Walmart Are Not Great Humanitarians for Closing on Thanksgiving

Walmart announced that they’re not going to be open on Thanksgiving “for the first time in decades”. Here’s a tweet Walmart put out congratulating themselves for giving their employees a day off for a Federal freaking holiday:

According to Wally World CEO John Furner, “We know this has been a trying year, and our associates have stepped up. We hope they will enjoy a special Thanksgiving Day at home with their loved ones”.

That’s swell, I guess. At least it’s an improvement over last year when Walmart didn’t over overtime or holiday pay for employees who worked Thanksgiving. Instead they offered “employee discounts on in-store purchases”

Seriously? But, I suppose, how else could a family with a combined wealth of a quarter of a trillion dollars possibly expect to scrap through the holidays if they had to pay their employees time and a half?

So, maybe an improvement but, please Walmart, don’t sprain your arm patting yourself on the back. The practice of being open on Thanksgiving only goes back to 1989. That’s not counting the states that prohibit forcing employees to work on Thanksgiving.

Also, up until 2011 the Walmarts that WERE open on Thanksgiving were only operating with a skeleton crew for the benefit of panicked shoppers that forgot to buy cranberry sauce or creamed corn. They didn’t need an “all hands on deck” staff until Friday because…you know…that’s when Black Friday sales actually started.

Gradually, though, stores began starting their Black Friday deals at midnight. Then at 8pm on Thursday. Then 6pm. Then 4. Then, all day on Thanksgiving…with Walmart leading the trend all the way. Also, because much of their competition was locked down /quarantined for much of 2020 Walmart has seen a huge spike in profits. Add to that the fact that having “door-buster” sales will probably be illegal come this November and Walmart is seeming much less altruistic than they would have us (and their employees) believe. So, nice try Walmart. But, much like your products on Thanksgiving this year, we’re not buying it.