Jackson Jambalaya

Thanksgiving is becoming a holiday only for the well-off. I guess store owners figure the chumps who actually make the store's money for it are paid too little to have any reason to give thanks.

I would love to see this backfire on the retailers. Are they so desperate for sales they need to be open on Thanksgiving? I guess so, since the shopping experience at Belks and Dilliards is so disappointing. I was in Belks at Dogwood last week and felt I was stuck at a flea market in the mens department. You couldn't even move around, the aisles were so cluttered with racks and signs. But I regress. Back to the employees. What are they going to do, fire you if you refuse to show up for work? They could, but then they would have to spend time and resources hiring competent help when they need it most. I imagine that anyone with a good work ethic could find a new job Friday morning.

I remember when people complained about businesses opening on Sunday. Don't blame the businesses. Blame the people that make it profitable to be open on Thanksgiving. You won't find me in a mall on Sunday or thanksgiving. Of course you might not ever find me in a mall.

6:56, you should have tried going over to the Wal-Marts after you left the Belks and Dilliards.

It will be full. People are so desperate to buy things from China that they can't wait until Friday. I'm half-way expecting a store to open on Christmas--what better way to return your unwanted presents, spend giftcards and cash, and pick up that way-too-last minute gift

I agree. Only reason the stores will open is if the customers show up. I think the employees should have this day off but as long as people show up they will be forced to work.

I worked at Walmart for a stint a few years ago, and I didn't really mind working on Thanksgiving. They split shifts up so that no one was stuck working the entire day, paid us time and a half holiday pay, and even fed us a Thanksgiving dinner.

Blame the people that make it profitable to be open on Thanksgiving.

Two words. Consumptive gluttony. A MAJOR contributing factor for our approaching economic demise.

6:56 must have never held a job in his her/life. If boss says show up you have to show up or most likely get fired. Most people have bills to pay and cannot just not show up. Then if/when you get fired for not showing up you get put on the next application that you were fired for not showing up at work. Most retail management think that workers are a dime a dozen so if you dont do as told its out the door.

Yes, they are private businesses and they have the right to open as they please. However, I have the right to free speech and that means the right to criticize them as I please.

Well said, KF.

I love shopping. Standing in long line to check out. Spending my last dollar on stuff. Than have to go to cash advance to keep the Comcast cable on. Than finding a place to store it in the house. Than after a few years taking it to Goodwill where you get in a fight with the manager for bringing him stuff he has to dispose of in the dumpster (he in turns get yelled at for filling up the dumpster. The alternative is stuffing yourself with turkey,ham, dressing, peas, mash potatoes & gravey, yams, butter beans, field peas, trunup greens bread pudding, apple pie, punkin pie, and tea. You than feel guilty for all the abundanace while kids are starving in Africa.

7:49 AM = best comment

Johnny Weir@10:05am:

Your early posts here at JJ were (IMHO) some of the most obnoxious ones, even considering the dumbassery of the Jones County riff-raff that entertained us here non-stop for six months before returning to their chicken houses & gravel roads.

But I must admit, you have a lot more sense than I gave you credit for, and I have since warmed up to your posts and your sense of humor. I regret that I sold you short. Keep posting.

PS You forgot to list (homemade) chicken & dumplings on the menu.

~ Enlightened Former Shopping Drone

Lord, y'all need a drink. Loosen up a little bit and don't let Jesus take all the fun out of you. Look the stores are not opening until 6:00 pm. Everyone will have had more than enough family togetherness to last till Christmas. The stores will be full and one or two of the hollering folks here will be right in the great big middle of it. I find it faux outrage for anyone to decry a store opening. If it offends you, don't show up.

This is America. We love our Thanksgiving food and shopping. Sometimes it can turn into a contact sport. It's our duty as consumers to show up and buy the sale items. It creates jobs and keeps the economy humming. So stop with your socialist crusade to end shopping on Thanksgiving. It's not really a holiday to begin with but an American creation. Where is the outrage over movie theaters being open on Thanksgiving and Christmas? It's the two biggest days in the industry.

"So stop with your socialist crusade to end shopping on Thanksgiving."

The correct response to this is the all-purpose New Yorker cartoon caption.

12:56 You going to leave us hanging?

In the 1970s I worked in a supermarket making $10.25 per hour. Our contract gave us paid holidays, but the owners wanted to stay open so as not to lose customers. Those who worked Sundays got time-and-a-half. Those who worked holidays got double-time-and-a-half plus the holiday pay, or triple-time-and-a-half ($35.87 per hour). A half-day shift brought in $143, and I could still get leftover turkey with family, then hit the movie theater or the bars that night with friends. Also, $143 went a hell of a lot further then than it does now.

I don't think current retail workers get anything like that. I knew I was at a dead end so I went back to school and make much more now, and only work holidays when I want to.

Strippers gonna strip and hookers gonna hook, so long as there's folding money to be made.

I have a retail store and find it appalling that Dillards and Wal Mart are open on Turkey Day and Christmas. But then again, I used to be a vendor, calling of Dillards and Wal Mart and this does not surprise me. Nothing Wal Mart does surprises me. They are the scumbags of retailing.

Whatta buncha whiners. First, the notice says they're opening late in the afternoon of Thanksgiving. Second; those of you who have never worked in the private sector economy that includes a majority of hourly employees may have no clue that employees actually vie for the opportunity to make time and a half (or double time in some cases) on holidays.

Holidays in the workplace are nothing but perks. No labor law or employment law requires holidays, vacations or sick leave. Get the fuck over it. Go to France and take Kingfish with you.

I live in Southaven and Walgreen's was open on Christmas day last year...the clerk I spoke to afterwards said they were slammed from the time they opened until closing....I wouldn't be at all surprised if other retailers followed suit.

And here I am pissed off that my office is closed both Thursday and Friday. Some of us actually need the money.

5:59pm - I think there are probably more than a few people who would prefer to spend time with their family over a few extra bucks.

Then they can 'spend time with their family' between daylight and dusk. The damned place doesn't open until dark. They just can't get too sauced standin' round that drum fire out back by the grill.

Hundreds of thousands of public servants, service company employees and others are ALWAYS working on holidays while you kick back and eat that third slice of pecan pie.

Next you'll moan that people hafta work on MLK day when Kennuff is lining up at the parade route.

Not aware of any private sector employers who shut down for some of these holidays. Those employer worksites whose payroll is met by taxpayers will always opt for these paid holidays. Those responsible for paying their own obligations will not. "The Mall" is not a business. It is a building housing many private sector busineses.

IF family is close by, they can see them all they want. If not close by, one day in the middle of the week won't help. And everyone is so upset that Walmart, Dillards, etc. will be open and their employees have to work???? First of all - those people work in retail.... it goes with the territory. They cannot be surprised they will be open. And why is it so much worse for them to work than anyone else? When was the last time local police, sheriff's department, emergency response teams, hospitals, power company, airline employees (and other forms of travel), hotel workers, etc. took off on holidays? And you worry about the Walmart employee not being able to go see family? What happens when they need to stop for gas on the way to Grandma's house? Yep - the convenience store/gas station is open! Quit being so self-righteous!! The whole world doesn't shut down on Thanksgiving just because you are offended that retail takes advantage of the biggest shopping day of the year.

They told us he was a saint and we believed them. They told us we needed to name a street in every town after him so we did. Then they told us we needed to have a holiday in his name and pay people for not working that day and many followed suit. Hell, he's still a whoremonger, but we listened to the PC crowd.