Social Thread - Chat about Non-Golf Here!

[CarlSpackler]

And so, I am off to play "Santa".  I am delivering gift baskets around to some of our valued/repeat customers.   Always a good time.

Sounds like fun! Enjoy!

[14ledo81]

Does anybody play the smart phone game "trivia crack"? My bro in law got me started on it last night. Pretty fun.

[Jeremie Boop]

Walmart customers unruly: Customers protest Walmart's early Christmas eve hours - Long Island Top News | Examiner.com

What's going on down in the Dayton area Shane/Matt? I'll have to remember how crazy people are around the holidays down there and avoid it at all costs.

[14ledo81]

Walmart customers unruly: Customers protest Walmart's early Christmas eve hours - Long Island Top News | Examiner.com

What's going on down in the Dayton area Shane/Matt? I'll have to remember how crazy people are around the holidays down there and avoid it at all costs.

You have got to be kidding me.

Did the ones who actually tried entering by force think they would get away with it?

[Jeremie Boop]

You have got to be kidding me.

Did the ones who actually tried entering by force think they would get away with it?

I mean, the audacity of Walmart wanting to let the workers go home! I remember when hardly anything was open on Christmas Eve, now more and more places are open on Christmas Day too... It disappoints me.

[iacas]

I mean, the audacity of Walmart wanting to let the workers go home! I remember when hardly anything was open on Christmas Eve, now more and more places are open on Christmas Day too... It disappoints me.

Why does it disappoint you?

These people work in retail. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law work at Wal-Mart. BIL had to go in last night at 8pm. He gets double pay and LIKES to do it. It's reasonably quiet, he's being paid, and by 8pm we'd been done "celebrating" for hours.

Movie theaters do blockbuster business on Christmas day. What's wrong with that?

If you are forced to work on Christmas Day, odds are you have a shitty job. The world needs ditch-diggers, too.

[Jeremie Boop]

Why does it disappoint you?

These people work in retail. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law work at Wal-Mart. BIL had to go in last night at 8pm. He gets double pay and LIKES to do it. It's reasonably quiet, he's being paid, and by 8pm we'd been done "celebrating" for hours.

Movie theaters do blockbuster business on Christmas day. What's wrong with that?

If you are forced to work on Christmas Day, odds are you have a shitty job. The world needs ditch-diggers, too.

It just does, I've no real logical reason. I don't think I need one either.

[iacas]

It just does, I've no real logical reason. I don't think I need one either.

[Patch]

I live near (20 miles) a very small farming community. Maybe 10K people spread out over a very large area. We went into town yesterday to check our mail. The place was dead. The only places open were a Maverik gas/convenience store, and the front doors of the post office. Even the cop shop was void of any parked cars. Not even a youngster riding a new bike.

I mentioned to the lady at the store how she like working the holiday. Her reply was "in today's economy, I can't afford not to work the holidays". I suspect this is a common thought among quite a few of today's work force.

[Jeremie Boop]

Smack your head all you want Erik. I'm not condemning companies or businesses for being open, I understand the logic behind what they do. And if I were condemning them I would see the necessity for giving reasons for it. Part of what disappoints me is exactly what you said, the people who are forced to work have crappy jobs and it used to be even crappy jobs didn't make you work on Christmas.

[Golfingdad]

... and it used to be even crappy jobs didn't make you work on Christmas.

Used to be ... when?  This whole backlash towards retail businesses opening on Thanksgiving and Christmas is stupid and needs to stop.  If you want to not work on Thanksgiving, don't have a job that requires it, for ****'s sake.  The whining started in the last couple of years, but I don't recall a peep before that.  You'd think that the entire world used to lock themselves in their houses for those two days.  But what about:

• (previously mentioned) movie theater employees
• hotel clerks/bellmen/maids
• airline pilots/maintenance/luggage people/flight attendants/check-in people/tsa
• bus drivers
• cab drivers
• subway conductors
• convenience store clerks
• grocery store employees
• gas station employees
• policemen
• firemen
• snow plow operators
• park rangers

... and I imagine you get the point.

[iacas]

Smack your head all you want Erik.

Why even say something if you've given it no thought and/or have no reason? Do you actually have a belief? If you have no logical reason, why act weird when someone responds?

[Jeremie Boop]

Why even say something if you've given it no thought and/or have no reason? Do you actually have a belief? If you have no logical reason, why act weird when someone responds?

I have given it thought, have reasons, but they aren't grounded in logic. They are only feeling based. I have every right to be disappointed that people have to work, either to make ends meet or because their job requires it. I didn't like to do it when I was in that position so that has stuck with me.

