Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving that claims to have the best shopping deals of the year. Of course, this day is prone to chaos. I am sure that we have all heard Black Friday horror stories. Everyone wants to be the first to score these deals and you know who has to deal with these customers all day? Retail workers. Well yes, we did sign up for this but let me give you our perspective on Black Friday. Feel free to add anything I miss if you work in retail as well.
Waking Up With Little to No Sleep to Head to Work in the Middle of the Night
Depending on what time your store opens, you may or may not have this problem. If you celebrate Thanksgiving, you probably got home late from being with family and friends hence the lack of sleep. Maybe you might have had to cut your Thanksgiving dinner short to make your shift because majority of people I know don't eat until the late afternoon. Some stores open Thanksgiving afternoon/night and you see how that could be a problem for some. It's very hard to call out during a big sale like Black Friday and if you do, everyone probably thinks you're a jerk. I know my store made it mandatory to work. Not sure if other stores did the same but I'm sure if you were assigned to work you need to be there. They need you!
Being Rushed More Than Usual
We get it. You're in a rush. So is everyone else though! If you want the best savings and nothing left out during check out, I suggest you don't rush any associate who is helping you! We are aware of the long lines and completely get it. We are shoppers ourselves. We can get impatient as well. Trust me. But think about it. Everyone is probably buying as many things as you are.
Missing Out on All the Doorbusters
Well, we miss them all because we are working during them. So there's that.
Less Time to Chat with Customers
There's always that good customer experience you remember each shift but when it comes to Black Friday, you don't know what you're going to get. They always ask do you work here but never how are you holding up today. I tried to recreate this meme blow but probably failed. I think I'm funny but I'm really not.
The point of this is that you don't really get to make those connections with customers like you would on an ordinary day because there's just not enough time.
When Your Store Doesn't Get as Many Customers as Predicted
Well isn't this awkward. It's okay, we'll catch 'em later I guess. I'm sure this happens to some stores. Sales might not have been advertised enough or seemed "worth it" for customers to get out of their bed for. Also, I'm sure more people resort to Cyber Monday where they can shop from the comfort of their own home to avoid the Black Friday chaos.
