Support For 'Boycott Shopping On Thanksgiving' Facebook Campaign Grows
DETROIT (WWJ) - While more retailers are pushing the envelope this year by opening even earlier on Thanksgiving, the chorus of opposition is getting louder.
Jordana Bee, who started her Facebook page "Boycott Shopping on Thanksgiving" in 2010, told WWJ Newsradio 950 her message to retailers is pretty simple: Let employees stay home with their families.
"...Offer door-busters, give extra hours, make everybody happy on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday," she said. "Just leave Thanksgiving Day alone."
Bee's page started with a few hundred supporters four years ago and has grown to more than 11,500.
The page features a "Naughty and Nice" list of retailers.
"I don't really want to advertise for them with the naughty list, but what we're hoping with this is that people will see the companies on the naughty list and not give them their money — not shop there the whole holiday season would be even better, if we boycotted them the entire year," Bee said.
Bee said, ultimately she would like to see more states mandate that retailers stay closed on Thanksgiving. Until then, she hopes that consumers speak out by taking their dollars elsewhere.
To those who argue, "Let the people work!" she says:
"Not all employees, retail employees, get overtime; not all retail employees get holiday pay...A lot of people say, 'I get holiday pay, it's fine. I need the extra money. Well, that's great for you, but most companies don't offer that," Bee said.