NEWS: Target Employees Protest Black Friday Hours

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I will say now to all of my readers I will NOT be going to Target for Black Friday

 

Many are upset that Target will be opening their doors at midnight  rather than the usual 4 or 5am

Anthony Hardwick, a cart attendant at a Target in Omaha, started an online petition asking the company to push back the hours.

According to spokeswoman Molly Snyder the time change is due to shoppers adding:

We have heard from our guests that they want to shop Target following their Thanksgiving celebrations rather than only having the option of getting up in the middle of the night.”

And it with Walmart opening at 10 pm as well does not help

Will you be support this time change?

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  • Sherri

    They should be competitive with all the other stores and I agree they need to open earlier. Can not understand why their employees are knocking getting more hours. Heck toys r us is opening at 9pm on Thanksgiving.

    • Jessica

      Sherri, how about you go spend the time away from your family to work so people who don’t care that people CANT be with there families treat you like crap. Thanksgiving should be about family, and because of people that think like this are why those of us who have worked retail have to give up OUR family time. I would love to see all you who feel this is a good idea to be working then, not shopping.

  • Wendi Butler

    I’ve been there done it used to work 2am -10am all weekends and holidays!!!! Those should feel lucky to have employment! If you don’t want to work, then quit…cause there are plenty of people looking for work that dont care if they go to work at midnight or 4am! No I do not support the employees trying to tell the company that puts food on their table to change the time!!!! If the store opens at 12am I am shopping, if it opens at 4am I am shopping 4 hours later!

    • Jessica

      That is a selfish statement. You guys probably would be happy if they were opened on Christmas as well, but if you were the ones missing out on family, I bet you wouldn’t be happy. Lots of families can’t see eachother because they HAVE to be opening the doors for people.

      • lineth velasquez

        I do no think is selfish if you do not work and do not have money to see your family that is really worse, but complaint because they have to work. Pleaseeeee

  • Shanelle

    No, I already think that stores are trying to push Christmas on us way too early. I love the tradition of getting up early the day AFTER Thanksgiving to go shop. I believe that it is not fair to the employees that they have to miss their Thanksgiving celebration with their families so that they can work. We need to keep Thanksgiving as a day of Thanks, not a day of labor.

    • Bridgett

      I am a former Walmart employee, and the day after Thanksgiving has to be the worst day to work retail anywhere. If I were still working there, I’d be very upset to have to give up my Thanksgiving with my family to go in and work a third shift to feed the whims of greedy corporate honchos and people who are so desperate to save a buck they’ll sell out their own families to stand in line for a couple of hours for the chance to grab some great steal. Really, people? These retailers could easily afford to discount these items any day of the year, and they are choosing to further denigrate the working man by forcing them to choose between a job and family. Jobs will come and go, but family is forever. These retailers don’t have to be open on Thanksgiving. They are choosing to be, at their employee’s expense. I like getting a good deal, but you have to draw the line somewhere. Before you know it, there will be no Thanksgiving Day dinner at home. There will be hoards of people crowding retail stores to save a buck, which isn’t a bad thing but when you’re hurting other people to save money something is seriously wrong. Also, some of you have the luxury of choosing where you can work. Some people have to take whatever they can get in this economy. A lot of these comments are aimed at that, or are about people should be glad to have a job. Seriously, put yourself in their shoes. Imagine that you are a Walmart employee who probably has to be at work at 6 pm to get the store ready for the shoppers. What, you think that stuff appears magically? No, some poor person will have to give up a couple more hours of their Thanks giving Day to get store ready for the greedy onslaught of shoppers who will tear the store apart in their need for deals.

  • Jessica

    I refuse to shop at any place the puts more importance on work than family. I would love to see all the big wigs who tell you to work holidays have to work them as well. But that wont happen.

  • Ashley

    I’m happy that they’re opening at midnight. Keeps me from having to get up at 4am.

    Sorry, but if the employees are unhappy, they shouldn’t be working in retail.

