If you work in retail, you'll know that the holiday season is the busiest time of the year. Stores are open longer, hundreds of customers walk through the door every day, and everyone is buying products like mad. In the retail world, either you're an employee who loves the holiday season or absolutely hates it. I'm part of the crazy one percent that is head over heels for the insanity.
During the rest of the year, companies focus highly on numbers. They care about how many items people are buying per transaction, the average amount people are spending each transaction, and most importantly how much the store makes. The store I work at does little contests during the year so we focus on our numbers, but during this time of the year no one says anything about them. We can work in peace and harmony without feeling pressured to suggest unnecessary items to our customers.
People are rushing in and out of stores just buying anything they think will make a good gift. They are so grateful when you come up and help them pick something and save a little money too. Some of the nicest people, and repeat customers, I have ever met have been customers I have assisted during the holiday season. It may be because I work at a little boutique, but people are so open when holiday shopping. It may be the amount of stress they're under, but if you start a conversation they are more than happy to talk to you and accept your help. Any other time of the year people mostly don't want to be bothered and usually don't even make eye contact with me. There is something about this time of year that makes people friendlier than usual.
Every shift I come into work I'm greeted by a whole slew of coworkers that are happy to see me. I'm constantly working with three or four other people in the store with whom I'm very close with. During the year shifts include only myself and one other person for six hours. Now I get to laugh and chat through my shifts with people who mean the world to me because of the long hours we spend together. This is when most of the bonding happens that gels all of us into a well oiled team for the rest of the year.
I guess I'm a glass half full sort of person to be writing a whole article about how I love working retail during the holiday season. There are plenty of people out there who would probably write pages about why they hate it, but those are the type of people who you never remember. Since I do work at such a small store it's all about getting to know people in the hopes you'll see them again. I have a blast at my job and I can be frequently found dancing to the holiday music as I tidy displays up. This time of year is full of stress and Grinches so I love that I can be a little burst of sunshine for people and make them smile. If only every sales associate could see this time of year the way I do.
