That included the pharmacy. Handy if you absolutely needed a script filled, but I can't imagine the store part did much business.

keeping the pharmacy closed. I can understand the rationale when the pharmacy is available. When that's closed, not so much. I know my husband would not have been nearly as angry about the issue if the pharmacy had also opened.

What also makes this decision rankle even more is that until two years ago, his store was always closed on the major holidays because it's in a business district - only very minimal residential traffic. Now it's apparently an "everybody is open so we must, too" decision. No logic or business insight need apply.

If that doesn't describe retail, I don't know what does.

But we will see even more stores open next year because of the robust sales this year. Their Thanksgiving bottom line was a success to those that were open. Black Friday itself was down a 1/2 percent.

is open as well for prescription filling. I certainly can't see being open unless the pharmacy is open.

on holidays two years ago. It's been there for 20+ years and he's been with the company for 15.

day for years. Do you think different districts get to decide whether to be open or not? I was just wondering why his has only started opening this year.

has a little leeway. For example, they can decide on the opening/closing time on a case-by-case basis. The DM wanted hubby's store to be open until midnight every night from now until Christmas, and Mr. MANative fought tooth and nail to keep it to 10:00 p.m. They never do any business after 8:00 p.m. and he was able to prove it with traffic data. A minor victory, and one that took better than two weeks of discussion to secure.

you are referring to, and then your husband from the info you posted here and in your original op. Maybe that's ok, but I would be concerned for any flash back on your husband. Personally I don't see anything wrong with you expressing your opinion, but you never know about those corporate execs.

corporate message boards. It's FAR worse than anything here! They truly don't give a shit that their employees are unhappy. The response email from corporate included this line:

"You must all remember that during this holiday season, there is nothing more important than the customer."

The backlash against that was darkly comical.

that spews that crap. OK, just didn't want you or yours crucified.

thoughtful concern!

But the truth is, if you don't want to work on holidays, don't work at one of these jobs. I agree in principle, that it'd be nice if these places closed. But the likelihood is, you're going to have to work on Thanksgiving, probably not Christmas, if you work in retail.

I'd love it if they'd do a lot of things. But telling people in modern times "Close on your Busiest day?" Well. It just is not going to happen.

Celebrate when you get off--it's just an instant in time, one that can be after, or before, or the day before, or the next day. You can gather and eat anytime you want.

Keep going for the pay, the benefits, but hell, work when you're called on. It makes us look bad, it sort of pushes their stereotype, that we don't want to work, as liberals.

It's only been the last couple of years that the store has been open on major holidays, so the equation and "implied contract" has definitely changed. For the prior dozen+ years, he did not have to work on those holidays; the doors were closed. And for a drugstore, these are, by far, NOT the busiest business days. They are, in fact, among the slowest. He does FAR more business in January and February than in November and December. By leaps and bounds.

He spent a little more than a dozen years as a police officer before an injury on the job made it desirable for him to change careers. As a cop, we absolutely expected that he would work most, if not all, holidays and planned accordingly. The policy shift in the drugstore world is recent, coming long after he made that career decision.

And he works far harder than most non-retail people might expect. Very physically demanding, constant problem-solving, high levels of financial responsibility and perpetual juggling of minimal resources for maximum return. For a pittance in pay. Let a wing-nut who says liberals don't like to work take his job for a week, and they'll be complaining for entirely different reasons.

You seem to think anyone can get any job that they want. This isn't the case. My college educated son currently works in retail, and had to work on Thanksgiving. It isn't the job he wants, or the best he is capable of getting, but it is the best he could find in his area. He moved to a rural area because his fiance got a job that paid more than they were earning together. It took him almost month to find this job. He has been applying for better jobs for almost a year, but there aren't many to be had in his area.

"if you don't want to work on holidays, don't work at one of these jobs." ---->As if jobs grew on trees and employees have a choice

"But telling people in modern times "Close on your Busiest day?" Well. It just is not going to happen."----> Uh, did you read the OP? The specific store had a $300 day when a normal day is $4000. It was NOT a busy day and probably did not get enough revenue to cover expenses.

"You can gather and eat anytime you want." ----> One of the reasons for having specific days for holidays is so families can get together. With stores being open on the holidays and schedules being fucked around by management, that is becoming impossible. We didn't try to go to my in-laws get together for Thanksgiving. My husband had the day off but had to work until 9 PM the night before and had to open the store at 8 AM the morning after so driving 2 hours one way would have tiring and stressful. One of his family had to work until 2 PM and another had to go into work at 3 PM so we would not have gotten but maybe a few minutes with the family together. And that is on a HOLIDAY. Regular days of the year are worse to try to schedule for the family to "gather and eat."

As liberals we need to fight to make sure that people get those jobs and benefits - and some of those benefits we fought for in the past were holidays for workers and schedules that let people spend time with their families. That doesn't mean that people don't want to work. It means that family values - REAL family values, not lip service - are important to us liberals.

simply charming response.

