A few things that you will identify with if you work retail for the holiday season

When a customer asks you if you can give them a discount for dust/dirt/because they are special

No I can't give you a discount, but yes I'll grab a manager so they can tell you the same thing.

You spend hours folding sweaters into prefect piles and ten minutes later it looks like there was a tornado

You'll never understand how fast the store goes from clean to disaster and why you even bother to organize sometimes.

Getting to listen to the same playlist of 15 songs that your store is using to create "holiday ambiance"

Yay so happy that we are listening to the strangest rendition of Silver Bells for the 200th time today.

Answering the phone with "happy holidays" to make the already too long greeting even longer

By the time you get to the end you wonder if they will be able to remember why they called. Sometimes you secretly hope they hang up.

That feeling when you have 5 minutes till close and someone shows up for a last minute gift

This is a one way ticket into any retail workers bad book. Just don't be that person!

When you're required to ask EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER if they want to sign up for the store rewards card

The ones who say no before you even ask don't offend you anymore. And you appreciate the people who politely decline after listening to all of the benefits of the card. When someone actually signs up you sort of can't believe it.

When you help an attractive customer and you don't say something dumb

One of these interactions makes up for the 99 that were super awkward this week.

When the store is officially closed and you and your co workers have survived another eight hour day of holiday shoppers

Nothing makes you happier than the sound of the manager setting the alarm system and getting to leave the horrid building that is your store.

All in all working retail especially during the holidays is quite the experience. It helps you learn how to multitask, work with other super tired, super stressed associates and teaches you how to nicely deal with grouchy rude customers. It also definitely makes you appreciative that the holiday shopping season only lasts from October till New Years.

So next year please remember that retail workers are here to help you "find every thing you are looking for", all we ask is for a little respect and for goodness sake please just leave the plies of sweaters alone.