Working on Thanksgiving? You May Not Be Alone!

Thanksgiving: the season to be among loved ones, pilgirms, and a cornucopia or two. More importantly, this holiday provides a well-deserved respite for American workers across the country. But wait! While most employees have time off during the Thanksgiving holidays, unfortunately some employees are busier than ever.

Here are 5 job positions that work through this holiday, and their respective salaries. We've included the average salaries and ranges based on Salary.com data.

1) Retail Store Manager

Average: $56,966

Salary Range: $49,819-$68,086

What you’ll do: Which poor unfortunate souls are manning the Black Friday doors? Retail store managers and their staff! The retail store manager has around five years of experience in the related area and a bachelor’s degree. Typically, their responsibility is to manage the day-to-day operations of their retail store: staffing, store compliance, inventory, management, and promotion. However, on this holiday, they may be in charge of eliminating the possibility of trampling incidents!

2) Police Patrol Officer

Average: $54,148

Salary Range: $50,567-$58,998

What you’ll do: On Thanksgiving, officers may have to grab a cranberry donut and then rush into work. The world still needs protection, even on this day of giving. A patrol policeman is often responsible for patrolling an assigned area to prevent and discover crime and enforce regulations. They are responsible for responding to calls, taking necessary action at the scene of crime or disturbance, conducting investigations, making arrests, testifying in court, and completing reports/forms and routine paperwork. This role often requires an associates degree in criminal justice as well as other certifications. Often, this role is filled by workers with at least 2-4 years of related experience.

3) Meat Manager

Average: $52,144

Salary Range: $48,201-$64,700

What you’ll do: Meat managers run meat operations within grocery stores, and this includes the mad turkey rush on Thanksgiving. In this role, they monitor quality of meat products and supervise other department staff. This role requires a high school diploma and may require up to three years experience.

4) Rancher/Farmer

Average: $43,505

Salary Range: $40,534-$49,021

What you’ll do: For livestock farmers, the Thanksgiving season really increases the orders for turkeys, pumpkins, potatoes, and cranberries. In this role, a farmer manages the overall daily operations of their land. They provide supervision and direction to their farmhands and may be responsible for purchasing tools, equipment, and materials. This role may require a bachelor’s degree with at least five years of related experience.

5) Waiter/Server

Average: $27,256 (*tips not included)

Salary Range: $23,972-$30,923 (*tips not included)

What you’ll do: Not everyone eats Thanksgiving meals with their families at home. Some families are a bit “cooking challenged” and prefer to dine out on this holiday. Because of this, many restaurants host Thanksgiving dinners for their guests. In this job, a waiter is responsible for taking and delivering food and beverage orders to diners. They may also be responsible for dish cleaning, food preparation, and dining room preparation. This role typically requires a high school diploma and around one year of general work experience.

*You may notice that waiters’ salaries are quite low. This is because of the nature of the U.S.’ tipping culture, which helps these professionals make a living wage. Recently there has been some debate on whether the U.S. should shift these jobs from tip culture to wage culture.

Salary.com wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving!

As the year winds to an end, now may be the perfect time to take a step back and assess where you are in your career. Are you making as much money as you equally-qualified peers in other companies? Looking to switch to a new career path, but don’t know how much money to ask for? We are here to help. Find out your worth here.

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