Black Thursday

One of the disturbing trends in the U.S. today is the willingness of the companies to sacrifice their employees in the pursuit of ever higher profits.  

I am very much aware that Thanksgiving is a day when families join together.  They eat, drink, and probably watch too much television, but it is a family holiday.

Now we have stores, especially large chain stores, opening on Thanksgiving.  Who staffs those stores?  I can tell you that it isn’t the stockholders or the bosses.  The sales people who must work today are among the lowest paid employees in America.  They are usually non-union, lack good health care plans, have little if any retirement plans, often are part-time, and have no job security.  And now they can’t celebrate this holiday with their families.

If nobody shopped on Thanksgiving, the practice of “Black Thursday” would end.  But, as Linda pointed out to me, Americans seem to be concerned with one thing only--the price.  If they can get a lower price on an item, they don’t care if it is made in China, or is bad for the environment, or hurts small businesses, or harms workers.  Price seems to be everything, and I will bet that the stores that opened on Thursday were full of shoppers.  Just don’t expect to see me there.