in lieu of” holiday when a holiday falls on a non-workday, such as a Saturday or Sunday. For many employers, the holiday will be granted on the nearest workday before or after the non-workday, such as a Friday or Monday. Federal Government employees, on the other hand, get 10 paid holidays a year, including Thanksgiving, Independence Day, and Christmas. Many private companies follow this model. 

“If people want to work and get that money they should be able to,” said Brooklyn College student Galilea Matias. “They shouldn’t have to miss out on those hours because others want the holiday,” she adds. 

Stores opening on Thanksgiving comes at a point of crisis for brick and mortar retailers. In-store purchases on Black Friday dropped 6.2% in comparison to the $4.2 billion spent on online Thanksgiving day and the record $7.4 billion on Black Friday. 

While Thanksgiving may be cut short for many retail workers and shoppers due to Black Friday sales, Christmas day is a different story. With the exception of pharmacy chains like Walgreens/Duane Reade and CVS, as well as convenience stores like 7-Eleven, most retailers are set to be closed on Christmas.