Target Worker Starts Petition To 'Save Thanksgiving' From 'Black Friday'
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Is it too late to turn the clock back for retail employees forced to cut their Thanksgiving holiday short to work on the busiest shopping day of the year?
KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports one Target worker doesn't think so -- and he's started an online campaign to get the company to ditch its plans to open up at midnight next Thursday.
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When employee Anthony Hardwick of Omaha heard that Target wanted to open its doors Thanksgiving night, he started a campaign on Change.org to get enough signatures to persuade the retail giant to roll back the opening time.
Hardwick argued that he would have to be at work by 11 p.m. on a night when most U.S. families are gathered around the dinner table.
The "Tell Target To Save Thanksgiving" campaign has amassed nearly 92,000 signatures and counting as it looks to easily hit its goal of 150,000 signatures.
"I love how much support there is out there for spending Thanksgiving with your family," Hardwick said.
In fact, the campaign has been so successful, it's spawned two dozen similar petitions aimed at scaling back what is widely considered the first official day of the Christmas shopping season.
Customers at one local Target expressed support for the drive, especially now that Black Friday is starting on Thursday.
"I think they should give these people a choice," one woman said. "I'm sure there's plenty of people that would love to come in and work."
