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Blackballing Black Friday: Target, Best Buy employees protest the earlier thanever, Thanksgiving-threatening sales

Each year, Black Friday draws hordes of bargain shoppers anxious to get a headstart on holiday gift-buying.
Photo by John Partipilo
Anthony Hardwick started a petition to push back Target's open time to a morereasonable 5 a.m.
Photo via Change.org

It's Thanksgiving week. As families around the United States make travel plans and perfect recipes for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, retailers are gearing up for a supersized Black Friday.

Sometimes it seems that the much-too-early start, the crowds, the blatant consumerism and the competitive rush sometimes bordering on outright violence outweigh the epic deals on electronics and toys. This year, some retailers announced that stores would open their doors at midnight, eliminating at least one of those deterrents.

But some retail employees aren't so enthusiastic about this cut into their holiday time. Anthony Hardwick, a Target employee from Omaha, Neb., initiated a petition to "Save Thanksgiving" and push back the store's opening time to 5 a.m.

According to Hardwick,

A midnight opening robs the hourly and in-store salary workers of time off with their families on Thanksgiving Day. By opening the doors at midnight, Target is requiring team members to be in the store by 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. A full holiday with family is not just for the elite of this nation — all Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones and get a good night's rest on Thanksgiving!"

The petition has received more than 190,000 signatures, but that's not slowing down Target's midnight opening plans. The store is even getting a lead on the early holiday sales with a four-day sale of pre-Black Friday deals.

Target isn't the only big retailer sullying the sanctity of the holiday. Best Buy employees are complaining, too.

Toys "R" Us will open at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving, and remain open 26 hours straight. Walmart opens at 10 p.m., with staggered specials throughout the night and into Black Friday.

Do you think that retail employees deserve Thanksgiving night off? Will you be hitting the deals at Black Friday turned Thursday?

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taking it to the streets

Houston charity's gifts 66 wheelchair-accessible vans to needy families

Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Houston Children’s Charity President and CEO Laura S. Ward, and Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott in front of a gifted wheelchair accessible vans.

Photo provided by Houston Children's Charity

A fleet of wheelchair accessible vans were handed out Tuesday at the Post Oak Hotel

More than 60 underprivileged children will now have wheelchair-accessible vans thanks to a nearly $4 million giveaway by the Houston Children's Charity on Tuesday.

“Our mission is to provide life-altering programs and support to underserved children across Houston,” said Laura S. Ward, Houston Children’s Charity President and CEO, “We are honored to be able to empower these families facing daunting challenges by providing them the transportation necessary to not only attend medical and physical therapy appointments but go on road trips, the parks, or on other adventures with their entire family.”

The 66 vans (known as Chariots), allow users to easily enter and exit the vehicles, making transportation much easier. Many families struggle to afford such vans, which can cost up to $80,000. Often, families resort to crowdfunding to acquire one. The vans can vastly improve the quality of life for wheelchair users, thanks to increased travel options.

The gift is the largest the Houston Children's Charity has ever coordinated. To date, they have handed out 438 Chariots. The Fant Foundation, a Houston-based organization founded in 1994 to improve living conditions for disadvantaged people, provided 30 of the vehicles.

The Gift of Mobility event featured a who's who of Texas political powerhouses, including Mayor John Whitmire, Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta, and Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott, whose husband, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, is a wheelchair user himself.

Houston Children's Charity is one of the city's largest non-profits, serving 3.5 million children since it was founded in 1996. Its programs include A Better Night’s Sleep, which provides new beds and mattresses to children whose families cannot afford them; Back2School, a partnership with the Rod Ryan Show that distributes school supplies; and Family Emergency Fund at Texas Children’s Cancer Center. In 2023, they spent $5.1 million on their various outreach programs and charity work for children in Houston.

Families in need of a van are placed on a waiting list by the Houston Children's Charity until they become available. The next giveaway in 2026 will be funded at HCC’s 28th Annual Gala on October 18. Tickets can be purchased here.

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