How many of you have noticed the new trend of marathon shopping hours these last few years for the holidays? I guess remaining open from 7AM or 8AM until 9PM or 10PM everyday of the week to lure consumers inside to haul away the necessary gifts for their families, friends, co-workers and bosses to open on Christmas day was not enough.  What was the Internet for again?

I'm sure there are many of you who love braving the cold night and morning hours to scour for that unbelievable buy to assuage all your guilt about never having much time for your special recipient. But, hanging on out in a parking lot, or leaning against the wall of some store front, in really cold weather with a bunch of other runny noses is not my idea of a good time. I read where Macy's in New York is going to  be open for around a hundred hours straight to accommodate all the late night revelers, homeless, insomniacs and other curious people who require a 3AM shopping fix this Christmas season. Mervyn's, J.C. Penney's and WalMart all have announced in various parts of the country marathon hours this last weekend before Christmas, and for several days after Christmas.

I wonder how the employees feel? Do you think they get big bonuses for showing up in the middle of the night to greet the inebriated  and addled?  How many executives and corporate buyers will be on hand at these locations  to answer all the questions regarding shortages of hot items  long sold out, or why so much unsaleable clutter litters the aisles that no one wants to take home on a dare? Will these high paying decision makers be there to answer why all the toys now contain more lead than the ammo a hunting enthusiast can fire in a lifetime? No.

My guess is that the employees are just told what their hours are going to be, with very few exceptions. Management will spout that this is really team building, and what fun it will be to totally mess your mind and body during one of the most stressful times of year. But employees know what happens when things start moving downhill at too fast a clip. These entrant level, mid level and senior level associates just take it as another perk to a depressing occupation and utter Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or thanks to those who bothered to come by and spend a few dollars this weekend.

Here's a thought for all you retail geniuses out there: reduce your hours and make your stores cool places to come and visit. Quit trying to build the largest barn/warehouse with the least qualified and most underpaid occupying your establishments. Until then a pox on all your houses!

Do you know that the male American worker now averages over 49 hours a week  on the job?  And that the working  American woman averages 42 hours on the job every week?  Did you know that  the average number of vacation  days is now just nine days a year for  the American worker? At most places you don't even get one until you have put in a year on the job.  Do you realize we as Americans now work on average two weeks longer per year than our Japanese counter parts and two months longer than German workers do?

So instead of being marketed and conned into going out and spending all your cash and extending your wobbly credit for Christmas this year, Americans will wake up and ask, "If this is the land of family values, why don't I ever get the time to spend with my family?" "Why must I be on the line at 4AM for chump change and no health care this Christmas?"

All I want for Christmas is fair shake in the job world. Anyone interested in checking into reversing the current employment trends might want to investigate Will Durst on PBS.org.