Yesterday, this story about the faithful, almost Grateful Dead-like roving crowds that form a few days before the grand opening of every Chick-Fil-A in the country, floated around the social media sphere.

The crowd exists thanks to a standing offer for free meals once a week for a year, for the first hundred customers through the doors on opening day. Executives for the fast food maker developed the publicity stunt four years ago, and the resulting throngs invading the parking lots of the new restaurants take on almost cult-like status. Many people showing up for the event have been to multiple Chick-Fil-A grand opening throughout the state and region.

While the photo attached to the story showed the tents and party-like atmosphere, the gist of the story revolves around a different topic; the fact that Chick-Fil-A is closed every Sunday.

This is of particular interest to me, because I work in retail, and I almost always work on Sunday, and Sunday is always the busiest day of our week.

I used to work at a mall that had a Chick-Fil-A, and was always curious as to why they were closed on Sunday. But after a while, I began to envy those employees for the following reasons:

- They had a guaranteed day off

- They could make plans and not worry about being scheduled or rescheduled

- They were off on a day the rest of the “normal” world (family and friends) was off

- They didn’t have to deal with the throngs of Sunday shoppers

- Should they be a fan, they could enjoy football season, unencumbered

The custom of closing on Sundays began in the very first week of the company’s operations way back in 1946. In the article above, a company executive cites a story about the original owner being too tired to work on Sunday of the restaurant’s opening week. He figured if he was tired, his employees were also tired, so the Sunday rest day was born. Of course, he could do that back in 1946, because the US wasn’t quite yet the commercial, money-hungry, work-till-you-drop society that it is today. Chick-Fil-A was also just a local fast-food joint back then, a business model that had yet to ingrain itself into American Society. It would be hard to imagine the executives of a modern, corporate, fast food chain entertaining the notion of Sunday closings.

I’m not  about to quit my current gig to go fry chicken parts just so I can get Sundays off to watch football, but the practice of closing on Sunday is intriguing in today’s commercial environment. Sundays are often a retailer’s most profitable day, and those of us accepting retail employment know that Sunday shifts are part of the deal.

If you know me, and you are reading this, you probably also work on Sunday, and have experienced the Sunday madness I speak of. If you don’t know me and are reading this, you probably are one the many who don’t work on Sunday and head to the mall or other shopping centers for your material needs. Please don’t misunderstand me. I love having a job, and I am passionate about what I do at the store I work at. My company is forward thinking, and my position is about as good a retail position as any currently available.

But, a guaranteed day off sure would be a nice perk.

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