Thanksgiving is upon us, which means it's every retail worker's least favorite time of year-- Black Friday. For some, Black Friday is a day to chill, take what little money you have and spend it on the people you love (or on yourself, I'm not judging). For retail workers, however, it's a veritable Hell.
As a retail worker for four years now, I can attest that this is, indeed, the most fast-paced and anxiety-inducing day to work. From items being stolen to people just being straight-up rude, there really is not a time for us to do the same "chill" thing that our customers are doing-- not to mention the fact that we have to be there, contractually.
This year, don't be the person that workers will talk about as soon as you leave the room. Here are a couple tips to stay on your workers' good sides this holiday season:
1. Be polite.
Most retail workers also celebrate Thanksgiving, which means that they are sacrificing time with their families to be working so you can buy gifts early. It's not a problem-- we're happy to have jobs at all (most of the time), but it's a long work day for us. The least you can do is use your manners!
2. Don't steal things (do I even need to say this?)
Seriously, just don't. When I worked at my first retail job, things got stolen all the time. It took forever to find the things that were missing (I worked at a shoe store, so there were a ton of shoes to sift through before we found out there were some missing), and then it was a pain to do the protocol after that.
There's even less time for us to go through all that on Black Friday, so just be a good person. Don't steal things.
3. Put things back in an orderly fashion
Things get messy on Black Friday, but everything can be so much more organized if people just put things back where they came from! If you pick something up and decide you don't want it, put it back where you found it. It's not that hard, and it will make your local retail worker so much happier.
4. Don't get mad when we say "Happy Holidays"
This is a real thing. People get so angry-- they're few and far between, but it does happen. There are a multitude of holidays celebrated throughout December, not just Christmas. Please just spare us the talking to and go about your day.
5. Be nice!
If you are nice to us, it will make our whole day. Seriously. One "thank you for working today" or "you're doing a great job" is such a nice thing to hear when you've been working the busiest day of the year. It's not required but it sure is welcomed, and we'll be forever grateful.
So remember to be a decent person this Black Friday. Retail workers are people, too.
And, to my fellow retail workers, good luck out there. I'm rooting for you!
