So the retail season has a little drama developing this week.
It's the increasing concern by some parts of the business world that stores that open on Thanksgiving are turning into Scrooge, forcing employees to give up one of the entitled holidays most Americans enjoy.

To continue the literary analogy, the players taking the role of Bob Cratchit are employees from Target and Walmart.

Here is a summary of the two similar efforts gaining steam as the Thanksgiving drama unfolds:

Some Walmart workers across the country are considering either striking or takingother actions during Thanksgiving week.

Those workers are predicting as many as 1,000 protests at Walmart stores leading up to Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Workers announced upcoming strikes and protests in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Washington, D.C., as well as workers' plans to walk off the job in Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana and Minnesota. 

The Walmart concern goes beyond early shopping. Reports say concerned Walmart workers are protesting poor working conditions, higher benefits costs, efforts to block people of color, and retaliation against workers advocating for changes in these areas. Some also have said the "Black Thanksgiving" early shopping start before Black Friday is disruptive for many families wishing to enjoy the holiday with relatives.

Then there's the ongoing effort by workers to urge Target to change plans to open at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving eve.

One Target employee, Casey St. Clair, recently delivered more than 350,000 signatures from her Change.org petition to the company's headquarters in Minneapolis. Along with several local Target customers and community faith leaders, St. Clair brought the signatures to the office of Target President & CEO Gregg Steinhafel in several boxes.

 

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