  • Autumn

    Why should an employee complain about working? There are a lot of people with no jobs at all. I’ll save my boycotting for moral issues cause Im all about the sales 😉 heehee

  • Jeannie Buechele

    I agree Wendy, there is plenty of people out their that would love their jobs…if they don’t want to work the hours than get another job in another line of work!

  • Jessica

    This is very hard for me. I don’t want to miss the deals, I look forward to this every year but it is extremely inconvenient for me and I do feel bad for the employees. If there was a widely anticipated protest from shoppers I would not shop, but otherwise, if I don’t I miss out.

  • Holly

    Yep, I agree with others. If they don’t like getting more hours than they should quit. It’s a job, after all.

    I personally think that having the sales at Midnight if a smart move for Target, especially since more and more employers are now open on Friday and it’s no longer a “free day off.”

  • Chris Rickard

    Ithink that the whole idea of Black Friday has gotten completely out of hand. Thanksgiving is a day to spend with family and or friends being thankful for what we have. Instead it has turned into a race to see which store can open earlier and have best prices on whatever the thing of the year is. Of course they will only have 10 of them and many people will leave mad. I thought opening at 5 am was crazy but opening at 10pm or 12am is even crazier.

  • lineth velasquez

    I love it. I love the idea of opening midnight because like many others I have to work the day after thanks giving and these employees instead of crying should be grateful of their job. I am from Virginia and it took almost six months to find a job after being laid off

  • Sharon Dowdle

    Personally, I would rather see all the stores just open at their normal times. Easier on employees and easier on me (the shopper) who really doesn’t want to get up in the middle of the night to enjoy the traditional black FriDAY shopping!

  • Robyn A.

    Don’t blame the stores. They are only doing what they hear the shopper wants. If people stopped lining up for hours (or even days) before the sale, then maybe the stores wouldn’t have to these crazy hours.

    I am married to someone to works in the grocery industry. Every year he has customers tell him….WOW, I can’t believe they make you work on thanksgiving. Well, DUH….if you got everything you needed before thanksgiving, and you weren’t shopping on Thanksgiving, then the store would be closed. Image how mad those customers would be if the store was closed on Thanksgiving. Believe it or not, people actually got mad when the grocery store is closed xmas day

  • Amy

    Just because they’re lucky to have jobs doesn’t mean they should be treated like crap. I’ve seen so many companies take advantage of their employees because of the economy. And people have stuck with crappy, crappy jobs because their aren’t any others. This is not a good thing.

    At least if the store opens at 4am, you’ll get SOME sleep. At midnight you get no sleep then have to work an 8 hour shift and miss out on quality time with your family.

    I used to shop Black Friday all the time – when it opened at 4 or 5 and it was fun to get up in the middle of the night for some crazy shopping. I will not be shopping this year as I don’t want to get directly in line after my Thanksgiving dinner.

    This is a lose-lose for a lot of people involved and I’m glad the employees are speaking up.

  • Rebeca Hooper

    Look I used to work retail. This is how it is. The place I worked was only closed one day a year. We were open on Thanksgiving and I worked it. You know what you are signing up for when you sign up for retail. They should be happy to have a job. A lot of people don’t and a lot of places pay extra for the holiday hours. I know it sucks but that is the job they chose. I was a brand new mom the years I had to work on Thanksgiving and my brand new daughter spent the holiday with my parents while I ate leftovers my Dad brought me at work, by myself. It is what it is and it is once a year. You just deal with it and be Thankful for what you have.

  • Beth campbell

    Well, let’s see, when it was at 4-5 am, the employees were usually at the store at midnight anyway, getting ready for the store to open. It’s not like the employees get to the store just moments before the doors open. Which means they would have to sleep during the day, have quick meals with family, and miss out on alot of family togetherness because they had to sleep to be ready for work at such an early hour. In this day and age of hard economic times, it doesn’t suprise me that the stores are opening earlier, black friday is named that for a reason, it gets alot of companies out of the red (or debt) and gets them back at a good profit line. I have to agree with everyone else, if you don’t want to work on holidays, then maybe getting yourself a seasonal job at a retail store isn’t where you should be doing, and you shouldn’t be working in retail at all if you don’t want to work holidays/weekends. Like alot have said, loads of ppl who are unemployed woudl love to come work those hours!

