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Divided Over Shopping

11/18/2016

8 Comments

 
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by David Hagenbuch, founder of Mindful Marketing & author of Honorable Influence

Before and since the election, our nation has gone through trying times.  Thanksgiving should cause people to put aside political differences and seek common ground, but even the upcoming holiday has elicited polarized opinions: whether or not to shop on Thanksgiving Day.
 
The open-or-closed Thanksgiving Day decision continues to be a hot-button issue in retail.  While some consumers appreciate companies that allow them to get an early start on their holiday shopping, others, bemoan store hour creep, which invades special times that should be shared at home with family and friends, not with strangers in department stores.  
 
As might be expected, there are retailers supporting both sides of the consumer debate.  Some of the stores that will be open for business this Thanksgiving are:  JCPenney, Best Buy, Walmart, Walgreens, Bass Pro Shops, Sears, Dollar General, Macy’s, Toys R Us, Target, Kohl’s, Kmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Fossil.  The hours these store will keep varies.  For instance, Bass Pro Shops will be open from 8 am to 6 pm, but Best Buy won’t open until 5 pm and will stay open until 1 am Friday morning.

Meanwhile, there’s a growing list of retailers that have decided to remain closed on Thanksgiving Day, which the New York Times suggests is the most recent trend.  Among those taking Thanksgiving off this time are Nordstrom, Lowes, Staples, Sam’s Club, Game Stop, Costco, Home Depot, Marshalls, Barnes & Noble, Home Goods, Ikea, Patagonia, PetSmart, Publix, HH Gregg, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Cabela’s.  Even the Mall of America will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

So, who’s right about Thanksgiving Day shopping?  With ‘A-List’ retailers supporting both sides of the debate, it appears that compelling arguments can be made for each case.
 
For instance, those in favor of being open on Thanksgiving can argue that retailers are in business to meet consumers’ needs.  So, if people want to shop on the holiday, it’s fitting for companies to help satisfy that desire. Businesses also need to make money in order to remain viable, which an extra day of sales should help, especially at the height of the holiday shopping season.
 
On the other hand, perhaps the retailers that are open on Thanksgiving need to work smarter not longer.  The companies closed for Thanksgiving are making a go of it, maybe by more effective promotion or more efficient operations.  Furthermore, there are examples like Chick-fil-A, which is closed not just one day a year, but one day each week.  Taking off every Sunday hasn’t seemed to hurt the restaurant; in fact, it probably has contributed to its success.  When it comes to the bottom-line, maybe less is more.
 
Still, one shouldn’t evaluate Thanksgiving Day shopping only through an economic lens.  There’s also the relational impact.  Sure, shopping can be a social activity, but what’s the likelihood of shopping strengthening relationships versus a variety of other things people can be doing with family and friends on Thanksgiving Day?  Often when families go together to stores they scatter, each to his/her area of interest.  Ultimately products take priority over people.
 
The preceding argument also fails to consider another very important group of people—employees.  I was talking recently about the holiday shopping season with one of my marketing classes, when a student spoke up to say that a friend of his resented being forced by his employer, a large and well-known retail store, to work on Thanksgiving Day.  The young man wanted to spend that special time with his family, but he couldn’t, short of quitting his job.
 
One can only imagine how many times similar scenarios play out in households across America.  Such situations tear at the fabric of families.  Here’s where the economic and social rationales for staying closed reconvene.  If the retailers that stay open on Thanksgiving are actually doing a disservice to consumers and jeopardizing their employees’ well-being, they’re also not doing any long-term favors for their bottom-lines.
 
Two years ago, I wrote a brief blog titled “A Time for Shopping” about stores being open on Thanksgiving Day, and I argued it was “Mindful” for retailers to remain closed.  Last year, however, I shared the story of George’s Senate & Coney Island Restaurant, which is not only open on Thanksgiving, it also offers a free meal to anyone who is alone.  So, which Mindful Matters blog was right?  I’d like to think they both were, for the following reasons.
 
