When did Easter become an economic holiday?

[Marc]

I debated whether to post this in Debate Club and decided that my primary goal was simply acquiring information about a change in behavior from what I recall.

In my mind, it's generally been the case that on Christmas Day and, to a lesser extent, Thanksgiving Day, everything is closed. Other than that one holiday, some places like grocery stores, shopping malls, and big box stores would be open at least some hours of the day.

This is the first Easter I can remember in the Pittsburgh area when I've noticed signs where businesses and restaurants advertised that they were going to be closed on Easter. I also noticed it down in the DC area where we were today in that a shopping mall we tried to hit up while driving back home was also closed.

I thought that Easter was one of those holidays when shopping malls and restaurants would be open as usual, perhaps with some modified hours. Perhaps it's just that my memory is faulty.

It's also possible that I don't really remember the past three Easters in the Pittsburgh area as much for whatever reason, and that I'm thinking more about California where the local economics tend to be much more secular in nature.

So, am I misremembering things for the northeast and DC area? I thought we were far enough away from the Bible Belt to be this influenced by the Christian culture.

[eddyj]

I was surprised today when I found Costco closed. I know one of the local grocery chains was closed, but the other two were open.

[grondramb]

I thought this was gonna be a surprise at the economic activity from candy... down here everything has always been closed on Easter.

[mercurial]

Yeah, driving back from Williamsburg this weekend, the Nuvi decided to take us some back routes from there to I-95 instead of along I-64 so it usually would... No worries, nice drive, pretty scenery.... Low gas... And every town was like a ghost town... Every gas station was closed... Luckily it we made it to the junction of I-295/I-95 and it the stations were open around there... Whew.... I was expecting that but not for it to be sooooo bad...

[dcheesi]

I have noticed that a bit more this year. But I'm not sure if it's a real change or I just paid more attention.

[Makita]

We just plan on getting everything on Saturday, when we run errands. Albertsons is open for a '1/2 day', most everything else is (and has been) usually closed up here.

[Marc]

I thought this was gonna be a surprise at the economic activity from candy... down here everything has always been closed on Easter.
Actually, that's somewhat related as well. Not so much candy, but I was a bit dismayed at how much marketing I've seen trying to push off Easter as another gift-giving holiday.

[Makita]

I thought this was gonna be a surprise at the economic activity from candy... down here everything has always been closed on Easter.
Actually, that's somewhat related as well. Not so much candy, but I was a bit dismayed at how much marketing I've seen trying to push off Easter as another gift-giving holiday.
The gift-giving has to be an east-cost thing. My wife does it, and in 3 or 4 weeks her mom will send the usual holiday package, filled with crap.

Growing up (out west) we'd get to hunt eggs and candy and might get a chocolate bunny, but toys, presents and whotnot, never. Sunday clothes, occasionally, but toys?

Back in my day, there were starving children over in China and now, we need to keep the children of the chineese children we fed, 20 years, EMPLOYED...

[bigpuma]

I ran to Target this evening because we needed milk for our 2 y/o and was surprised to find it closed.

[bruab]

Yeah, me too.

We went to MicroCenter and BestBuy, but both were surprisingly closed.

Trader Joe's and OfficeMax were open though.

[InigoMontoya]

I was actually surprised at how many things were open today.

*shrug*

[dcheesi]

Assuming this is a new trend, do you think it's related to the whole "war on Xmas" BS?

[Michael]

It isn't anything new around here. Easter has always been a day of closed businesses around here. Grocery stores are always open, but with limited hours.

[JustAllie]

I'm surprised that you're surprised.

I guess I am used to it being an "everything's closed" holiday. When I lived in Philadelphia, I recall running out for last minute Easter dinner items and finding most of the supermarkets closed.

I was very surprised to find out that the Home Depot would be open today. I did not avail myself of this opportunity, however -- the only thing I bought today was gasoline, on the way home from church.

Anyway, if I were a Christian business owner and I were to pick a holiday to close the business for religious reasons, this would be it. It's the biggest religious event of the year.

I'm not a business owner and I'm not observant enough to refuse to shop today if I really need something. It just turns out that all I really needed today was gasoline.

[Drewster]

I don't remember stuff being closed when I was growing up in San Diego.

