November 21, 2012

• Thanksgiving Rant

  A friend posted this on FB and granted me permission to repost.

   

  Just a small rant before the holiday … I posted a picture reflecting our armed forces asking “Wal-Mart employees tell me again how working on Thanksgiving is ruining your holiday” – there have been comments all over as people have shared and re-posted this image all over fb.

  1st I would like to say THANK You to those who serve and sacrifice every dang day for America that we may enjoy the luxury of shopping at Wal-Mart or any other store we choose – growing up in a Marine Corps family there were plenty of times that my father was not home for the holiday’s but we knew he was doing his job.

  Just as my father chose his profession those who work in the retail or service industry’s chose theirs – whether due to finances or because they just like the job the CHOSE IT … these people are not kept in the dark about the hours the stores are open and what their schedule may be – America created Wal-Mart and all the other stores that some clamor to visit during the holiday rush… supply and demand makes our world work … even on holidays.

  I worked in the service industry my entire adult life. My first job as a cashier at the mini-mart on base at Pax River, I worked my first week Thanksgiving Day – and was happy to do so -it meant I would receive a paycheck … which is what I needed to put gas in my car and pay my car insurance at the ripe old age of 16 … fast forward through life and I worked in the retail and restaurant industry – I worked Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve and New Years Day, the places that employed me were OPEN on those days and I was part of the team, it was my JOB … I knew that I had to work those days just like all the others.

  If you choose to not shop at stores like Wal-Mart because you think you are doing the workers a favor, trust me, they’d rather be busy – it makes the time go by much faster – AND believe it or not, most people have FUN at work even on holiday’s … I know I did, there was many a Christmas Eve I got home well after midnight and my husband and I stayed up til 3am wrapping and doing last minute stuff for Christmas morning etc. … it’s part of the deal – you do what you have to do for your family.

  Just as those serving our country do what they signed up to do – the Wal-Mart employee or anyone else working in an establishment that offers “holiday shopping, dining, movies, MEDICAL CARE (do you see hospitals closed on holidays?) etc.” are expected to do the same. Their job.

  It is called a job – it allows for the good times, it allows for life to continue running smoothly. Wal-Mart is for some a career choice, for others it’s supplemental income, and for others it is their only income. If there are those who think they are not part of the team and want to cause extra work for their co-workers due to their selfishness and not understanding the job they were hired to do then they need to stay home and let others who are willing to work do their job.

  Please remember when you are celebrating this Thanksgiving all of those who are there for you – be kind, enjoy yourself if you have the day off and thank those that are working that you may enjoy whatever it is you plan to do this holiday season.

  • 3:58 pm
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