Black Friday

So as the most hectic shopping day of the year, Black Friday, approaches, you hear so many people upset that the stores are going to be open earlier this year, opening on Thanksgiving.  And that the stores should not be open because .....Thanksgiving should be family time......

This make me SO mad!!!! Whenever I hear this, I make sure to speak my mind!

Obviously the people that make that comment aren't thinking of the people like my Husband and many others in EMS that are working, whether volunteer or paid, because people do stupid things and have emergencies.

Thanksgiving holiday means extra safety hazards for adults

I keep hearing the phrase " Thanksgiving should be about spending time with your family ".  Yes, I agree BUT in the same note, that shouldn't be the excuse people are using to explain why they don't want to work on Thanksgiving for retail. 

That's been the biggest subject this year, because a lot of the stores are opening on Thanksgiving for their Black Friday sales.  I'm sorry if I don't have a little bit more sympathy for those griping but if you work in retail, a business that looks forward to the Thanksgiving/Christmas season because they know their sales will be up and they can make more money, then you should expect it.  Just like as much as Double D hates working on Thanksgiving this year, he knows that's a con of working EMS. Because EMS doesn't close.

One of the things thrown out there is that the stores don't need to be open, that the companies are just being greedy.  Well, if your business was there to make money, by selling items, and you had a big chance to do it, wouldn't you be right there with them?  Maybe if you were a small company that is super family oriented, you wouldn't but then most of the big companies that we all know and shop at, aren't that family oriented.

You don't hear Police, Fire, EMS throwing a fit because they have to work on the holiday, they know that as part of doing their job, it is possible to work on the holiday.  They have learned it is a possibility, but know they also have a job to do either way.  If they do complain, its usually just to their family or friends and rarely gets any public notice. 

In the city here, there was actually a group that was protesting working on Thanksgiving!  When I saw that, I thought to myself, maybe next year I should start a protest with other EMS families for ALL EMS companies to be closed.  Then when someone would dial 911 they can get a recording that says " We're sorry but in observance of the Holiday, and so all our Police, Fire and EMS employees can spend time with their families, all Emergency services are closed.  Please transport yourself to the hospital, protect your own property, and put out your own fires.  Thank you and have a Great Thanksgiving."

People seem to forget the ones that don't get to spend time with their family at the holidays.  The ones that are out there taking care of their family should the need arise.  Whether it be because of a heart attack, a stroke, a family fight in which punches are thrown, or someone throwing a frozen turkey in a turkey fryer and catching the house on fire (yes, Double D has seen that one too when he was a vol FF). 

So many people forget that EMS, nurses, Doctors, etc have families too and would like to spend time with them on the holidays just as much as everyone else, but as this quote says.....

"Missing their family while taking care of yours"