On holiday hours, no sale

The big retailers expanding their Black Friday hours earlier into Thanksgiving day will no doubt lure bigger crowds of holiday shoppers ready to part with their cash. They just shouldn’t expect many Times readers — if the letters we received are any indication — to be among the masses.

Responding to a Business section article this week reporting Black Friday’s increasing encroachment on Thanksgiving, more than two dozen readers wrote to convey their disapproval. Several called for a boycott of the stores planning to open before Friday; a few raised the possibility that enough consumers would be so disgusted that retailers’ bottom lines would take a hit.

None welcomed the trend.

-- Paul Thornton, letters editor

Corona resident John Saville says we’re killing Thanksgiving:

“On Nov. 4, 1963, President Kennedy — following the joint resolution Congress passed in 1941 — proclaimed Nov. 28 ‘a day of national thanksgiving.’ He said, ‘On that day, let us gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship and in homes blessed by family affection, to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God.’ Eighteen days later, he was assassinated.

“Fifty years later, we can thank retailers who are open on Thanksgiving and the shoppers who enable them for slowly killing this uniquely American holiday. We are teaching a new generation that shopping for more stuff can’t wait even one day; that it’s more important than being with family and friends to give thanks for what and who we already have in our lives.”

George Callucci of Los Angeles calls for action:

“I won’t be shopping at Target, Macy’s, Best Buy, Wal-Mart or Toys R Us on Thanksgiving or at any time this holiday season. And I urge others who are fed up with this nonsense to do the same.

“These retailers continue to open their doors earlier and earlier each year, all in the name of greed. And the only way they’ll ever get the message is if we refuse to take part in what has become a disgusting practice, one that threatens to ruin this most meaningful of holidays.”

Mar Vista resident Bill Bell warns of a backlash:

“Is the almighty dollar so important that many major retailers must open earlier on Thanksgiving day to try to make an extra buck or two?

If stores open too early on Thanksgiving, there will no doubt be a consumer backlash. Indeed, consumers will turn their backs on such establishments and shop online, thus avoiding the hassles of mall crowds and parking.

“What’s next, opening on Christmas day too? Don’t bet against it.”

Valencia resident Judy Kascoutas praises one Thanksgiving holdout:

“Kudos to Nordstrom! What have we become that we cannot spend one day with our families without being lured out to take advantage of earlier Black Friday sales hours? I hope families will make a concerted effort to stay together and enjoy each other for one day on Thanksgiving.”

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