Shopping on Easter

[matt819]

It's bad enough that Christmas is a federal holiday. But Easter isn't. And yet in my community (northern New England), more shops were closed today than not - both locally owned businesses and national. Despite the assertions of the Christian right, we are not a Christian nation. We are a nation with Christians, Jews, Atheists, etc. One business closed was Staples - I made a trip for office supplies. Another was a local garden store chain owned by a Greek Orthodox family; it's not the Greek Orthodox Easter. Another was a very secular local food coop. Sure, some employees might have attended Church, and maybe I should just let this pass; after all, the world did not come to an end because I couldn't buy bird seed or office supplies. But those stores that were open were certainly not empty, so all those "observant" Christians had no problem with their own consumerism.

Maybe I've become a curmudgeon. But it bugged me.

[elleng]

1. Will tune in later, after I've tried Borders!

Happy Sunny Sunday (here in MD, anyway.)

[Cartoonist]

32. Every Sunday

With this economy, I work six days a week. On Sunday, I like to go to Borders and read the news magazines (I don't buy any). They were closed in CA. I do buy other items at Borders, so I'm not a total freeloader. I don't begrudge them for closing, but being an atheist, I am definitely unhappy.

[KILL THE WISE ONE]

2. not about you, me or consumerism. it's about the employees

[blueamy66]

11. Yes, exactly.

nt

[SoCalDem]

19. and the fact that "family-gathering/food" holidays are not conducive to shopping sprees

people shop for the meal prep BEFORE...and spend that day at home with family..not shopping..

people forget that once upon a time, stores ALL OF THEM closed at 5 or 5:30 PM every day, and NEVER opened on Sunday..

a few times a year the downtown merchants would have "Midnight Madness" sales, or would have a "late" night here or there, but that was usually "open until 8 PM"..

Corporate chains created the "need" to shop all day-everyday, and loaded up their huge stores with lots of expendable hours-hungry part timers who would willingly stay late and work Sundays & holidays..

It was not always like this..

[Renew Deal]

3. Greek Easter is the same day this year.

And it's not just about the business owners or the workers. Most customers are wrapped up with Easter activities too. Curmudgeon is one way of putting it.

[pinto]

4. Eh. Sounds as though the businesses you mention are private, not government. It's their choice.

And as you say, it wasn't that big a deal. They'll be open tomorrow.

:shrug:

[rurallib]

5. Huge mall closed about 15 miles from us. 5 years ago it was wide open.

I am a curmudgeon also.

[matt819]

6. Thank you

Another poster stopped short of finding something a little less generous than curmudgeon.

Also, on the curmudgeon subject, it bugs me when posters state the obvious, even if the point is not made in the original post. Of course I know it's about employees. But these same employers have no problem having their employees come in on other holidays. And, yes, I know these are private businesses and can do what they damn well please. I'm just saying that it bugs me. And since I'm a curmudgeon, or worse, I can do that. And the day's not over yet. If my local songbirds perish or of the world does in fact come to an end because I ran out of file dividers, then I will be vindicated.

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[canoeist52]

7. I don't begrudge families a day off. Wish they bring back the "bluelaws"

and close stores on Sunday too!

[OregonBi]

39. Exactly!

More days off and PAID days off are better. If you have a PAID day off and the store is closed, are you an asshole (per the curmudgeon above) because they cannot buy birdseed?

[eleny]

8. Our supermarket had about the same # of shoppers as any other day

It was early afternoon when we went shopping and the crowd didn't look thinner than usual.

[JI7]

9. i think non religious types celebrate Easter also, especially those with little children

with the whole easter bunny, easter egg hunt etc.

[ejpoeta]

15. we celebrate easter. have ham and easter baskets... n religious stuff here.

[fishwax]

10. the places I needed to go today were open, but I don't begrudge the stores that close

I don't see anything wrong with giving employees the day off.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Obamanaut]

13. Next Easter, shop on Saturday. It isn't worth an ulcer. nt

[ejpoeta]

14. my husband had to work today and was told it wasn't a holiday and so no time and a half!!

the th of july is a holiday but not easter?/ he couldn't do several jobs today because the stores were closed.

