There is no way to sugarcoat what it is like to work retail around the holiday season. We've seen it all, from disgruntled customers to never having enough time to get your work done. Despite the cheerful facade retail workers put on for our customers, we really just want to scream "be patient!" at you because we are doing the best we can. We try making your holiday season great, even if we don't always get to spend the holidays with our own families.

I've been working retail for 4.5 years now, and I always dread the holidays. Since I'm a broke college student, I work close to full time over winter and summer break just so I have enough money to pay for bills, school, gifts, and so on. If you take the holidays out of the equation, I can't complain about work, because I like my coworkers, and I find it rewarding working for a company that goes out of their way to help customers.

However, if this were about working retail minus the holidays, it would be a completely different article. Throughout my experience working on holidays, I've dealt with countless accounts of pissed-off customers because they can't stack coupons in one transaction and they think our coupon policy is crap. Or how about the people who complain about not having an item in stock? Well I'm sorry to inform you, but as a cashier, I don't make the rules; I can only follow and enforce them. In regards to our coupon policy, sorry, but it is what it is -- you either have to take it or leave it. And when we have items out of stock, I'm sorry, but I can't just magically make the 10 cans of tuna fish you want appear. I can offer you a different brand at the same sale price, or if you are a devout Chicken of the Sea fan and absolutely can't have any other brand, I'll give you a rain check. This way you can get the sale price once we get your tuna fish in.

I have worked almost every department in my store during the holiday season. Cosmetics is my main department and I usually enjoy the days I work here because I really like helping people in a field I know a lot about. Most people seem to disregard the cosmeticians as if our only job is to stand there and "look pretty." I took tests and got certified so I can advise customers on the best products to achieve their desired results. On top of that, we have coupons for most products to help our customers save money; we just ask that you ring up at our cosmetic register because we need to make our goals. It's a real slap in the face to a cosmetician when we offer help, service, and coupons to save you money, but you choose to ignore and walk past us to ring up at the main register instead.

One of the worst areas to work in through the holiday season is by far the photo department. Yes, we are normally a one-hour photo department, but no, I'm sorry, I won't be able to get your five calendars done in an hour when it takes about a half-hour to 45 minutes for one calendar to print; not mention how long it'll take to put together because I have to do it by hand. This is the most frustrating time of the year for photo technicians because we are always backed up and trying to play "catch up" with all the orders. I could walk away from the department to take a bathroom break and come back to a line of three people waiting to pick up their photos, and seven orders that just popped up on our machine to get processed. All we ask for is a little patience during this hectic time of the year. We understand you need to mail out your photo cards today, but you need to understand there are 12 other orders in front of yours, and we are doing everything in our power to get it all done. Now, if you're one of those customers that waited until the day before Christmas to print your photo cards or canvas gift and we're backed up, then I don't feel sorry for you, because that is your fault for waiting and expecting so much around the holidays.

As I've said, I've dealt with many angry customers, but I know when things start getting bad I can rely on my managers. As for my managers, they see the worst of it all because in any given situation, these heroic individuals are responsible and must swoop in to make sure the customers leave happy. They never get a proper lunch break because they don't have anyone else to cover for them. If their list of work doesn't get done, the fault lies with the managers, so frankly customers should have more respect for these people, and less sass when speaking to a manager because they have a lot weighing on their shoulders.

Now, I don't mean to bash every customer that walks through the door; I merely would like people to take a step back and appreciate what the employees do during the holidays. Our store could be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, etc., like almost every other store; but instead, we're open trying to fulfill each customer's needs. I can't spend the holidays with my family, because you forgot to get someone a gift or need that pack of cigarettes. Let that sink in for a moment.

There are multiple people who thank me for working on Christmas or for giving them a coupon to save some money, and I'm really grateful. These people are the reason I continue working in retail, but there need to be more customers like that. It's the unappreciative ones that cause me to dread working through the holiday season. To the customers who thank me for helping and those who try tipping because I went out of my way, I want to thank you for your efforts, and just know that I enjoy helping, and this is just what I do. I don't need anything more than common courtesy, patience, and gratefulness.