  • Beth campbell

    as for me doing black friday, nope, probably not, I’ve never done black friday, because to be perfectly honest I don’t want to spend the day after thanksgiving dealing with grown adults acting worse then children fighting over teh latest and greatest must have toy

  • Ashley Goad

    I have worked those kinds of hours before in retail for Black Friday (stocking). There are plenty of other jobs out there that people have to work those same hours: nurses, doctors, help desk technicians, emergency services.. I am sure there are others I am missing. I am not saying it won’t be rough, or that it isn’t going to suck, but it is part of life. You deal with it, it is a few hours. My fiance works help desk for a large tv/phone/internet company, and he had to work both Christmas Eve and Christmas day last year. He missed out on some family time, but we worked through it.

    • mrs b

      In the sense that you have to get on line much earlier than midnight to score any of the deals, yes, it is still Thanksgiving. Just a technicality, I guess.

  • Cassie

    I don’t think it would be a problem if the people WANTED to work those extra hours, but to FORCE people to work is just wrong (a new type of slavery?). And if you want to talk “economy”… Many retail workers would love to get a different type of job if they COULD. Many have no choice but to work their retail jobs to survive because that was the best/only work they could get in the first place! (And like many of you have already stated getting ANY job right now is no easy task!) Also, since there ARE so many people out there who would LOVE to work even the craziest hours, and be grateful for it, why can’t the stores hire some of them for seasonal help and let those who have families (and those who wouldn’t have an income otherwise) catch a break for once! Then everybody wins… just a thought.

    P.S.- Shame on the companies in the first place for defiling a holiday to make a buck! For those who said the decision to change hours was made for the benefit of the shopper… PLEASE! Since when has a corporation’s ANY decision REALLY been for the benefit of anyone but themselves and their stockholders? C’mon people, you know better than that…

  • christina

    I’m sorry but I don’t feel sorry for them, when you get a retail job you know that your going to have to work black friday or some other crazy holiday sales… there are tons of other people who would love to have a job and wouldnt complain about having to work…. i’ve worked jobs that i had to work holiday and never cried and got upset, people are making a big deal out of this over nothing… lots of people have to work and dont get to spend the holidays with their families..one group that comes to my mind is the military! Many men and women will be spending the holiday not only away from their loved ones but also will be lucky to even get a meal, these people need to stop complaining they have to go to work… quit and get another job then ….

    i probably wont go shopping on black friday… it just upsets me that these guys think its wrong they have to go to work

  • Nancy

    I agree that if the customers didn’t want them to open earlier they wouldn’t! Certain industries require certain sacrifices. I worked in the restaurant industry for years & every employee knew they were expected to work certain holidays, like Easter, Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, Mother’s Day & so on. Didn’t matter if your family always exchanged presents on Christmas Eve or if you were a mom yourself. If have a job you work when you’re told to even if you don’t want to. If you let the employees decide whether they want to work or not you’d have a severely understaffed business on an extremely busy day! If you’ve every eaten out on a holiday, stayed in a hotel on a holiday, run to a store for a last minute gift or forgotten ingredient on a holiday, or even watched your local news on a holiday you’ve been served by someone dutifully working when they would rather be home with their family because it was their job to do so.

  • Linda

    I don’t think anyone should have to work holidays unless you work at something very important like hospitals or police and fireman other than that i feel like holidays are to be spent with your family and family is everything to me that is why i get up everyday and do what i do for my family and honestly i would refuse to work thanksgiving christmas or easter let the corporate guys work the holidays they are the only ones benefitting from being open

  • Nanny Anna

    I don’t do Black Friday shopping. The savings is not worth the crowds, stress, and ultimate disappointment that the person standing in line for hours in the cold right ahead of you got the last (whatever).

