I figure that the hospitals and fire department will be open, no matter what. I also appreciate having a 24/7/365 transit system, and that people can get milk or sanitary napkins or aspirin in an emergency, where "emergency" can reasonably include not having counted days before setting out on a trip. That doesn't justify stores opening at 4 a.m. on Black Friday: it's different if they're open at 4 a.m. every day, or every weekday, whether they're selling that sort of essential, or video games and sweaters and laundry detergent and hardware.