Living now in Orange County, I'm always pissed that something is closed and my wife always looks at me like I'm insane for thinking it'd be open in the first place. (She grew up here.)

[Otto]

Hmm... Must be a northern thing. Nothing much was closed around here, nor would I expect it to be.

One bar I frequent didn't open until 5 pm, but everything else was pretty much business as usual. Gas stations were open, grocery stores were open. Didn't see any big box retailers, but I can't expect that they would have been closed.

[keirgrey]

I assumed that everything would be closed so I didn't go out shopping. Huh. I needed groceries. :D

[Jobeth66]

Acme was on holiday hours (I think they closed at 6), Wegmans was open, I didn't notice any holiday hours there. I was surprised to see Costco closed as well. I saw a sign on the mall that they were closed. We didn't really do much besides our regular Sunday grocery shopping, so I didn't really pay too much attention.

[QueenBee]

When I was a kid stores closed from 12 to 3 on Good Friday. Of course back then they were closed on all Sundays.

[Mysteryman]

I was surprised too. On the way back from my gf's house I stopped at Chipotle to find it all closed up. No sign, but I remembered it was Easter. McDonald's (and Wendy's too ) was open though.

[grondramb]

Down South it hasn't been that long since stores were closed every Sunday. Growing up in Atlanta even the biggest malls were closed. When I co-opped in Greenvile South Carolina in the 80's the local Kroger was raided and the managers and one of the checkout girls were arrested...
For selling motor oil on Sunday. The legislature had approved only a hardship exemption to allow the sale of food on Sunday.

[eddyj]

Down South it hasn't been that long since stores were closed every Sunday. Growing up in Atlanta even the biggest malls were closed. When I co-opped in Greenvile South Carolina in the 80's the local Kroger was raided and the managers and one of the checkout girls were arrested...
For selling motor oil on Sunday. The legislature had approved only a hardship exemption to allow the sale of food on Sunday.
Not just down South. MA had some very strict Blue Laws too, when I lived there. They were starting to change when I moved out (about a decade ago).

[betamax]

I always remember stuff being closed on Easter, even in CA. When I worked at a fast food restaurant, the only 2 days it was closed was Christmas and Easter. I remember when some grocery stores would open up for a bit on Easter so those who forgot something could get it.

[grondramb]

Not just down South. MA had some very strict Blue Laws too, when I lived there. They were starting to change when I moved out (about a decade ago).

Yep, y'all are famous for that - they don't call it "Banned in Boston" for nothing...

They even arrested that poor lady in Addleboro just for spanking a consenting man... shocking.

[Otto]

When I co-opped in Greenvile South Carolina in the 80's the local Kroger was raided and the managers and one of the checkout girls were arrested...
For selling motor oil on Sunday. The legislature had approved only a hardship exemption to allow the sale of food on Sunday.
I'd never heard of anything so stupid, so I looked it up, and sure enough, it's South Carolina state law. There's appearantly some debate about counties trying to repeal it. One county (Anderson) repealed it in December but then reinstated it in January for some reason. However, most stores aren't following the law anyway, and the local cops have flat out refused to enforce it. Fun stuff.

And as always, I blame the christians. :)

[grondramb]

When I co-opped in Greenvile South Carolina in the 80's the local Kroger was raided and the managers and one of the checkout girls were arrested...
For selling motor oil on Sunday. The legislature had approved only a hardship exemption to allow the sale of food on Sunday.
I'd never heard of anything so stupid, so I looked it up, and sure enough, it's South Carolina state law. There's appearantly some debate about counties trying to repeal it. One county (Anderson) repealed it in December but then reinstated it in January for some reason. However, most stores aren't following the law anyway, and the local cops have flat out refused to enforce it. Fun stuff.

And as always, I blame the christians. :)

In all seriousness, I hope you understand this is not a function of Christianity so much as its humans wishing to exercise nonconsensual power over others and using a pretense of Christianity to do it.


Once when the missionary E. Stanley Jones met with Ghandi he asked him, "Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?"





Ghandi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ."

[Otto]

In all seriousness, I hope you understand this is not a function of Christianity so much as its humans wishing to exercise nonconsensual power over others and using a pretense of Christianity to do it.
Yes, christians sure seem to do that an awful lot, don't they?

