Should Shopping Be Allowed In Mass. On Thanksgiving?
BOSTON (CBS) - The blogosphere has weighed in on how we should spend Thanksgiving day; spend time with family or spend money on presents? Massachusetts is one of only three states with so-called blue laws prohibiting stores from opening on Thanksgiving.
"Are we stopping our consumers from shopping on Thanksgiving, or are we just stopping them from shopping in Massachusetts?" President of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, Jon Hurst, says it's time to take these questions seriously. "Are they getting in the car where they can go to New Hampshire? Are they logging onto a smartphone where they can shop 24-7, 365 days a year?"
Watertown blogger Jim Sullivan is directing readers to online petitions to keep the shopping out of Thanksgiving. California Target employee Casey St. Clair has done the same, collecting more than 200,000 signatures. "I want to keep Thanksgiving with family," she says.
At least one local merchant agrees. "Even if it were legal, we wouldn't do it," says Tatiana Varges, manager of Stellabella Toys in Cambridge. "That way, people are forced to be with their families and spend time with their families, and not worry about shopping."
