Thanksgiving Greed

I am so sick of hearing people complain about the greed of the retailers that planned to open on Thanksgiving Day that I am ready to upchuck turkey, dressing, and both helpings of pumpkin pie. It should be intuitively obvious to even the most casual observer that retailers are not in business to reverse global warming, or cure world hunger, or any of those feel-good things.  To think otherwise is silly.  Retailers are in business for one reason; to make a profit by providing goods and services that consumers demand at as low a cost as possible.  So why would a retailer open on Thanksgiving Day?  Two words: consumer demand.

Retailers, competing for dwindling shopping dollars, are willing to open on Thanksgiving in order to maximize profits or minimize losses. But in order to make money, these retailers must know that shoppers will be there to spend money.  An empty store costs them money.  Obviously, they know the shoppers will show, but how do they know?  It’s all about supply and demand.  Consumers demand and businesses supply.  No demand and the stores would remain closed on Thanksgiving.

Think about the number of people that have camped out for days waiting for the stores to open on Black Friday.  How many people showed up at midnight on Thanksgiving night when stores opened to get that “killer” bargain, waiting all day in line to be the first in the store?  In each case, the shoppers decided that the “bargain” was more important than time with family and friends, or giving thanks for the many blessings, big and small, that have been bestowed upon them.

Some will argue that the bargain is too good to pass up.  Chances are that the product will be priced the same as it was back in August.  But on Black Friday, the special price on that XboxOne or 50” TV for the five or ten items the store was able to procure, will attract consumers to the store.  However, the bulk of them will be disappointed that “supplies are limited.”

The retailers who intend to open on Thanksgiving aren’t greedy; it’s the consumers who are willing to shop on the day of thanks that are greedy.  When family, friends, or giving thanks take a backseat to the latest “must-have”, society, as a whole, suffers. Chasing after that bargain may provide instant gratification, but what’s left when the newness has worn off or the next “greatest thing” comes along?  Instead of shopping on Thanksgiving, invest your time in strengthening relationships with family and friends.  Or invest in something bigger than you, volunteer to help serve Thanksgiving dinner at a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen.  The experience will help you remember the meaning of thanks-giving.