Cup of Coffee

November 23, 2011: The New Thanksgiving

98 Comments

I thought all these years that working 3am-1pm on Black Friday was the worst it would get. Now I'm working 11pm on Thanksgiving to 11am, and the Milkmaid actually has to do a ten-hour shift on Thanksgiving Day. It's been a long time since I've legitimately gotten to enjoy this holiday...

98 thoughts on “November 23, 2011: The New Thanksgiving”

  1. Strib to Spooky: Drop Dead.

    .. complaining about work hours is grossly self-indulgent.

    Many unemployed workers would love a steady paycheck to stave off a home foreclosure or, in the most desperate cases, to cover the cost of Thanksgiving dinner.

    When times were better, retail giants forcing employees to work on treasured family holidays could easily be painted as corporate greed run amok. But today it's hardly fair to paint merchants as retail Scrooges.

    And...

    So please, protesting retail workers, stop whining about having to work holiday hours.

    Be grateful to have a job.

    1. I think we should all complain about the consumers that would actually go shopping at midnight.

      4. I would complain about them, but then one or two of them is bound to get trampled to death again this year, at which point I would feel like a jerk.

    2. I hate these arguments in every context.

      "Don't complain about being sick. At least you don't have typhoid."
      "Don't complain that your girlfriend broke up with you. At least you had one."
      "Stop whining about the food. There are kids in Africa who are starving."
      "18 inches of snow? Bah! I once had to wrestle a polar bear when it was -47, blizzard conditions, and two arms had already fallen off!"

      It's a logical fallacy that because someone else has it worse off than us, that we should be satisfied with what we have. It's also a logical fallacy that we can't simultaneously be grateful we have a job and still wish the conditions were better. Middle to working class people are often made to feel guilty about poor people and the rich keep laughing all the way to the bank.

      Also imagine the work I do if I used this line of reasoning with my clients. "So what you're homeless and have schizophrenia. Buck it up and stop whining. Be grateful you have an EBT card and a rucksack."

      1. You have a good point but I know many people do comparisons in the opposite way. They look at how good other people have it and get jealous.

        It's good to be thankful.

        1. hey, coveting your neighbors possessions drives the economy!

          No, you're right. I guess the lesson here is to be grateful for what you have and to always strive to make things better.

          1. It would be easier if things didn't get a little worse every year.

            The writer also fails to grasp that these are not difficult jobs to get, really. People in positions like mine can walk in with no experience, and if they have charisma, they have a job. They don't get paid what I do because I've done it for a long time and I've proven to the company that I rule at it, but really, if you can't get this job, you shouldn't be complaining because jobs are hard to get - you should be complaining because you're such a loser that you couldn't even get this job.

            The thing that makes it so gray is that yes, many of the shoppers are obvious bargain hunters, but we get a lot of people on Black Friday that just think it's a fun event, and I agree with them. In stark contrast to how Black Friday is portrayed on movies and such, it's actually one of the most polite customer days of the year, because by the time they get a hold of you they're just so happy about it that they're in a great mood. In seven years in this company, I could make a list of the 100 worst customer interactions I've had, and not one fell on Black Friday.

            1. J & I are going out BF shopping this year, our third year in a row. The crowds are nuts but it is actually really fun. Hard to say what it is, but I do enjoy it. I think the best part of Black Friday is coming home at 10 am, having a nap, and then waking up for left overs.

              I think it's crappy that everything is opening at midnight (well, 10 pm at some places even) for the employees of those companies. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and it sucks people are not able to enjoy that celbration. That being said, I'll probably go out at that time since it fits better with my sleep schedule than 5 am.

              1. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday too-just family and food, although my kids seem to think the holiday is just staying in a hotel with a pool. We'll work on that soon.

                After getting jostled and shoved by large women during my one BF shopping foray, I've sworn it off. All the best to those who have to work.

    3. Yeah, I've seen some of this crap online, and regrettably, every now and then I see it posted by work friends I picked up over the years. I don't know why they're so protective of this ridiculous thing our company does - maybe some of them are pathetic kiss-ups who hope people with stroke in the company will see their toadying and promote them - but I've never been one of those guys. I actually very much enjoy the chaos of Black Friday, but opening at midnight...we've gone too far.

      1. It's also ridiculous that the article suggests that "complaining about work hours is grossly self-indulgent." I'd get 35-40 hours that week whether the store's opening at midnight or 5pm or even 10pm. I can't go above that. We don't complain that we have hours - we complain that the hours are unreasonable. The shortsighted article figures my company should be able to put anyone to work at any time, regardless of how much it affects their sleep and family life, and I should love them for giving me the opportunity to be abused. Gross.