[The Straight Story]

16. How do you know those shopping were Christian? what sect? There is a thing called diversity

Not just in religions here and people that engage in such, but also within those religions.

[gratuitous]

17. My goodness, the courage it must require for you

Even to get out of bed in the morning. matt819, I salute you for your bravery, ability to cope, and incredible resolve in the face of adversity that leaves lesser mortals wetting themselves whilst huddled in a foetal position!

:patriot:

[matt819]

27. I marvel at that myself

But I thank you for recognizing it as well.

I gotta tell you, this place was far less nasty in the early years.

[walldude]

18. I had to go to the grocery store this morning

and the Wal-Mart next door was packed. Guess Jesus needed a new bike.

[Papagoose]

20. I'm not a member of any religeon, but

holidays still hold tradition in my family. We observe the Christian holidays we grew up with, just not in a religious sense, if that makes sense...

Anyway, when I moved to rural Georgia from Philadelphia a few years ago, I was completely shocked when Easter rolled around, that just about every business in my town stayed open. The town shuts down completely on most holidays - on Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's a complete ghost town, but Easter just seems to be a regular day.

It really seems strange to me, that what SHOULD be the most holy day of all for Christians is hardly observed here deep in this part of the bible belt.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

37. Fundamentalists do play fast and loose with traditions

Remember the reports of megachurches that were having their Christmas services on days other than December 24 or 25?

Also, the East Coast has a lot a Catholics, and for that reason, I encountered something in Connecticut that I'd never encountered in Minnesota: a ban on liquor sales on Good Friday.

[Raine]

21. Consumerism stops for a day

I think that's a good thing and wish there was more holidays that were respected enough to stop all the spend, spend, spending in our society. Stores used to be closed on Sundays and you just planned a head, it wasn't that big of a problem.

[LeftyMom]

22. I only have so much time to get errands done.

I dislike being inconvenienced based on superstitious twaddle.

[WolverineDG]

23. Poor baby

:nopity:

dg

[LeftyMom]

26. Yep, poor me.

I spent Friday night in the ER, and wasn't up to going anywhere Saturday, and now I want to get cat food for the week so my rescue cats can eat, and the place that sells the stuff they're not allergic to is closed. What a selfish asshole I am.

:eyes:

[WolverineDG]

28. I'm sure they closed on Easter JUST to inconvenience you

:eyes:

dg

[LeftyMom]

29. I'm sure it inconvenienced a lot of people.

Things here aren't generally closed on Sunday, because that's when most people do their shopping.

[proud2BlibKansan]

34. When I worked retail 30 some odd years ago

we were only closed 3 days a year - Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Odin2005]

24. What drives me nuts is people that go GAMBLING on holidays.

:banghead:

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. Why?

[Odin2005]

31. It just seems WRONG!

Holidays are a time to spend with family.

[proud2BlibKansan]

33. What if your family likes to gamble?

My friend and her parents went to brunch at one of our casinos today and then they played the slots for awhile. If that's how they want to spend their Easter Sunday, what's the problem?

[fizzgig]

35. what if they don't celebrate that holiday?

or live away from their family?

if that's what people want to do, it's certainly not my business.

[Odin2005]

44. DOH, good point!

I didn't think of that! *FACEPALM*

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

45. It makes Baby Jesus cry?

:shrug:

[Historic NY]

25. K-Mart was open at 6:30am.

[Egnever]

36. I dont know wy we ever let people have days off

Its always a good time for shopping!

[old mark]

40. Right- they can lay down when they are dead! nt

[tammywammy]

42. "the world did not come to an end because I couldn't buy bird seed or office supplies"

Exactly. Get over it. Businesses are allowed to closed for the day even if it's not a Federal holiday.

[la_chupa]

46. I always feel guilty when I go shopping on a holiday

but then back years ago I worked retail so I always feel sorry for the poor slobs who have to work when everyone else is off