Grocery Stores Open Christmas Day

[buckytom]

ok, you're all forgetting one industry. television.

i have worked almost every holiday, save a few that luckily fell on my 1 day off per week, since 1987. easter-schmeaster. thanksgkving, ok, but i'll be late. fortunately, i get to work midnights on christmas, so i only sacrifice sleep.

the cbs eye never blinks.

i mean it. it's creepy.

lol, j/k.

it does sucketh, tho. to have traded your soul for good pay and bennies. i am the antithesis of "easy rider". i am owned by the man.

i am the rat on the treadmill of life. if i stop, i'll croak.


merry christmas everyone!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Andy M.]

BT:

At least you have a positive attitude!

 

[PytnPlace]

I don't support the stores on Christmas. I feel so sorry for the people that have to work. I feel the same about Thanksgiving. I wonder about the travelers tho - most of the gas stations are closed around here. Even the ones next to the highway.

 

[YT2095]

kinda makes ya wonder about our Lads And Lasses over in iraq and afganistan and other places too!

 

[Veloce]

Everything in town will be closed. It's the only day of the year the Pizza place, the Chinese take-out place, the gas stations and the supermarket are closed.

 

[BlueCat]

I remember going to a grocery store on either Christmas or New Year's Day one year and was surprised to find the more senior clerks working there. I asked why they got stuck with it, and they all giggled and said that they fight over it because it's double time and a half for them. So there's another perspective. I try my best to never go to a retail store or gas station on a holiday. I think everyone should have a special day off once in awhile.

BC

 

[Veloce]

That's a good point. When I had a union job delivering ice cream from the warehouse to the retail sales points I was paid double time and a half for working on the 4th of July. I didn't mind at all.

 

[shpj4]

There are some Grocery Stores open on Christmas Day in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California and I think it is awful. The people working should be home with their families - I do know that those who work are getting double time.

The one good thing if you forgot anything for your dinner who can go out and buy it.

 

[Candocook]

There have been cute articles in the NYTimes about eating Chinese takeout in the City--the Chinese restaurants are open and it seems to be sort of a tradition for Jewish folk to eat Chinese. At least that was one post on a board I frequent--they were going for DimSum.
As for stores, most of ours are closed.

 

[webworm98]

I disagree there are people who don’t get paid a full weeks wage if they don’t work on a holiday & those that do work on Holiday do not get paid extra. Gas stations are the ones that used to be open on Christmas Day. Lot of travels sometimes ran out of gas. I am surprised to hear some of them are closed.

I ran out of soft rinks and a couple of other items. So, I had to go to CVS. They were real friendly and nice. The only problem I had was using my MasterCard debit card as a pin purchase. (Yes, I know my pin) I had to select credit and hit cancel (atm pin pad pops up) before my transactions went through. I joked with the cashier that the pin network must have taken a holiday. She laughed.

 

[TATTRAT]

seems like ALL the Chinese restaurants and 7-11's were open, that was about it. I know a few buddies that decided to open there bars at 7pm, I guess for post-inlaw stress relief.

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

I used to work for a huge retail chain. I didnt mind working holidays. I dont have kids. ANd I can see my relatives but just not on a holiday. It wasnt really that bad. Plus people need things, even on Christmas. Medicine, food, last minute gifts. I like the idea that, if there is something I need badly, I can get it.
This year I needed to get Benedryl. Im allergic to dogs. Plus the bulbs burnt out on some of our Christmas lights. AND.... we ran out of yeast. AND we needed a tool to repair my aunts windows.

Last minute things I guess.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Everything in town will be closed. It's the only day of the year the Pizza place, the Chinese take-out place, the gas stations and the supermarket are closed.

Around here the Chinese restaurants are all open on Xmas. And they're packed, too! I myself have had Xmas dinner with my brother & sister at the Peking.

But not this year!

 

[VeraBlue]

Well, the holiday is over, and stores still have not gone back to 'normal' business hours.

My son has to work from 8am till 11pm tonight! He works at one of those computer/appliance shops on Route 17 in Paramus. My daughter has to work from 7am to 5pm. She works at a designer jean/clothing shop in Soho. I'm working because I simply never close. I have students from Europe and Asia who just cannot get home for the holidays so we always open.

Every organization is going to 'do' the holiday pay differently. Usually, and again, I stress the word usually....people who actually work a holiday get double time. At the very least, they get time and a half. If you'd normally work the holiday because it's a day of the week you normally work, and your place of business happens to close, you'd get regular pay for the holiday as long as you work your scheduled day before and your scheduled day after the holiday. That doesn't mean you have to work the day before and the day after, just whatever day you were scheduled for.

The idea of employers using 'non-christian' employees to cover those holidays is unconstitutional because it is flagrant discrimination. People cannot be given certain work hours because of their faith or religion. You cannot give older employees scheduled hours on say, New Year's Eve, either, for the same reasons. Sure, an employer can ask who wants to work the holiday...but, ultimately, if the place has to be manned, it has to be manned fairly. A federal holiday is a federal holiday..and all employees are entitled to the benefits of that holiday. The days of believing that only 'jewish' employees worked on Christmas or only single people worked on the 4th of July are over. Most companies employee some sort of Spirit of Diversity policy. Those policies clearly state that all employees, regardless of race, age, sexual inclination, religious belief, body image, geographic origin, education, financial situation, etc...must all be treated fairly with regard to all company policies.

The preceeding has been a public service announcement. Besides, I have to go to work now.

 

[LoveCookin]

I almost had to run out and get charcoal to finish smoking my turkey. Fortunately, I was able to borrow. My son mentioned he did not want me to go to boycot those places that were making their employees work a holiday .

 

[GB]

I agree...I think it is ridiculous.

I do not see why it is ridiculous. not everyone celebrates the holiday, and just because a majority of the people do, that is not reason to think it is ridiculous to think that the rest of us would not want to be able to have our normal conveniences.

Speaking as someone who never celebrated Xmas (until recently when I got married and we started celebrating with my wifes family), Xmas has always been a difficult time. While everyone else is sitting around the tree opening gifts we were forced to eat Chinese food and go to the movies because those the the ONLY things open. You either get take out (make sure to order two hours ahead of time) or you eat there (another two hour wait). You fight for a seat at the movies and hope you can get two together and not have to sit in the very front row.

Having the grocery stores open is HUGE in my opinion. I do not think anyone should be forced to work that day, but for people who want to then why not?

After managing and supervising for many years, I can't recall anyone ever seriously complaining about being forced to abstain from work on Dec. 25.

Well let me tell you that it DOES in fact happen. It is very insulting to a lot of people that they are forced to take that day off, but have to use their vacation time to take their own holidays off. Not everyone celebrates the same holiday and a lot of people forget that or refuse to believe it.

I am not trying to be a scrooge here. I am just trying to show the other side of things.

 

[GB]

My son mentioned he did not want me to go to boycot those places that were making their employees work a holiday .

Would he feel the same way for companies that made their employees work on Chanukah or Ramadan or any other non Christian holiday? Just something for him to think about.

 

[buckytom]

i was thinking of you, geebs, yesterday. you've reinforced what many of my childhood friends felt.

(i am a strange mix of celtic, scandinavian, italian, jewish, and polynesian. yes, i'm a waponi woo. j/k.)



it is a dicey subject, to decide who is willing to work, and who has to be told to work.

since i'm in a union, we go by seniority if everyone wants off. fortunately, a few guys are willing to work so it's never that difficult to cover. there were many years, though, that i was the new guy and had no voice in the matter. i worked all day, both thanksgiving and christmas.

in my experience, seniority is the only fair way to decide. in a few years, i'll be top dog, and the circle will have come around my way.

a few of the guys are jewish and muslim, so they don't mind helping out. i know a few actually feel it's their responsibility, to be a good co-worker. it would suck, though, if they felt like the had to work or be looked badly upon.

sadly, the only other people that i saw at work were divorced guys that aren't seeing their kids. it made me very sad.

 

[GB]

sadly, the only other people that i saw at work were divorced guys that aren't seeing their kids. it made me very sad.

That really is quite sad!

 

[BreezyCooking]

While I am a Christian, I find folks who go positively RABID at the idea of some businesses being open on Christmas Day a rather creepy form of religious intolerance.

Like others here have posted, not EVERYONE is a Christian &/or celebrates Christmas. And even if they do, if they perhaps really need or want the extra pay for working those extra hours, that's up to them - not YOU. And whether you're working or not on the day has absolutely NO bearing on how you feel or celebrate Christmas.

And from a non-Christian viewpoint? I've had friends of mine who don't celebrate the holiday LOVE working Xmas Day because they receive extra pay for having to do practically nothing because very few folks are out shopping.

I personally don't think it's up to a few to decide for everyone.