        1. It's part of the human condition to complain sometimes. We can overdo it, of course, but I don't know anyone who never complains about anything. I don't know that it's even possible.

          Also, we can appreciate our jobs without appreciating every aspect of them. I love what I do, but it doesn't mean that I love all parts of it all the time. For example, if I never had to fill out another report to the conference, that would be all right with me. Everyone has some aspect of their job that they don't like that much. That's just the way it works.

      1. I might have had a day of birth celebration recently and might now have enough 2011 to get me through to 2013.

    2. At the Glenwood, MN Liquor store, the Grog Shop, which usually has nothing I want, there were like 8 different six-packs I wanted:

      Shiner Holiday Cheer, Sierra Nevada Tumbler, Sierra Nevada Celebration, Deschutes Mirror Pond, Deschutes Black Butte, Deschutes Inversion, New Belgium 1554, New Belgium Snow Day.

      Nothing too unusual, but more that I ever expected out of the place. I think I chose poorly, but maybe my sisters-in-law will like a peachy beer, and I can get another sixer or two on Friday.

      1. I didn't know that Snow Day was a Black IPA, I thought it might just be a relabel of Two Below, which I hated (my notes: "agressively boring; it really makes you notice how uninteresting it is"). I might get that Friday regardless of how much my SiLs drink.

        I probably thought it was a relabel because Schell's for one year had its "Blizzard" which was changed to "Snowstorm" the next year, I assume after DQ had their lawyers contact the brewery.

        1. I mostly agree with you on Two Below. underwhelming.

          I was not overwhelmed by the Snow Day either on first impression. It definitely has some bitter, burnt malt character and some hops, but not enough backbone, IMO. I wonder if maybe it needs cellaring for a year or so? I'll report back as I work my way through my sixer.

          NB 1554 is one of my longstanding favorites.

          This year's Celebration is very drinkable. Less bracingly hopped than in the past.

          On a related note, I want to be Eric Asimov when I grow up. I love love love sour ales. The funk of a Gueuze is something to behold. And Flemish Sour Ales...oh, man.

          I hesitate to call these beers wine-like, yet they are as complex as fine wines, which ought to make them as fascinating to wine-centric drinkers as they are to beer lovers.

          1. I find New Belgium to be the macro version of a micro-brewery. Their offerings are almost always a cut above Bud, Coors, and Miller, but are often lacking that next character development. I'm often disappointed, but, like the doc above, am always happy to have a 1554. Springboard and La Folie are their other two offerings that stand out far above the competition, imo.

            1. I agree with you on their main line, meat. They used to produce a full lineup of Belgian-style ales (single, double, triple), which were nice gateways to the styles. I miss those.

              They make their money off of Fat Tire, which I dislike. but I think the La Folie/Lips of Faith series are where they show just how much they love beer. La Folie is outstanding, and I have had several others from the Lips of Faith series that were quite memorable.

          2. How does SN call the Celebration a Christmas Ale? It is just a less hopped version of its IPA, I barley pick up any holiday notes at all. I really enjoy the Tumbler and the Bigfoot but the rest of their beers I find over-hopped and underwhelming.

            2. I loved last year's SN Celebration, but tired a bit through the third sixer.

              [Had something else written, realized that I confused Pale Ale with IPAs. Think I need to learn the difference.]

            3. I dunno, hitman. I was kind of confused by it the first time I had it, as I was expecting something more directly competitive with the Anchor Christmas Ale.

              But SN really didn't market an IPA until a couple of years ago (the Torpedo). The Celebration filled that niche. It's just their thing, and has been for a looong time.

          3. The only sour I've had is Bell's Oarsman, which I got because I thought it would be a summery beer, which I don't think it was. Is that typical at all of sours?

            Once I've got some things done here (actuarial education, fourth-baby-having), I should go to one of the local beer-centric pubs for some flights. I've had so many random things in isolation (often based upon what's available in the two liquor stores nearest Glenwood*), that mental side-by-side comparisons are failing me.

            *I drink more at the in-laws' because I have fewer responsibilities, and no chance of staying up late to work.

            1. the Oarsman is a very nice beer, but I would not say that it is a "typical" sour beer. b-a classifies it as a Berlinerweisse. I think that's probably right. Much less sour than, say, a Flemish sour. And yes, I'd call it a summer beer. It's more "tart" than "sour". Berlinerweisses are often served with a shot of fruit syrup (raspberry). Perfect for sitting on the patio on a hot summer evening.

              1. I've only had one berlinerweisse, and I really only bring it up because I wanted to name drop another New Glarus beer for AMR.

                (also, AMR, to answer your question about New Glarus in Hudson, I'm pretty certain I've seen various varieties of it at Casanova's, which is up the hill to the right as you start getting into town, past the DQ.)