    I enjoy my family on Thanksgiving, then sleep in peacefully the morning after 🙂

    ~Anna

  • Nancy A

    As an employee, I have worked many holiday hours, over the years. Retail is not the only job that requires holiday work. There are factory workers, healthcare workers, emergency crews, and many others who work on holidays. It’s not my favorite thing to do, but why not make the best of it? Dress up in holiday attire, and be nice to everyone you see?
    As a consumer, the prices at those sales make it possible for me to buy Christmas for my kids. I also appreciate the stores opening on Thanksgiving night. Last year, I took my teenage daughter with me to Walmart. It was MUCH less crowded than the normal morning after, people were more friendly to each other, and it was just a good time.
    Let’s face it. At that time of night, MOST family get-togethers have winded down for the night if they are not completely over with. Traditions of morning-after shopping can easily be changed to night time shopping and breakfast at home with the family in the morning!
    And you know, some people don’t have families, but that’s not their choice. That doesn’t mean they try to take rights away from families who do have traditions, but why shouldn’t they have something to do too?
    There are so many ways this can be looked at. Positive or negative is up to you!
    Go with the flow, be flexible, and accept change.
    For the people working, you never know. You might be the ONLY person/people that a shopper has spent any time with that day. Smile at them and tell them it’s NICE to see them, no matter what time of day it is. It will make you both feel good. Complaining or feeling bad about it will only make you feel bad, and you still have to be there.

  • Christina

    I used to work retail and while sometimes I didn’t like the hours, I was always happy to be working. I’ve missed holidays with my family, but we always managed to work around it. So while I can understand the workers being upset about having to miss part of the day with their families, working in retail is what it is during the holiday season… and you should go into it expecting to have to work.
    As a shopper… I enjoy the stores that open earlier. We always head out around 11pm or 12am, usually hit a lag between stores opening so we are looking forward to having more stores open this year. Its fun for us.. and we don’t even usually buy a lot, or at least not a lot of big ticket items.

  • mrs b

    I used to work retail, and the rule of three was that there were three days you knew you would be off–Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

    I have refused to shop at stores that were open on Thanksgiving because of that–Thanksgiving is the only national family related holiday we have, and the breather I needed before life got insane for the next month. I loved how busy the holiday season was, but it continues to seep earlier into the year and it’s getting ridiculous. (Note–I am almost done shopping, but it’s not because the stores are decorated, it’s just what I do)

    People who shop early don’t do so because of the decorations and music, and people who procrastinate won’t shop early even if Santa himself kidnapped them and plopped them down at a cash register.

    The only way corporate America is going to stop the insanity is if shoppers vote with their wallets.

    If you need to shop on Thanksgiving, go for it….it’s called the Internet, and it’s open 24/7.

  • Stacy

    I used to work in catering and no one cares if you have to work a holiday when you are serving their food. My husband worked for a national chain to unclog drains and missed countless “Holiday Meals”. I do not think Target should change their open time because the employees are protesting. Boo. Hoo. Get to work or get a different job. Be “thankful” or get out of the way for someone else that wants to work, have your job.

  • Renee L.

    Okay, let’s see. Some have argued that it’s a form of “slavery” to have their employees “forced” to come in and work. Let’s look at that shall we? Are they being PAID to come in or not? Are they chained to the department? Are they being whipped into submissiveness? Are they being sold as property to other stores and taken from their families forever? No? Are you sure? If they are being paid to return to work a few hours earlier than last year, BIG DEAL! No part of that is the same as slavery. Look it up. If you feel as though everything should be handed to you just because you are you and they are corporate, move to another country. Companies PAY workers to do what they want them to do. That’s how capitalism works. If you don’t like it, get another job or go to another country. Plain and simple. I worked at Walmart for almost a decade and dealt with this ONE day a year for many years. I didn’t die, I DID get paid and to top it off, I only stayed up to 10 hours depending on what was happening in the store. But again, I was PAID TO WORK THERE THAT DAY no matter how long I stayed. I too have a family and am willing to work whatever hours to see to it that my family is supported. Even if it means that I have to work 4 hours earlier than I did last year. What about all the other people in the US that work this WHOLE day to serve YOU and see to it that YOU are cared for in the event of an emergency?? Are you going to protest the hospitals for making doctors, nurses, people to who answer phones, and everyone else that works there come in so they can help you if in need?? The maintenance person??? Someone has to take the trash out you know. What about the cab drivers, buses or any other form of transportation that’s running that day?? Protest them because they are working too??