Let's take this point by point.
1). But the truth is, if you don't want to work on holidays, don't work at one of these jobs. I agree in principle, that it'd be nice if these places closed. But the likelihood is, you're going to have to work on Thanksgiving, probably not Christmas, if you work in retail.

I've been in Retail for some 41 years & I continue to be amazed by this line of thinking. First: Jobs are a bit difficult to come by of late, there was that whole economic thing back in 2008. It was in all the papers. Second: I have seen holiday after holiday moved from store closed to store open, so the goal posts seem to keep moving for those who work Retail. I would offer that most people work in Retail because it's a job and one available.

2). I'd love it if they'd do a lot of things. But telling people in modern times "Close on your Busiest day?" Well. It just is not going to happen.

Based upon my experience and as describes by the OP, the business (and hence the logic of being open) generally does not follow, because the customers are out doing their holiday things and not shopping.

3). Celebrate when you get off--it's just an instant in time, one that can be after, or before, or the day before, or the next day. You can gather and eat anytime you want.
One most certainly can enjoy their turkey dinner as you suggest, most likely alone as re-heated leftovers as the rest of the family who does not work in the Retail sector and probably has the entire 4 day weekend off will have had theirs on Thanksgiving.

4). Keep going for the pay, the benefits, but hell, work when you're called on. It makes us look bad, it sort of pushes their stereotype, that we don't want to work, as liberals.
I most certainly agree that pay and benefits need to be increased for all those in the Retail Sector, but what about an ounce of respect and respect for their families? Should that not count in your calculation of benefits?

That would show them bigtime.

One more example of corporate slavery.

And for now have holidays off. You should suggest it to him.

No one ever leaves because it's such a great place to work. Most of their management team has been there for 10+ years. No other location within 75 miles. We'd both love for him to get on staff there. His pay would leap dramatically, for just one positive factor.

It appears he was not happy about it. Why stay where you are not happy? Life is too short. He is in a field that is wide open and can pick and chose where he would like to work. He is very fortunate in that aspect.

Unemployment among the "over 50 and over-qualified" age group approaches Depression-era levels.

Resume. Everyone must taylor their résumé to the job they are applying. Today nobody should submit a resume that would be deemed overqualified. That is today's job finding 101.

...must lie by omission is a sad commentary.

I mean we sell ourselves at the interview like we are the greatest thing ever. I wish interviews were a week long with the top 4 candidates having to really prove themselves in actual results. That would turn the whole interview process up side down. It will never happen though.

...correct that it has always been a game. It was one that I never played very well. 😊 I like your idea regarding actual results. I would much rather do that than try to verbally sell myself. I was never good at the latter.

Today's resume must always downplay experience, without lying outright. It's a fine ( and treacherous ) line to walk.

.. management of Walgreen's and told him "They're not exactly the brightest stars in the sky" .

Piggly Wiggly, Winn Dixie, CVS, Walgreens, Dollar General, Walmart, etc. When I drive through town at 1 pm I commented that all the parking lots were packed.

At 1 pm?

Yes.

The only ones I noticed closed were the local places and the Hardee's and Subway.

the pharmacy was open. People need their rx regardless of the holiday. But just opening the front of the store? Bad PR if you ask me.

except for the pharmacists, who gloated over having the day off.

that on the day before Thanksgiving, my Dad would make sure that the car had a full tank of gas, that all the food was in the house, and I'm sure if were on medication(s) they were in the house too. Why was this, it was because everything was closed on Thanksgiving and the small businesses were closed the day after.

In fact, several years ago, his store had reduced hours on the Wednesday. They used to close at 6:00, and did the same on all of the "eve" holidays. Now, they're open until 10:00, two hours after the last customer has strolled through the doors.

the department store (now defunct) I worked in was open until 9:00 p.m. (I worked in theft prevention). I've always thought that if you don't have what you need by 3 p.m. on the eve of a holiday, you're SOL. Just the way it should be.

they get no holidays everyone else celebrate, get minimum wage or about, get no benefits.

Maybe the boys in the corner office will see the bottom line and change their approach. I am really sorry you and your family and all the employees and their families had to bow down to the suits.

but it's as much about the "perception" of being "customer-oriented" as it is about making money. I also am forced to wonder whether they deliberately look for ways to make their employees (and their families) miserable.

But they should definitely allow employees to opt out without repurcusions. Some people have families that need them, some don't. When I was young I and several friends loved working the holidays - an easy way to make double time on a slow day.

Managers, however, get no additional pay, and no additional time off. They are salaried, and most (including my husband) make well under $50K/year. They are also required to work 55 hours per week during the six-week "holiday" season with no additional compensation.

there were more cars in the lot than i've ever seen. so perhaps it depends on locale. personally i see drug stores being open on holidays a s sort of a public service.

IF the pharmacy itself is open. In this case, and several others just within his district, only the "front store" was open. Can't speak with confidence to other districts, but it wouldn't surprise me if the same happened in other areas.

an inversion to make themselves a foreign-owned company (as a tax-avoidance scheme).

