Working on Black Friday

Black Friday, of course, is the first day of the holiday shopping season, a day now synonymous with mega deals at mega-retailers. Black Friday means camping out hours before stores open to score bargain basement prices on electronics and other high ticket items.

But Black Friday also refers to an important event in British labor history, when transportation unions decided not to strike in solidarity with mine workers.

Keeping that in mind, Black Friday is a perfect moment to acknowledge the low-paid retail workers of America. For employees at big box stores, Black Friday means working on the evening of a holiday – arriving in the very early hours, managing huge crowds of customers, and logging a long shift. And what’s more, for the unemployed, Black Friday means an opportunity, as stores hire temporary employees for the holiday rush.

So happy Black Friday!