I bow my head and fold my hands as I share a prayer with my family before beginning the Thanksgiving feast. The turkey sits in the center of the table, with its crispy brown roasted skin surrounded by traditional side dishes, such as, green beans, sweet potato, stuffing, and carrots. As we feast, we share our old memories and develop new ones. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday because as I gather around the dinner table with my family I share pleasurable and memorable moments. With every year that passes Thanksgiving is slowly losing its true meaning. Due to early store openings on Thanksgiving Day, thousands of employees, including my cousin, must leave the evening of Thanksgiving to commute to work for Black Friday. Black Friday should not begin on Thanksgiving Day, because thousands of Employees are missing the true value of Thanksgiving traditions. Instead, they are working for longs hours as well as receiving unreasonable payment and disrespect from the costumers.

This year retail stores opened at 8pm on Thanksgiving Day. Many employees were forced to leave to work that night. The evening of Black Friday, my cousins and I went to Lake Forest Mall in Germantown, Maryland. As we were shopping we approached a few employees of a variety of stores to ask them how long they had been working. A young male employee at Macy’s responded in an angry and negative tone, “I’ve been working since 8:00pm on Thursday night to about 5:00pm today. I am extremely tired, and I didn’t even finish my Thanksgiving dinner with my family.” His slouchy posture demonstrated his exhaustion. A young female employee working at America Eagle Outfitters responded, “Yes, I’ve been working since 10:00pm on Thursday. It’s crazy the long hours they make us work.” Her eyes were barely open and her messy hair dangled from her hair clip. As she responded, she yawned and itched her eyes. The employees’ tiredness demonstrates that they are working for unreasonable hours and therefore unable to attend a dinner with their friends and family. This is unfair to the employees.

According to New York Daily News, in 2008 there was a Black Friday stampede in the Valley Steam outlet at Wal-Mart in Rhode Island. It knocked several employees to the ground and sent other employees to the top of the vending machines to avoid the chaos. When the chaos seized 34 year old Walmart employee, whom authorities did not identify, was found dead. A Policeman at Walmart said, “This was utter chaos as these men tried to open the doors this morning,” (Wal-Mart Worker Dies in Rush; Two Killed at Toy Store). Instead of the employees attending a meal with their loved ones, they are trampled to the ground by the costumers and sometimes even found dead. Costumers are being disrespected for their hard labor on thanksgiving night.

According to CNN News, on November 29, 2009, Jdimytai Damour was found dead after a Black Friday stampede at a Long Island Store. Damour only had the job for two weeks, then he was forced to work for Black Friday. A crowd estimated about two thousand people broke down the store’s doors and trapped Damour in a vestibule, or small entrance between the outer door and the interior of a building. The 34 year old employee died of suffocation. Retail stores despite the fact that the employee had little experience, and then was required to work on Black Friday. Due to his inexperience with retail on a major holiday, he died.

According to Fox News, on November 29, 2013 at 8pm just as Wal-Mart announced their tablets were going on sale for $49, chaos commenced. Costumers fought to get to the beginning of the line. A Wal-Mart Employee attempted to organize and control the commotion. She was, however, knocked to the floor by the costumers. A Fox Broadcaster said, “She was absolutely stepped on. The girl who was trying to help her up had shoe prints on her pants and shirt” (Women knocked down, trampled at Wal-Mart during Black Friday frenzy). Although there was a Good Samaritan that tried to help the employee off the ground, the employee was still stampeded to the ground as she tried to seize the chaos.

Employees that are willing to work the night of Thanksgiving are still not being rewarded as significantly as they should be. Walmart employees are rewarded a 25% discount off an entire purchase, a Thanksgiving meal throughout Black Friday shifts, and a double pay on Thanksgiving day from 6pm to 8pm. The employees are working with chaotic customers that are aggressively fighting to get the best deals. They are not appreciated and respected for their long hours working.

Black Friday has caused employees not attend a full thanksgiving fest with their families and friends. Is this fair? Of course not. Not only are they working the long hours of Black Friday, they also have to clean up the wrecked store. The clothes are scattered all over the floor, shoes are out of their shoe boxes, shelves are knocked to the floor, and toys are beaten to the ground by the costumers. The employees are working overtime to clean up this mess. By the time they are ready to go home and enjoy quality time with their friends and families, the holiday is over. Big companies are disregarding the fact that employees are not celebrating the true meaning of thanksgiving.

I’m not arguing that Black Friday shall be eliminated altogether. Big Companies, such as Target and Wal-Mart, benefit from Black Friday. They simply open their stores early because they want to lure customers in to gain profit. Black Friday is known for its revenue for big companies which is why companies choose to work for late hours.

Although, Black Friday is beneficial to the economy, this should not be the case. Employees, just like any other American, should be able to stay home the night of Thanksgiving and enjoy the feast with their loved ones. They should have the opportunity to valve the special day, as well as enjoying a good football game with the family.

Employees should not commute to work on Black Friday, instead they should spend the time with their families and friends. Costumers are disrespecting the employees as they trample them to the ground, as well as big companies underpaying them on the day of Black Friday. Many Americans are losing the true value of thanksgiving. It is transforming into the commercialized holiday of Black Friday.