Senator Dick Durbin and others humiliated them in the press by pointing out how dependent they are on pharmacy revenue from customers on Medicare & Medicaid.
They abandoned the inversion plan, but not before damaging their brand and the goodwill associated with their name.

My point- The C-Suite is packed with idiots.

that they'd even attempt something so dumb. Your point is entirely accurate!

Business executives are trained at an early age to follow the herd and keep their own heads down. Therefore, they will never see what is really happening. Retail executives are some of the worst about following the herd mentality. "Everybody is doing this, so we must do it, too.", while following the herd right over the cliff.

These men and women are so convinced they are superior, yet they can not come up with an original thought to save their business. They should have spent a couple of days a week not partying and taken some classes to expand their thinking skills. Although being able to think in a logical and creative way is usually punished in business circles.

Good luck to you and your husband. He is the sort of manager to whom the executives should listen. The only reason I would go to a Walgreens on a holiday would be for a prescription to be filled. If the pharmacy was closed and the rest of the store is open, that would feel like a bait and switch tactic and I would never go back to that store.

Romney LOST the last election.

Twice, I escaped being fired through sheer dumb luck. Whenever a penny dropped on their share price, their response was to send a hatchet man around each store to "make efficiencies" - which in practice meant firing the first five people they spoke to. Both times this happened during my time there happened to be on days when I wasn't working. But they're a horrible, horrible company nonetheless.

I actually went to CVS on Thanksgiving day to get some medicine for my 5 year old. A few people were in there. I did notice the Walgreens across the street had an empty parking lot...this thread is like deja vu LOL

I went there to buy a forgotten can of chicken stock on Thanksgiving Day. While I was there I bought some other stuff, too. The store had plenty of customers. Walgreen's here in Minnesota is always open on Thanksgiving. Christmas, too. They're very busy on both days.

Maybe that particular Walgreen's wasn't busy, but many are very busy.

As I mentioned earlier, this store is in a business district. There's only one very small apartment building (15 units) nearby. The area is pretty much deserted on weekends, holidays, and nights after 8:00 (even that's a generous assessment - usually 7:00). It was a dumb business decision to keep this building open, along with about a dozen others in the area which are in the same circumstance. Blanket policies make no sense in these situations. Mr. MANative will see the district figures at their meeting next Tuesday, but conversations with other managers have indicated similar results.

If the store is in a business district, it's not going to get any business on a holiday like Thanksgiving. My stores are in residential neighborhoods, so they're busy. You're right about blanket policies not working well.

Hopefully they'll rethink next year.

to open 24 hours next year to "capture more business". Yes, they appear to be just that dumb!

Absolutely nuts.

business decisions (and Walgreens is not alone in this, by a long stretch). Maybe I should write a book!

And yes, if you've got lots of stories like this, you should write a book--or a comic strip. Dilbert did pretty well.

Russell Stover candies are more seasonal.

in case someone needs some medicine or something.

I have close family members that worked Thanksgiving. Never mind how the hours they worked screwed up the timing of the meal. It had to be on the table exactly at a certain time, after one got off work and before the other had to go to work.

The receipts were $22,000 for the day, which is only about a thousand above normal for them. Only problem, their losses were $19,000 for the day. People only went in and bought the ad specials. They did not wander around and pick up anything else. That 500 dollar ticket item they had on sale for $250 was all the person bought and left. Guess what, corporate is talking about extending their hours next year.

So they want to open to lose money.

Most people today have so little disposable income that they ONLY buy whatever's on sale, whether that's for holiday giving or for weekly groceries. In the retail industry, we used to call that "cherry-picking" but it's now become the norm for most of middle America. Profit doesn't come so much from increased revenue as it does from cost-cutting, which companies do until they're cutting into the bone, never mind the muscle.

My husband's responsibilities have increased dramatically over the last three years, but his pay has not increased at all. He's now doing many of the accounting functions that used to be done by the corporate office and much of the inventory management work that used to be handled by distribution specialists. That doesn't count all the in-store merchandising that was formerly handled by district staff. He works 50+ hours per week (no overtime pay) and could easily toss in another ten or twelve if he really wanted to do every last little thing they ask. Most of it is never inspected (often because the DM doesn't understand what the hell he's supposed to be looking for), and the managers quickly learn what they can ignore and what attracts attention. It's the only way to stay sane.

the front and the pharmacy.

In fact, it's WHY they stay open - or at least why they do here - because of the pharmacy.

And one of my friends' husband's manages a Walgreens, too. He's the one that told me that.

I can only speculate based on what he tells me, but they haven't given the managers any explanation other than "That's what we've decided." Same thing happened last year, so we can only guess that it's either an RVP/DM decision, or more likely, the pharmacists bitched so much that they gave in and allowed them to stay home. They claim that they have a really tough time hiring pharmacists in this area, even at their starting salary of $85K for new grads, so they tend to go overboard to keep the ones they do have as happy as they can hope to be working in retail.