Black Friday moves to Turkey Day, Thanksgiving but will consumers respond positively to this move?

Getting a jump on Black Friday retail sales has become an obsession for millions of Americans. In the past few years most electronic and mass merchandiser retail concerns have opened their doors in the wee hours of the Friday after Thanksgiving. Some open at Midnight to lure shoppers to (supposedly) great bargains. Consumers have been seen lining up for hours to get into these special shopping events. But there maybe a backlash this holiday season.

This year a handful of retailers are pushing the time frame even earlier announcing they will open at 10pm on Thanksgiving. Some consumers think this is great news. However, a growing number are publicly saying they think stores opening in the evening of Thanksgiving Day is "crossing the line".

The line being crossed is the one which says making employees shorten their holiday family time to come to work is unfair, unreasonable and at one extreme a violation of workers rights. In many news articles over the past few days, thousands of consumers have expressed concern to full blown outrage that greedy retailers are forcing their employees (even with holiday pay) to give up time with family to work. Is this going to far? Are these outraged consumers right? Will retailers who open "too early" see a negative feedback in their sales? It is too early to tell but things are a brewing.

The "Occupy" rallies around the US have shown many Americans are fed up with corporate greed and the needs of the wealthy to make more and more money off the backs of the average guy. It is within this cultural paradigm shift that such a backlash against retailers forcing workers to work on holidays is getting much of its fuel.

It is a tricky line to cross because many retailers feel they must be competitive and lure shoppers in as quickly as possible to "snap up" the available holiday gift buying dollars especially in this on-going weak economy. Those retailers who will not open on Thanksgiving evening have expressed support for workers and their families but also acknowedge it could be a costly risk to lose valuable consumer sales.

Personally I cannot imagine being a part of this craziness and have found many of the same desirable items available from the comfort of one's home office online at comparable prices. But what is important here is the underlying voice of average Americans which has until the "Occupy" rallies been kind of quiet. I think it is very important for consumer products and service companies to be mindful of this increasingly vocal group and not to dismiss it as unimportant or minor in anyway. There will be changes in our culture that come out of this still undefined movement across the US. As of yet, as always when you are in the middle of a paradigm shift, it is unclear what kind or what magnitude of change will be forthcoming. Be rest assured, however, that an important shift is coming.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli