KPTM FOX 42: Omaha News, Sports and Weather; kptm.com |Target Employee Upset over Early Store Openings on Black Friday

Clark Young

KPTM (Omaha) - This year's Black Friday is coming sooner than normal.

Many companies have decided to start opening their doors as early as Thanksgiving day.

But one Target employee in Omaha is speaking out against the stores decision to make employees come in on Thanksgiving.

"You know I think it's a little unreasonable to expect their employees to come into the store at eleven pm and still operate under the assumption that they'll some how have a Thanksgiving dinner," says Anthony Hardwick an employee at Target.

Hardwick has created an online petition where over eighty nine thousand people from across the country have signed the petition in favor of target pushing back their early start.

"Now I think we'll see something come of it, it may not be necessarily what I want, but I think the employees are going to be listened to a little bit more," Hardwick adds.

Thanksgiving is particularly special for Hardwick.  On that day last year Hardwick proposed to his girlfriend..  And was hoping to spend this year hashing out wedding plans with the family.

"If I have to work at target it's going to be a shame because I'll miss dinner with them and that opportunity to be with people that welcomed me into their family so completely," says Hardwick 

And while Hardwick's petition continues to gain attention. Others feel that he should just be thankful that he has a job.

"As a consumer and a former employee I can say that I'd be lucky to have a job and I wouldn't be squawking too much about that," says Bill Holmes a former UNO professor.