Your argument is basically "it's not the religion, it is the person using the religion as a front". The problem with that argument is that there is no such thing as "religion" in an independent sense. All religion exists only in the mind of the religious person.

So if somebody calls themselves a christian, then I will do so as well and I will indeed blame christianity for their actions done in the name of christianity. Why? Because to claim that they are not is a) disrespectful to their beliefs and b) a flat-out lie to boot. Their form of christianity may not be exactly the same as somebody else's, but it shares the same name and the same basic aspects. If you don't like it, police your own extremists.

When the moderate christians actually stand up for themselves and tell the nutjob christians to STFU, then I will agree with your argument. To date, that has not occurred.

[aindik]

I guess I am used to it being an "everything's closed" holiday. When I lived in Philadelphia, I recall running out for last minute Easter dinner items and finding most of the supermarkets closed.

Forget Easter, the City of Philadelphia is closed for Good Friday.

This is a very Catholic city.

[Marc]

I'm curious where the distinction ends up being between something closing for a holiday out of reverence to a particular ideology and closing as an economic choice based on insufficient employees working that day or insufficient activity justifying the business being open that day.

[eddyj]

When I co-opped in Greenvile South Carolina in the 80's the local Kroger was raided and the managers and one of the checkout girls were arrested...
For selling motor oil on Sunday. The legislature had approved only a hardship exemption to allow the sale of food on Sunday.
I'd never heard of anything so stupid, so I looked it up, and sure enough, it's South Carolina state law. There's appearantly some debate about counties trying to repeal it. One county (Anderson) repealed it in December but then reinstated it in January for some reason. However, most stores aren't following the law anyway, and the local cops have flat out refused to enforce it. Fun stuff.

And as always, I blame the christians. :)
Oh, I have seen just as stupid. In PR (when growing up, not sure if any more), only Pharmacies were allowed to be open on Sundays, and only to sell pharmacy type items (medicines and stuff). So big pharmacies like Walgreens had to segregate their merchandise into separate aisles, based on what could be sold on Sunday. Then on Sundays, those aisles would be blocked off.

[trainman]

Oh, I have seen just as stupid. In PR (when growing up, not sure if any more), only Pharmacies were allowed to be open on Sundays, and only to sell pharmacy type items (medicines and stuff). So big pharmacies like Walgreens had to segregate their merchandise into separate aisles, based on what could be sold on Sunday. Then on Sundays, those aisles would be blocked off.

Someone a bit older than me once told me that they remembered their local grocery store having a big "X" sign over the L'Eggs pantyhose rack on Sundays -- I think that would have been either Missouri or Kansas.

[bsnelson]

A couple of you mentioned Costco - I was surprised (and annoyed) to find that they didn't even leave the IVR/voicemail on to say "Thank you for calling your Anytown Costco warehouse. We are closed in observance of Easter; we will reopen...". I called three different locations, and the phone just rang endlessly. After the third one, we kind of got the hint, but seriously, how much effort does it take to do a message?

Brad

[grondramb]

In all seriousness, I hope you understand this is not a function of Christianity so much as its humans wishing to exercise nonconsensual power over others and using a pretense of Christianity to do it.
Yes, christians sure seem to do that an awful lot, don't they?

Your argument is basically "it's not the religion, it is the person using the religion as a front". The problem with that argument is that there is no such thing as "religion" in an independent sense. All religion exists only in the mind of the religious person.

So if somebody calls themselves a christian, then I will do so as well and I will indeed blame christianity for their actions done in the name of christianity. Why? Because to claim that they are not is a) disrespectful to their beliefs and b) a flat-out lie to boot. Their form of christianity may not be exactly the same as somebody else's, but it shares the same name and the same basic aspects. If you don't like it, police your own extremists.

When the moderate christians actually stand up for themselves and tell the nutjob christians to STFU, then I will agree with your argument. To date, that has not occurred.

I agree its the job of moderate Christians to object when bad things are done in the name of Christianity and that otherwise it does reflect.
So I see your point.

[grondramb]

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o129/grondramb/capt60fb23c306e247399198fcb1102c757.jpg

Could the President have found a more South Park style bunny to pose with?

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o129/grondramb/southparkbunny.jpg

[mercurial]

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o129/grondramb/capt60fb23c306e247399198fcb1102c757.jpg


Wow, he's literally EMBRACING pagan iconography.... :D