The Holiday Formerly Known As Thanksgiving Debriefing Thread 2015

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

*rubs temples*

It appears the swamp will be the earliest store to open on Thnaksgiving Black Thursday, at least according to my half-assed research.

And corporate intends to promote the hell out of it. "Shop early and get home in time for dinner/watching Local Sports Team (except the way they're playing now, nobody will be interested in that)!"

Burn something in effigy for me.

[Android Kaeli]

Got my schedule posted in the breakroom of the Warehouse: off the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the Warehouse is closed on Thanksgiving, and am OFF Black Friday. I am actually thankful that I'm not working the Wednesday before, because last year -- well, never again.

[Smapti]

I'd class anyone expecting a store to have seasonal items in stock at closing time on the last day before a holiday as a turkey. Clearly you have plenty of turkeys at 3 AM on Thanksgiving morning - a time when the bird should already be in the oven.

The Store actually carries frozen turkeys year-round, so we do have them in stock even at that wee hour of Thanksgiving morning. Unfrozen turkeys, however, generally sell out long before then, and the people who show up at the last minute looking for one tend to be utterly inconsolable when they're told there aren't any left.

A few years ago, one of the deli department clerks told me about having to shoot down a customer who'd grabbed a turkey out of the display case and was demanding that the deli deep-fry it for them. Even if that was a service we offered (which we don't), and even if we had a fryer big enough to hold a whole turkey and which we could dedicate to the 30+ minute process of cooking it through (which we don't), the turkey the customer was demanding be fried was frozen, and anyone with access to YouTube knows that inserting a frozen turkey into 350-degree oil is not something that ever ends well.

After being completely shot down by the clerk, the customer tried the "You guys did it for me last year!" line. Funny thing about that was that this happened during the first year that the Store had been in business; at Thanksgiving time the prior year, it had been a vacant former furniture store. I don't know of many furniture stores that deep-fry turkeys to order, but if they were offering a service like that it probably explains why they went out of business.

[Bramble]

Mmph, I'm working security now at the mall in the next town over. We have to be there Thanksgiving. Stores are starting to open at 4pm Thanksgiving and are pretty much open until Sunday night. And I work Black Friday. This should be fun.

[wolfie]

demanding to know why there aren't any fresh turkeys left at 3 AM on Thanksgiving morning.

I'd class anyone expecting a store to have seasonal items in stock at closing time on the last day before a holiday as a turkey. Clearly you have plenty of turkeys at 3 AM on Thanksgiving morning - a time when the bird should already be in the oven.

[Aria]

I live in Canada so my Thanksgiving is a completely different day... but it's just not much of a thing for my family. This year I stayed at home and made something nice, can't remember what. Wasn't even remotely traditional though. There were several restaurants open serving real thanksgiving dinners and I considered going but got lazy.

That might sound a bit sad, but my family always gets together for Christmas. That's a BIG thing for us.

[HiddenMica]

I'm horrible... I like going shopping late night for the midnight opens but half of that is because I'm a night shifter. I don't wake up till 1pm on a normal day. I mosey my way to thanksgiving around 5 (we have ours at actual night not lunch like some families I know) and after a nice long dinner I help clean up then get ready to go shopping. My state doesn't allow for anything except the normal convenience stores and gas stations to be open for thanksgiving so I go to the 12:30 opens and mosey my way around. I don't rush but then again crowds also really don't bother me. I find them fun. I LIKE the challenge of creeping in and out through them and finding good deals. By the time I get home, all my shopping is done and all I have to do is wrap them before the next month rolls by. I've also, never met the angry shoppers though. I don't go to places like walmart or toy-r-us when they open the doors. Only one I door buster usually is Old Navy because they have the pants that fit my boyfriend best. :3

[otakuneko]

^ Wow talk about last-minute!

[Smapti]

I work in grocery, which means Black Friday isn't a thing for us. We close at 3 PM on Thanksgiving day and stay closed until 7 the following morning, and that day is usually pretty mundane and slow.

We get Black Wednesday instead. The Store is jam-packed way into the wee hours of the morning with people buying paper plates and plastic forks and cranberry sauce and demanding to know why there aren't any fresh turkeys left at 3 AM on Thanksgiving morning.

Ees fun.

[Thana]

Thankfully Where's The Beef? is closed on Thanksgiving. Sadly we are opening up at 8am again this year on Black Friday. I dunno why... it didn't work out too well last year. I was scheduled an 8am-3pm and ended up going home at 11:30. Then again I have more experience in the different areas of the restaurant so... I dunno. It might be different this year.

[Sunshine]

Last year missyred and I went on a trip during thanksgiving week. We ended up schlepping her mom, my daughter and her son to Florida for the week. From Texas. It was great. We had thanksgiving dinner with Santa and went to Epcot for my birthday. This year, I have black Friday off but the only reason it was approved is my area manager has a present from MissyRed coming and I'm going to visit. I'll be in the trenches for the rest of the weeks leading to Christmas.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

However, due to the fact that most of our shows are cancelled and we show more sports on Thanksgiving I was granted off anyway, as of yesterday. So I'm thinking about hosting a small meal for some friends who have had a really tough year (she, cancer scare this summer; him, triple bypass last Tuesday). Good use of the day.

Sounds like a wonderful idea.

I'm planning on cooking as little as possible. Hoping this coming week to be able to go over to Bojangles' and pre-order one of their turkey dinners, pick up some pies at our favorite cafeteria, some croissants and all I should have to make is the dressing.

So if all goes well, my day should be spent on the computer (probably hanging out here for a spell and on Wikipedia,) eating and getting some good tv in before an early shower and an early bedtime.

[2gigch1]

I offered to work Thanksgiving so some of the younger folks can enjoy the day. Now divorced, the 'family get together' isn't what it used to be. In fact I just had an early Thanksgiving 2 hours ago with my children and parents, and I'm basking in the glow as we speak.

However, due to the fact that most of our shows are cancelled and we show more sports on Thanksgiving I was granted off anyway, as of yesterday. So I'm thinking about hosting a small meal for some friends who have had a really tough year (she, cancer scare this summer; him, triple bypass last Tuesday). Good use of the day.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

As usual, I won't work Thanksgiving but the Litter Box will be open until 3pm.

But I'll have to go in early the next morning, as I've been temporarily reassigned to Scanning (Ma is now out for a knee replacement next week and is expecting to be out for about 4 months) so I'll have to take care of the price changes on Friday (which IIRC shouldn't be very many) and if I don't have the weekly test scan completed by then, I'll get that wrapped up as well.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I will be in the call center from 8:30 til 5 on Thanksgiving and 7 - 3:30 Black Friday. I chose to work Thanksgiving to get Christmas off.

Our center is closed on Christmas but I didn't have enough seniority to get Thanksgiving/Black Friday off. I work 9-6 Thanksgiving and 11-8 on Black Friday.

I expect the suck from the customers to be a little less than when I worked retail but I may yet be proven wrong.