Used to be ... when?  This whole backlash towards retail businesses opening on Thanksgiving and Christmas is stupid and needs to stop.  If you want to not work on Thanksgiving, don't have a job that requires it, for ****'s sake.  The whining started in the last couple of years, but I don't recall a peep before that.  You'd think that the entire world used to lock themselves in their houses for those two days.  But what about:

(previously mentioned) movie theater employees

hotel clerks/bellmen/maids

airline pilots/maintenance/luggage people/flight attendants/check-in people/tsa

bus drivers

cab drivers

subway conductors

convenience store clerks

grocery store employees

gas station employees

policemen

firemen

snow plow operators

park rangers

... and I imagine you get the point.

What do you mean when? Meijer, Wal-Mart, dollar stores, bowling alleys, banks, etc etc have always been closed on Christmas day where I'm from. I know of no grocery stores in my area that have ever been open on Christmas Day. I went to the movies one Christmas because we were given gift certificates and haven't done it again since because I felt bad for doing it. You could see it on the faces of the people working that they didn't want to be there. There are some places that can't be closed on the holidays, public service/hospital which is unfortunate but necessary for sure. I do not/will never accept that retail stores and the like should have to be open on those days though. There's a big difference between needing emergency services and "needing" to go shopping... Interesting you never heard a peep before the last few years, I've heard it every time that there's been a change like this. Perhaps it's because more of the people I know were affected, who knows.

I live near (20 miles) a very small farming community. Maybe 10K people spread out over a very large area. We went into town yesterday to check our mail. The place was dead. The only places open were a Maverik gas/convenience store, and the front doors of the post office. Even the cop shop was void of any parked cars. Not even a youngster riding a new bike.

I mentioned to the lady at the store how she like working the holiday. Her reply was "in today's economy, I can't afford not to work the holidays". I suspect this is a common thought among quite a few of today's work force.

This is a prime example of what disappoints me. She obviously would rather not have to be open, but she has to be for financial reasons.

[iacas]

I have given it thought, have reasons, but they aren't grounded in logic. They are only feeling based. I have every right to be disappointed that people have to work, either to make ends meet or because their job requires it. I didn't like to do it when I was in that position so that has stuck with me.

Nobody said you don't have a right to be disappointed. I just asked you "why" something disappointed you. Hardly a rude question. You responded by acting as if you were being grilled. Hence the .

And you're wrong: your feelings ARE grounded in logic. The logic is that you didn't like to work on holidays so you feel badly for those who do. Perfectly logical. I wish you'd just said that when I asked "why?"

What do you mean when? Meijer, Wal-Mart, dollar stores, bowling alleys, banks, etc etc have always been closed on Christmas day where I'm from. I know of no grocery stores in my area that have ever been open on Christmas Day. I went to the movies one Christmas because we were given gift certificates and haven't done it again since because I felt bad for doing it. You could see it on the faces of the people working that they didn't want to be there.

In my experience, too, people working those kinds of jobs never look like they want to be there.

The places wouldn't be open if nobody shopped or went out on those days. It's really that simple.

Businesses exist to make money. If so few people went out that it didn't make sense for Wegman's to be open (grocery store) that they'd cost themselves money, they probably wouldn't be open. Simple stuff, really.

And as I said above, my BIL likes working. There are fewer people, and he gets paid more. So you can "be disappointed" on his behalf all you want… he disagrees with you. He's probably not the majority, but… there are people out there who even volunteer to work holiday shifts.

[CarlSpackler]

I had to work Christmas Eve and day. It's a perect time to take down servers and do DB maintenance, etc. As an exempt employee, I have to get the job done. Not a big deal to me. Edit: Granted I'm working from my couch.

[Jeremie Boop]

I had to work Christmas Eve and day. It's a perect time to take down servers and do DB maintenance, etc. As an exempt employee, I have to get the job done. Not a big deal to me.

Edit: Granted I'm working from my couch.

Did you have to work or chose to work? That is a key distinction. On top of that is, as you noted, we can do work from home on our own schedule as system admins. That, to me, is a big difference to having to go into work on holidays. This is my last post on this subject. I know and don't expect everyone to feel the same as me. Just giving my perspective/opinion.

[CarlSpackler]

Did you have to work or chose to work? That is a key distinction. On top of that is, as you noted, we can do work from home on our own schedule as system admins. That, to me, is a big difference to having to go into work on holidays. This is my last post on this subject. I know and don't expect everyone to feel the same as me. Just giving my perspective/opinion.

Part choice and part not by choice. It's about the only time of year that I can be sure that nobody is in the main database. Besides that, I have yet to take a vaca or holiday where I don't have to field calls and work issues. It just goes with the territory. I could go flip burgers, but I would make a much lower wage. Most of the crap I do is not even notices or recognized by my boss. I just do it and go on with life. In general, I love what I do.

[jamo]

Besides that, I have yet to take a vaca or holiday where I don't have to field calls and work issues. It just goes with the territory.

Best part of my job. Not only do I not have to answer emails or calls at home, I physically (and I think legally) cannot. When I leave for the day, I'm done until the morning.