Retailers "pressured" to open at midnight on Black Friday

Many retail stores have decided to open at midnight for Black Friday this year, much to the chagrin of employees and even shoppers. While many stores have previously opened their doors to rabid holiday shoppers at the likes of 3 and 4 a.m. in the past, many retailers are feeling the pressure to open even earlier. This decision not only affects shoppers, but also the part-time and full-time employees who have to arrive to work even earlier than the midnight opening.

Thanksgiving to me is a time for family and fellowship, not shopping and materialism. And in today's economy, many families who are spread across the United States have fewer and fewer opportunities to see their loved ones because of rising travel costs. And now retail stores are going to open at midnight? Ludicrous! This means that people will begin to line up even earlier than normal to ensure that they can get their hands on the Black Friday deals, leaving them less time with their families. And even worse, employees at these establishments are forced to go into work on Thanksgiving day for their shift on Black Friday.

Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn said that they "were going to open at a much more civilized hour, like 3 or 4 (a.m.)... We made a decision at Best Buy that we need to be where our customers are". But the thing is, either way they ARE going to have people in their store, selling out of everything in their ad if they open at midnight or 5 a.m.

I myself am a seasonal employee at Best Buy, so I have experienced Black Friday first hand from the retail side for the past 5 years. Every year we sell out of every item that is displayed in the advertisement, and the store is left in shambles at the end of the day. I do not see any reason for ANY store to open at midnight... there really isn't a competitive advantage because at the end of the day they are going to sell out of everything they advertise. If anything, opening at different times will allow customers to go to multiple stores instead of having to choose one store to purchase the heavily discounted items.

I could go on and on about how materialistic the United States has become, but I won't. We all know this, but choose to turn a blind eye to it. Luckily I'm not working one of the midnight shifts this holiday so I get to spend time with my friends and family.