I would consider myself a traditional Black Friday Shopper. My mom, sister and I have ventured out in the black of morning the day after Thanksgiving for many years. Up until last year, our experience had always been the same. We arrived at stores around 5 a.m. to wait in a long line, hoping to be among the first couple hundred customers in the store.

This year and the last were different, however. Stores have been opening earlier each year. Although we arrived at the stores at the same time last year, they were nearly empty. This year, we shopped from midnight to 5 a.m., and the atmosphere was also very calm and vacant. We no longer wait in what seem to be never-ending lines; instead, we walk right into the store to shop as if it were any other day.  The only difference is the odd hours at which we stroll through the aisles.

What surprised me this year was the extraordinary service from the retail workers. This was the one day where I would understand the encounter of a bitter employee, but instead, it was the opposite. We spent most of our time in the Macy’s on State Street, and we purchased items on several floors. Each cashier seemed friendlier than the typical one I see.

When we asked the cashiers how their shifts had been, most responded by saying that there was a rush of shoppers until about 1:30 a.m., after which then it had died down. Most of their shifts were from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., and it seemed like they were fine with working the shift.

In an article published by the Associated Press dated Nov. 29, “Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren said the company could have filled spots with temporary workers, but about 90 percent were filled by regular employees. He said the company gave first choice to its 176,000 full-time workers. Many were willing, he said, partly because of overtime pay.”
From my experience, I believe this to be true. It may seem as though opening stores on Thanksgiving is ridiculous, and I strongly believe that the holiday should be spent with family; however, if the workers prefer to take the shift, then I do not think there is anything wrong with that.

Workers have their valid reasons to work on Thanksgiving. Some people may need the extra money that comes with working on the holiday. Others may not have family in the area to spend the holiday with. Perhaps working the shift is an opportunity for the worker to distract him or herself from missing family members who live far away.
One high school student, Stuart Barth, worked a Thursday shift from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., and then he worked again 10 a.m. to 10:20 p.m. on Black Friday. He said, “I was forced to work. I wouldn’t have put in as many hours if I didn’t have to, but I made good money.” The increased pay may be an acceptable incentive for workers on the holidays. Even if they miss out on some family time, they seem happy with the money they receive from their shifts.
Black Friday has transformed into a two-day event, and it will most likely continue to change from year to year. I have seen changes in the last two years, but that does not mean the change is a bad one. Opening earlier allows for more employees to work shifts that they may need, and there are hours of the night where both the workers and shoppers get a recovery by having a small number of customers roaming through stores. Of course there are both pros and cons to the topic of Black Friday, but I believe that the change is something we will all have to accept. After all, the employees seem to have accepted it with an optimistic attitude.