Some people simply have to work on Thanksgiving Day and other holidays, for example, police officers, nurses, and firefighters.  Our lives are too dependent on their services to risk being without them for even one day.  Some other occupations are not as critical, but are still very important, especially on and around holidays, for instance, hotel and restaurant workers.  Not everyone can be at home and cook for themselves, so these individuals give up some of their holiday so many others can enjoy theirs.  George’s Restaurant represents this second category.
 
One can argue, therefore, that the work of people in pubic safety and the hospitality industry is critical, or at least very important, on holidays.  No one’s life or well-being is on the line, however, if Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Fossil fail to open their doors on Thanksgiving Day.  However, their employees, like the young man mentioned above, realize that they are sacrificing their holiday for less-than-compelling reasons, which doesn’t bode well for these retailers in the long-run.
 
As more retail moves on-line, the effect of Thanksgiving Day shopping on employees should decrease, but it won’t go away.  What’s more, there will continue to be the impact that holiday commercialization has on consumers wherever they are, particularly as digital connectedness grows and retailers reach them even more frequently through those virtual avenues.  Taking a break from buying and selling once in a while, especially on a holiday like Thanksgiving is a good thing.  Being grateful for what we already have and putting people ahead of products is always “Mindful Marketing.”


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8 Comments
Jacquelyn Sauder
12/7/2016 12:16:30 pm

I believe that this advertisement is without a doubt mindful. Black Friday shopping has creeped in more and more into thursday, invading on thanksgiving day. This year was the first year that I have went Black Friday shopping and I went Thursday at 6:00 pm with my brother because he wanted an X-box and to get the great deals that came along with it. To be honest I hated it. I did not like how I left a family dinner early to go get an X-box and how so many people did the same. I passed a mother and her three kids when I was heading to the checkout and I heard the smaller child say; "mom, why are we here?" This question struck me. Why is it so important that people rush out on a holiday that is supposed to be celebrating thanksgiving and for us to be grateful for what we have to go buy more. It does not make sense to me and it is quite sad. I believe this advertisement is a perfect example of the greed that is spreading through our nation. I believe that is a very mindful ad.

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Leah Hagenbuch
12/7/2016 04:10:49 pm

I agree that a retailer's decision to close all day on Thanksgiving day is mindful; it aligns with our societal value of family and creates stronger values on dedicating Thanksgiving day to staying home with family. On the other hand, I have heard that going out and shopping on Thanksgiving evening into Black Friday is a fun tradition for some families. These families could replace this tradition if Black Friday shopping were to become less available but I think there is value in shopping together as a family. I also see how Black Friday impacts the retail workers though and how this tradition keeps them away from their families. Right now I am unsure of how retailers should decide on their hours of operation over Thanksgiving weekend. New advances in shopping like the amazon go stores with phone enabled purchasing in-store without the need for cashiers gives me hope that there will be future Black Fridays where retail workers can also spend time with their families.

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Angela Stephano
12/8/2016 12:17:30 am

I agree that stores should remain closed for Thanksgiving. For me personally, Thanksgiving is the only time of the year where my entire extended family is able to spend time together and I really cherish that time as a result. If any of my cousins or family members were forced to work on Thanksgiving I would be really upset because I would be missing one of the only times that I get to see them. I agree that some facilities need to be open all of the time but, retail stores do not. Also, having stores open on Thanksgiving day has really made Black Friday a much more boring event in my eyes. Sometimes stores even have special sales that only happen on Thanksgiving day when I do not want to leave my family to shop. It has reached the point where I find the whole Black "Friday" concept as ridiculous because it seems to start earlier and earlier every single year. Thanksgiving should be a time to spend with family and as a result, retail stores should be closed.

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Ryan Kornacki
12/8/2016 11:35:13 am

It amazes me how companies are constantly pushing the envelope when it comes to staying open on holidays. Every year it seems like more and more companies are open for more and more holidays, even Christmas which was held with such reverence many years ago. I used to have to work at a restaurant where the only days that they were closed during the year was Thanksgiving and Christmas. Granted these are the most important American holidays but it was still demotivating missing out on other holidays like 4th of July or New Years. Companies should give people this time to themselves instead of encroaching on the last of the few Holidays left.

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