At the risk of sounding like Grampa Simpson or John (Get Off of My Lawn) McCain, I need to get this off of my chest on this murky Thanksgiving day in Illinois.
Rant commences on the jump.
Whatever happened the days when retailers were closed on Thanksgiving, allowing employees time with their families (or at least rest up for the big Friday sales)?
There were always some gas stations and convenience stores that stayed open and grocery stores did a brisk business in the morning and into early afternoon for procrastinators or people needing that last-second pumpkin pie. Still, they tended to close by mid-afternoon or so.
But retailers kept the doors shut. No browsing in the malls, no blue light specials at Kmart and even Walmart took a one-day break.
No more.
After taking my new dog for a walk along the beautiful Fox River this morning, I drove over to our local shopping strip to see who was open.
Starbucks was very busy. (That's okay, coffee is a necessity. Besides I think they were closing early). Dominicks Foods and Jewel/Osco -- both open for now and apparently also closing later.
Then there was Walmart.
Open 24/7 with not even a 15-minute breather for the holiday, segueing right into Black Friday madness at midnight.
Kmart started this shameful trend some years ago when the company was on the brink of insolvency. But other firms then saw opportunities to make some big bucks on a holiday.
They might claim they do it because the competition does, or they're providing convenience and service to customers.
But let's call it what it really is -- simple corporate greed and a chance to pad that bottom line even on a day of thanks, fellowship and family.
( sigh )
Pardon me, I have a few more clouds to yell at.
Happy Thanksgiving!