Online petition drives clamor for public's holiday attention

Should Macy’s dump the Trump? Should Target keep its doors closed on Thanksgiving? Should Americans resist the pull of consumerism entirely and keep their wallets closed over the Black Friday weekend?

The ever-opinionated public is weighing in again on the retail scene.

-- Some think that the ever-opinionated Donald Trump, who became a bit of a side show during the presidential election with his controversial pronouncements, should not be one of the faces of department store chain Macy’s.

At last check, there were more than 600,000 signatures on an online petition urging the retailer to end the affiliation but Macy’s reportedly has said the relationship is not about politics. 

--A petition to get Target to change its mind about opening at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving had picked up more than 200,000 names as of Thursday. The petition was launched by an employee who believes the hours threaten workers’ time with family. 

When the company announced its plan, it presented a slightly different view of family time. “We heard from our guests that they look forward to kicking off their holiday shopping with deal-hunting on Thanksgiving night. Opening at 9 p.m. gives Target’s Black Friday guests a more convenient way to create an after-dinner shopping event that the entire family can enjoy,” said Kathee Tesija, executive vice president, merchandising, in the official release.

-- But the granddaddy of the protests may be the Do Nothing Day effort that has been an anti-consumerism protest for years.