Monday, January 03, 2011

Open at Your Own Peril

On the 10th day of Christmas, I finally caved and wrote a post lamenting corporate crimes against Christmas.

There's the standard 'happy holidays' or 'holiday lighting' phrases that just drive me crazy as they seemingly attempt to deny that we are even celebrating Christmas. I've spent more energy than I want to ranting against this lunacy. All I did this year was try to give some preference to stores that mentioned Christmas. (It was handy that many individual Tim Horton's franchises had Merry Christmas written all over their windows.)

This year's major crime against Christmas came from Shoppers' Drug Mart. They are the dominant pharmacy around these parts, much like Walgreen's in the US. Many Shoppers' stores were open on Christmas Day. If your family doctor is closed, I don't see the reason why the pharmacy needs to be open especially since you usually get at least a week's worth of prescription medicine at one time. Besides, the stores also feature cosmetics, photo finishing, gifts, and a grocery section. It's hard to imagine why other major retailers wouldn't argue if Shopper's can open, we must too.

It's a tragedy that so many of that company's employees needlessly worked on Christmas Day. It's also very easy to imagine other retail employees following suit. It was only a few years ago when every store in Ontario was closed for Boxing Day (Dec 26) as well as Christmas day.

Retailers are best advised to remember that time off at Christmas facilitates the gift giving that makes the season so profitable for retailers. If they decide to open en masse then there will be less people available for Christmas day gift exchanges and less gifts exchanged.

My advice to retailers is stay closed on Christmas Day, but if you do open it is at your own peril.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Seriously, if you ever had a couple of really sick kids that require medicine -today- not tomorrow you wouldn't be making brainless posts.

Cranky or Just A Crank said...

Seriously Nonny, what wonder drugs are you going to pick up, sans prescription, that you would not have had in the house beforehand. If it is serious to enough to warrant a prescription being issued after hours on Christmas Eve you are having the prescription written by an emergency room doctor who will also provide the necessary meds to get you through to Boxing Day.

If you are so ill-prepared or totally oblivious to your children's health that you wouldn't have the bascics on hand or realize that you needed them before 6:00 pm on Christmas Eve, then I have to question whether you are fit to have kids in the fist place.

So because of your poor planning and/or ineptitude as a parent you wish to unnecessarily inconvenience others and keep them from their families on Christmas?

Patrick O'Neil said...

Thanks Cranky!