    Now, second point people have made regarding ugly shoppers. Believe me, there is no one single day that goes by that you don’t have the potential to deal with an ugly shopper while at work in retail. Let’s face it, that can be anywhere on the job or not! Some days are worse than others, but everyday can be bad since people are very uncaring and pushy and just want their way like spoiled children (not everyone, but there are a lot out there!). That’s what we’ve allowed this country to become. Either way, if I’m paid to do a job, I do it….and with a smile! Everything you do should be done fully and with a good attitude. That makes better society, better people. Being whiny, stubborn and ungrateful gets you nowhere. Don’t want to deal with the shoppers this ONE day? Don’t go shopping.

    What about online shopping??? What about all the people you are making work just because you are ordering online?? Do you think only machines fill these orders? Wait. Even if they do, who maintains the machines??? People???? Oh my! I will say that working this particular sale is tiresome and stressful. No one should have to put up with pushing, shoving, throwing, being pinned down in one spot not being able to move for a couple hours. I’ve been yelled at, spit on, shoved around, pinned, run into with several carts, stepped on and called names. All because I was the employee closest to them at the time when they learned a deal was sold out or they couldn’t get close enough to grab it from the shelves. I put up with it because I was paid to do a job and I did it. Those are the extreme cases. And it was typical for my store due to the area it was in. Most times through this particular sale are not like this. I don’t condone that behavior, it should never be a problem, but people are not always nice. Just like police when they are in dangerous situations. They do it because it’s their job. WAIT!!!! **GASP** What about gas stations???? Do you protest them on Thanksgiving?? How many people travel that day due to shopping or not? How many travel only by use of their feet or by bike instead of their vehicle because they don’t want to condone making an employee work THAT day?? So you have to work that day…..at whatever time. BOO HOO! So do a lot of other people! And I can tell you right now I have some family members that would LOVE to take over your position at your place of employment because they have been without a job for a year now. I (like many others) have watched friends, family – society struggle due to lack of jobs and you’re on here complaining about going to work a couple hours early??? Do you complain when you feed your family? When you put clothes on your family’s back? A roof over their head(s)?? Oh the horror!!! You provided for your family!!!

    Third? I’d love to thank those that continue to work in these places daily and everyone else that allows this country to continue and move. There is more to Thanksgiving than retail. More than shopping. More than a single dinner. It is fully about being thankful for being ALIVE. The pilgrims may not have survived without the help from the natives. That’s why they had a feast. That’s why we celebrate it! It’s a day to be THANKFUL. Thankful for anything and everything we have! Plain and simple. Stop your whining, grow up and get to work. Even my 5 year old knows not to whine and complain.

  • Joey

    I have worked retail as well, and I always volunteered to work Black Friday. However that was when stores opened at 4-6am. We did not have to show up any earlier than that either. There were people who worked at midnight to set up the store. That being said, I know that when I was thinking about going back to work and talking to someone about getting back on at Target, there was NO MENTION of Black Friday starting at midnight, so people may not have known what they were getting into like you are presuming.
    For some reason stores are letting Walmart lead the way that everyone else does their hours which is insane.
    Target and all of the other stores should have kept their hours like they used to have them. My guess is that they were afraid that they would lose money to Walmart with their price matching that they did last year, however since they aren’t doing the same thing this year there wouldn’t have been a great loss. There are many of us who prefer Target to Walmart.
    Thanksgiving is about friends and family. Saying that these people are ungrateful for the jobs that they have is rude. Target used to be a great company to work for, but if they are going to just try to become the next Walmart, they will lose the ranking real quick.

  • Diane

    I am a target employee and I just wann say that this is happening because people requested it.. It’s not just because corporation wanna do it.. And yeah be thankful you have a job ,because if you don’t want your job there is somebody out there who is in desperate need.and your mad because you have to work at midnight..its midnight you wanna rest get some sleep around nine at night you will probably be tired but thats what you have to do.