In some ways, I'm a bit of a traditionalist. It just seems wrong to me that stores should start opening up late on Thanksgiving Day with their special "Black Friday" deals. I know that more and more stores are staying open on holidays, and sometimes I have been thankful for that (especially when I've forgotten something for the meal!), but I still lament the fact that some people have to work while most of the rest of us take time to eat and be lazy.
So when I was hearing about all these stores opening up or starting their deals at times such as 10:00 PM on Thursday, I felt bad for a number of families. How many people had to change their usual schedule of Thanksgiving simply because they had to work. Granted, many of them may have been thankful for the extra hours, especially if they got holiday pay, since so many in our nation are now struggling to make ends meet. I just find it sad that it comes at the cost of a time that is supposed to be dedicated to thankfulness and family.
Yes, my wife and I made our way to one of the local stores that started their deals at 10:00. Really, there weren't that many things that we wanted. In some ways, we really wanted to see what the crowds would be like. And wow, were there ever crowds. I have never seen that particular store as busy as it was at that time. Even with our skills at finding the couple of things we were looking for and picking the short line, it still took about 45 minutes to get in and out.
I recognize that many families need to look for good deals because money is tight. But in the back of my mind, this whole Black Thursday/Friday thing seems much more about greed and covetousness than about saving money and being thankful. It seems much more about profit and money than anything else. And when Jesus said that a person cannot serve both God and money (mammon), I find it sad that so many people are bowing down to the almighty dollar.
Will it change? I seriously doubt it. When stores and businesses realize that there is money to be made, they will probably find it irresistible. A few will probably try to hold out, only to realize that their profit margins start slipping, and then they have to fight for those customers. But in the end, the thing that really seems to stand out in all of this is the love of the almighty dollar, and bowing down to false gods and idols of our own making.
So when I was hearing about all these stores opening up or starting their deals at times such as 10:00 PM on Thursday, I felt bad for a number of families. How many people had to change their usual schedule of Thanksgiving simply because they had to work. Granted, many of them may have been thankful for the extra hours, especially if they got holiday pay, since so many in our nation are now struggling to make ends meet. I just find it sad that it comes at the cost of a time that is supposed to be dedicated to thankfulness and family.
Yes, my wife and I made our way to one of the local stores that started their deals at 10:00. Really, there weren't that many things that we wanted. In some ways, we really wanted to see what the crowds would be like. And wow, were there ever crowds. I have never seen that particular store as busy as it was at that time. Even with our skills at finding the couple of things we were looking for and picking the short line, it still took about 45 minutes to get in and out.
I recognize that many families need to look for good deals because money is tight. But in the back of my mind, this whole Black Thursday/Friday thing seems much more about greed and covetousness than about saving money and being thankful. It seems much more about profit and money than anything else. And when Jesus said that a person cannot serve both God and money (mammon), I find it sad that so many people are bowing down to the almighty dollar.
Will it change? I seriously doubt it. When stores and businesses realize that there is money to be made, they will probably find it irresistible. A few will probably try to hold out, only to realize that their profit margins start slipping, and then they have to fight for those customers. But in the end, the thing that really seems to stand out in all of this is the love of the almighty dollar, and bowing down to false gods and idols of our own making.
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