  4. CC to sean: I don't know if you too get these email alerts, but we're getting a ton of spam accounts registering to the site for the last two weeks or so now. None are posting anything, but should we be concerned here?

    1. I don't get the emails. I do watch the registrations though and saw a bunch of new ones recently. This morning I noticed 31 comments that the spam filter caught. I cleared it out and deleted the offending accounts and all other accounts that were registered with the same IP. I think it's something to watch; I may tweak the anti-spambot settings some in order to make it more difficult for them to register.

        1. CAPTCHAs are useless. reCAPTCHA is the only one that is vaguely useful anymore, but it is either farmed out to cheap labor or programs that can solve a high enough percentage (probably closing in on 50% now) that things still can through. Looks like I can block IPs on a DNSBL, so that could help.

    1. Heh

      Annual report singles out playthings with small parts, lead and toxic chemicals

      Heavy metal ✔
      Beer* ✔
      Small Parts...

      *in large enough doses, even glorious beer can be a "toxic chemical"

    2. Meh, it's not East or West Coast, so they just picked a random state from somewhere in the middle of the country. Close enough.

  7. I like Drew Carey as host of The Price Is Right, but he is not a good host when it comes to some games like The Clock Game. To me, his explanation makes the game more confusing than it actually is.
    #thingsInoticewhenpieisbaking

        1. Sure. As in "Wow, I can't believe how much money they are paying ME to run a show with people who are good at improv!"

          1. It always amused me that the prize for winning was to do a skit with Drew. Congratulations, Wayne! Now you have to try to drag humor out of this sack of suck who can't do improv.

            1. actually, the winner sat in the chair with the buzzer and everyone else had to do a skit with Drew

  8. I am helping a client fill out an application to work at a Holiday gas station. This application is about forty times longer than the one I completed to get my job working with mentally ill, vulnerable adults. There is at least 200 questions on this thing. For example, "Do you think employees would steal if they were given a fair wage?" and "I believe in getting even with people."

    1. sounds like a job description for state service!!!1111one111!!!

      (this is like black people using the "N-word"; don't try this at home, kids)

    2. If you think that's something, you should see how little paperwork I had to fill out to become an infantryman. "So, you want to shoot rocket launchers and automatic weapons? Sign here, initial here, here, here, and here."

    3. I made a similar comment upon applying to a crappy job here before the usual gang of idiots dragged me back into the fold. Why, yes, it's perfectly reasonable for a prospective barista to answer 400 personality questions.

      On the other hand, I can see the sense in it. Line-level crummy jobs like that probably attract a lot of...iffy...people, whereas if a company's hiring an Account Executive, the crazy have already been weeded out by lack of skill.

    2. The Twins will get a draft pick from Capps whether they offer him arb or not, as long as he signs with someone else, so the Twins had zero incentive to offer arbitration.

  10. So I guess the Atari Jaguar turns 18 today. I remember wanting one pretty badly when they came out, I was suckered in by those infomercials.

    I bought one on Craigslist for $15 with 4 games like two years ago. I still haven't hooked it up.

  11. "Spanning the Globe" will be taking Thanksgiving weekend off, as I go to visit my parents for a couple of days. If you're going somewhere, safe travels to you.

  13. Thank you to this Dish reader for saying what I would have said about the whole Twilight phenomenon. Snippet:

    Oh, spare me! And I say that as a high-school librarian, embedded in every major teen novel enthusiasm out there. I inwardly cringe every time a kid comes in asking for one of the Twilight series and have to almost forcibly stop myself from admonishing: "Forget reading! Why don't you go home and watch a few episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer instead?"

    1. "Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing
      what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it
      is to have a boyfriend."

      -robin browne

      1. I missed that comment, AMR. thanks. Not that I had any intention of seeing any of that dreck anyway.

  14. Niklas Backstrom is out tonight for personal reasons. Harding's backup won't be able to get to the Xcel until about the 2nd period. So they've signed some guy who is friends with the organization who occasionally helps out at practice. He's 51 years old.

  16. I printed 4 editions in just under three days. I'm exhausted. I'll be moving on to Belfast tomorrow to another printshop, and hopefully a little more stability. Happy thanksgiving, y'all. I'm going to be hitting up the pub for my ration of thanks.

      1. I've had several 'top ups' that were more than a top up while staying here. I'm a fan of free beer.

  17. Bruce Chen resigned with the Royals today (something like 2/$9mil)...but saw this from Heyman

    SI_JonHeyman
    #twins and #cubs were the main other teams showing interest in bruce chen, who went to #royals.

    Im glad Terry Ryan is back!!!!1111!!1!

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