Retail Stores’ Non-existent Holiday

DIANA LI
News Editor

With the annual Black Friday sales approaching, it is no surprise that more stores intend to retain employees for longer hours in order to keep up with the busy holiday sales. Midnight openings have become increasingly common, but this year, the retail store Kmart plans to open its doors on Thanksgiving and to stay open for 41 consecutive hours, a controversial decision that comes at the expense of their workers.

Other stores, including Best Buy, Macy’s, Walmart, Kohl’s and Toys “R” Us, will also open on Thanksgiving, but Kmart’s opening time is among the earliest.

The reason for this year’s early sales is simple. In order to attract the most customers, stores strategically extend their sales dates. However, after Kmart announced that it would stay open from 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day to 11 p.m. on Black Friday, critics challenged the company’s aggressive schedule.

“There’s an extent to which stores can do this to get profit,” sophomore Kesia Eng said. “Employees do most of the labor work, so they deserve to stay home and be with their families.”

However, others point fingers at consumers for being hypocritical by shopping during the late hours that prevent employees from being home for the holidays. Still others argue that employees who are unsatisfied with their work hours are not obligated to take the job.

Kmart officials extended the hours for flexibility and the convenience of customers.

“Kmart has been a destination for early-bird shopping and last-minute entertaining needs on Thanksgiving Day for 22 years,” Kmart spokeswoman Shanelle Armstrong wrote in an email to The Huffington Post.