We've all gone shopping in the winter season. We know the lines, the cranky people, and the sales that seem to be on everything. What we don't know is the people who have to work through that. You don't always know the hours they work, the time that they spent organizing a shelf to look perfect (only for someone to go and knock it all over), or even the time spent trying to explain a simple thing to a cranky customer while being yelled at because no one wants to hear the explanation. These are a few things to think about when you are shopping, wandering through the aisles, and checking out at a retail store.
1. We work long hours.
We barely see the sun during winter time. We go in before the sun has fully risen and we go home after the sun sets. We never leave on time because you aren't allowed to leave if there is a line and there is always a line.
2. We aren't just there to assist you at check out.
While we will happily ring up your items, we probably have 5 other things to get done as well. These are things that we will have to stay late into our shifts to get done because that is the only place when we can find the time.
3. Just because the store closes it does not mean that our shift is over.
After closing we are still there for another half an hour or more before we get to go home because we are putting things away and cleaning aisles that will only stay neat for about an hour the next day.
4. We don't know everything about our products.
The products are on the shelves because that is what is required from our store. We don't know if that product can sing or dance. Your guess is as good as mine by looking at the box or container. We read the same things that you do, just read the products. I shouldn't have to read it to you while you hold up the entire line if you can read it yourself.
5. A lot of us are part-timers.
Yet, during the holiday season we all work overtime and longer than the average 40 hour work week, so cut us some slack.
6. Be cautious about seasonal workers.
Many businesses hire seasonal workers to have extra hands on deck, meaning that they don't necessarily know as much as a regular worker. They have to track down people who have been there longer. Don't get mad, we are all trying our best to figure everything out. Even if someone has been working there for years that does not mean that we know every one of our thousands of products.
7. Lines often make us anxious too.
When there are 10 people in line and only two cashiers because people decide to shop in the god awful hours before noon, we are trying our best. Tons of people can be very overwhelming, especially when you have to multitask with customers to balance gift cards, get scratch tickets, bag items, and make sure that we are making the right change all in all of the rush of trying to keep the line as small as possible. That one person making a face in the line can really make us panic.
8. We work holidays for you.
When you walk in on Thanksgiving or Christmas and say: "Oh! Thank goodness you're open!" It isn't by choice, we have to be open. While you are in bliss about it we are missing time with family or friends because our store had to be open to appease society. Please don't give us a hard time because you can't find the one thing that you came in for. Walking into a convenience store on a major holiday and asking if they sell whole turkeys or fresh fruit probably isn't going to work out for either of us.
Just remember that, while your days before Christmas or Thanksgiving are stressful, ours are even more so because we are dealing with everything that you are as well as having to deal with you--all while only making minimum wage. Just be kind and considerate when headed towards the register and keep an open mind. Remember that we aren't robots and we do not have everything memorized. We are trying and if we say "Happy Holidays" over "Merry Christmas," don't get mad or upset. We are just trying to spread the cheer the only way that we know how.
