Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Thanksgiving, a Time for Family Unless.......

How many times have you heard that Walmart is a family company? If you have spent more than ten minutes working for the Retail World of Merriment, you know that those are hollow words, indeed. How does this family company expect you to enjoy your family when you are working every major holiday at Walmart? That is, you are working every major holiday unless you are one of the select few who have found a way around that. It seems that the folks in the back offices have found a way around the dreaded Holiday conundrum. So why is it that they aren't needed? And more importantly-why is Walmart even open for all of these Holidays? I understand that they close on Christmas Eve, but what about all of the other family occasions?
Is it possible that the world might survive without Walmart open to sell DVDs and batteries and such? Easter would be a great day to gather with family and friends, unless of course you work for Walmart. So would New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, or even Thanksgiving for that matter.Whatever happened to Sunday being a day for family and quiet relaxation? I am not naive, I understand in today's twenty four hour, seven day a week go, go, go life that someone has to be open for the people who have to have whatever it is that they think they need. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Walmart were to have a major press release announcing their plans to close on Sundays in honor of the Sabbath and to give their associates time with their families? Of course, it isn't going to happen. The odds of Walmart closing down shop on one of their biggest days for sales is slightly less likely to happen than monkeys flying from an orifice of mine.

Whose family is important to Walmart? What would they lose by closing on these important dates? More importantly-what would they gain? They might gain the gratitude of all the associates who have to make choices on the Holidays. They might also become a respected leader in the community of good will by realizing that the people who work for them would like to have some uncluttered time with family and friends. The goodwill they could create would make a big dent in all of the negative press that they receive day in and day out. Of course, I'm not holding my breath. But if someone in Bentonville does give this some serious consideration, you know where to find me, and you can thank me later.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

well said.