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Working on Labor Day
FOX 26 Consumer Reporter Tom Zizka spoke with one business owner about working and helping customers on Labor Day.
PEARLAND, Texas - On this Labor Day holiday, celebrating the achievements of American workers, there are a lot of people still on the job. Started as a movement in the late 1800's to reduce the number of hours that workers had to labor, the holiday once saw widespread closures to mark the day. Those days are long gone.
At Pearland Bicycles, business is brisk. This Labor Day is special, because it's the first day in the business's new location, having moved about a mile away to a bigger shop. Being open is an equal mix of scheduling challenges and the importance of a sale for a small business.
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"You have to be open because you're costs are going up every year; your rent is going up, especially when you move to a bigger space that's doubled in size; and we've been closed for a week, so that does affect the bottom line," says owner Daryl Catching.
And there is demand for what they're selling, as a steady stream of customers walked and rolled through the door for repairs, or an opportunity to browse for a new ride. For customers, being open is a great opportunity.
"A lot of people are off work; you have a little more time; you're not rushing from your job, wherever you work, to a place like this," says customer Larry Bell.
In recent years, more than 40% of businesses have at least some workers on the job during Labor Day. Major retailers are common, as are first responders, for whom emergencies never take a break. Largely, though, the trend is also recognition that there's a balance between enjoying the holiday and cultivating customers.
"We do try to take holidays off, but we also realize a lot of our customers have time off, and that is a perfect opportunity for them to shop and visit our store," says Catching.
And making those customers happy now is a chance to make them happy the next time.
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For the nation's roughly 110 million full-time workers, Labor Day is recognized by the vast majority of employers by giving at least some of their employees the day off. Federal law, however, doesn't require it.
When it became an official holiday in 1894, it was suggested Labor Day be marked with a parade and the recreation and amusement of workers and their families. 140 years later, it means squeezing those experiences in, when you can.