Black Friday is full of great sales and deals to help everyone get ready for the holidays. But what is it like to work behind the scenes? The pressure to fill orders and help customers is enough to drive a person crazy. Here is an interview I conducted with a sales associate who worked this past Friday:
Q: How early did you have to come into your store to prep for Black Friday?
A: I had to leave my thanksgiving dinner early to go to work and prep it for the costumers. But, I also was prepping the store Wednesday night until around midnight.
Q: What was the first hour of Black Friday like for you?
A: It was really surprising to be honest, I was with my other co-workers who never worked Black Friday before, and all of our hearts were racing. But, the first hour was not as bad as we thought only a few people who really wanted a certain deal came in the, most of the others came after the first hour.
Q: Were there any in store fights you or a co-worker had to break up?
A: Not in our store, but I have heard some horror stories from co-workers who used to work in other stores.
Q: How was most of your time spent during Black Friday?
A: I did not leave the cash register from 6:00 to 10:45. I still had my usual half hour break but the line was almost out the door and was immediately back to working. I didn't even have a chance to ask any costumers if they needed help finding anything because I was constantly ringing people up.
Q: Was the store a mess after Black Friday was over?
A: It was the messiest I have ever seen the store. All of the bins were just full of piles of shirts all over, and on the floor. There was trash on the floor from food places, and everything was just everywhere.
Black Friday may be fun for the shopper, but for the worker is it not all good deals and great prices. Make sure you are nice to the sales associates next year, and all year around. After all they are the ones getting you the best deals and savings on your holiday gifts!
