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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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Clocking in on Thanksgiving in Vancouver

Fred Meyer employee one of many local retail workers who toil on Turkey Day

By , Columbian Port & Economy Reporter
Published:
5 Photos
Sheryl Procopio, an employee at the Fred Meyer in Orchards, sees working on Thanksgiving as a &quot;nice change of pace&quot; and an opportunity to make some extra money.
Sheryl Procopio, an employee at the Fred Meyer in Orchards, sees working on Thanksgiving as a "nice change of pace" and an opportunity to make some extra money. Photo Gallery

Here are some of the national and regional stores operating in the Vancouver-Portland area that will be closed today: Barnes & Noble, Bath and Beyond, Burlington Coat Factory, Costco, Crate & Barrel, Home Depot, Jo-Ann Fabric, Lowe’s, Marshalls, Nordstrom, Petco, PetSmart, Pier 1, REI, Ross Dress for Less, Sur La Table, Talbots, The Mac Store, T.J. Maxx

o Two major liquor outlets, Total Wine & More and BevMo, will be open today. Total Wine & More will operate from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and BevMo will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Source: Forbes

On a recent November afternoon, Sheryl Procopio, a home clerk and cashier for the Fred Meyer in Orchards, walked the floor, fluidly connecting with customers.

“You want the green wall,” she said, directing one flummoxed shopper to the right spot. “I will call,” she told another who’d asked about a potential purchase. Another patron, blithely talking on a cellphone and pushing a shopping cart, dropped a receipt.

Here are some of the national and regional stores operating in the Vancouver-Portland area that will be closed today: Barnes & Noble, Bath and Beyond, Burlington Coat Factory, Costco, Crate & Barrel, Home Depot, Jo-Ann Fabric, Lowe's, Marshalls, Nordstrom, Petco, PetSmart, Pier 1, REI, Ross Dress for Less, Sur La Table, Talbots, The Mac Store, T.J. Maxx

o Two major liquor outlets, Total Wine & More and BevMo, will be open today. Total Wine & More will operate from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and BevMo will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Source: Forbes

Procopio, headed in the opposite direction, didn’t miss a beat. She stopped, turned, picked up the stub and handed it to the thankful shopper. “I enjoy our customers,” she said.

It shows. Procopio, 45, has an infectious laugh. She exudes the kind of experience, timing and keen eye that enable her to sense when a customer might need help, even if the customer doesn’t know it yet.

Today, as millions of Americans prepare their homes for Thanksgiving, Procopio heads to work with her love of retail and her people skills ready to shine. She joins countless other retail employees who will tend to legions of shoppers looking for everything from last-minute items to early holiday bargains.

This isn’t surprising. Many people are no strangers to working on Thanksgiving. And stores like Fred Meyer have long opened their doors for part of the holiday.

Recently, however, big retailers have increasingly sought a competitive edge by maintaining hours on Thanksgiving. As a result, the holiday has become a sort of Grey Thursday, on the brink of Black Friday and the attendant consumer rush. And while this year is largely no different, some retailers are pushing back. They’re choosing to stay closed, in part, to signal a family-friendly image that may win points with their clientele.

As the Washington Post recently reported, the country’s biggest retailers, such as WalMart, can’t resist the waves of revenue that come with staying open all day on Thanksgiving. Conversely, some regional chains are promoting their refusal to open on the holiday in a bid to build up their brand among sympathetic consumers.

“Thanksgiving openings are not one size fits all,” Kathy Grannis, a spokesperson for the National Retail Federation, told the Post. “If a company chooses to stay closed, one of the reasons is definitely that they don’t feel their customers would find it of value. And for the others, they may have already had tremendous success and feel their shoppers will be lined up once again this year.”

There appears to be room for both corporate strategies to work. For example, a survey by consulting firm Accenture found that 45 percent of Americans planned to shop on Thanksgiving, according to the Post. That’s up from 38 percent in 2013. At the same time, as the Post reported, consumer research by Deloitte found that 70 percent of holiday shopping would take place after Turkey Day, anyway.

For her part, Procopio sees a balance in her job at Fred Meyer, where she’s worked for two-and-a-half years now.

The store is open on the holiday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., which leaves her time to join her family for Thanksgiving dinner. While she’s at work, she said, “they take care of everything.” Her part in putting the finishing touches on dinner preparations? “Bring home the olives, you know?” she said with a laugh.

In fact, when the opportunity comes up, Procopio said she signs up for the holiday shift. This Thanksgiving is her third on the job. Part of it is about getting to do something different. A licensed forklift driver, she typically moves and stacks non-food packages in the store’s stockroom.

On a holiday shift, she said, “I always get the floor.” That means being out and about, helping customers and tidying up shelves. “It’s a nice change of pace,” she said. And she gets lunchtime and plenty of breaks, too.

Walking or standing most of the day can be hard on her feet. She rubs them on a golf ball to ease the aches. Procopio also is mindful of what working on Thanksgiving means for her own holiday shopping plans. “The extra money is always nice,” she said. “There’s Christmas just around the corner.”

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Columbian Port & Economy Reporter