This will be my first holiday season working in retail. I have worked in food service or as a teacher every other year, but now that I’m at Best Buy, I get to experience the hell of the holiday season in its fullest. Long story short, I’m still a relatively new employee, but I’m apparently the most competent cashier the store has, because I am scheduled from 5:30pm on Thanksgiving afternoon until 5am Friday morning, then again from 2pm Friday until 11 that night. I am incredibly lucky that my family lives in the same town as me, so I will be able to spend most of the day with them, but I’m still dreading it, far more than I was dreading working on Black Friday only.
The only thing that I absolutely hope does not happen - I am praying that this does not happen - is if a single person says to me, “I’m so sorry you have to work today.” I will absolutely lose my mind if I hear that. If someone feels like they can empathize with me while they are part of the reason why my store decided to open at 6pm on Thanksgiving day, I will not know what to say. I really hope that no one sees the irony in coming into my store with their family and pretending to empathize that I cannot be with my family. They will get to eat their Thanksgiving meal whenever they feel like it, to go buy their Christmas trees, to go shopping at their leisure, and to go home at a sane hour of the night and get some sleep. I get time and a half pay, and only for Thanksgiving day itself.
Even before I ever worked retail, I sympathized with people who had to work on retail holidays. Last year was the first year I ever shopped ON Black Friday, and I went to the mall at 3pm. I will never understand how people can care so little about each other and so much more about themselves.
That is my feeling exactly. I’m not sure when I’ll be working on Black Friday, but it just kills me that people will run over each other to get things they don’t need the day after they’re supposed to be grateful for what they have.
I feel like we should be given time and a half for Black Friday, we have to put up with so much shit and barely get to see our families the day before (if at all - I won’t see my family at all this holiday season.) If someone tells me “I’m sorry you have to work today” I’ll probably say “Yeah, me too” (to keep from saying “If you’re really sorry, GET OUT.”)
I had to work Black Friday last year and it was nuts. Everywhere I went I got stopped for questions that I couldn’t answer. The store was a giant mess because people would pick through the bins we were trying to organize. It was like, why bother putting it back on the shelf? Nosy little fuckers can’t even wait that long. Ugh. @_@ I find the whole concept of Black Friday really sickening.
I hope people are civilized for your shift. You’ll have my thoughts. <3
The other thing that killed me the time I worked (when this whole Thursday thing started) was when the higher ups would try and sympathize. We got an email that was like, “We appreciate your hard work blah blah blah,” and it was like, “Wow it must be nice that you get to sit at home right now and relax after the holiday while I stand here and deal with people who are going to bite my head off when I sell out of that PS3 or XBOX or whatever.” And not only would we get the, “Man it sucks that you have to work today,” customers, but we’d get the, “I don’t even want to be here,” customers. The ones who thought video games were a waste of time but they just haaaaaaaaaaaaaaad to get the new Call of Duty for their kid no matter what and they just think it’s so dumb to even be there so early and I want to say THEN DON’T COME HERE ON THURSDAY GO HOME FUCK!
And depending on where you work, there’s no time and a half, it’s just a normal shift. There’s no overtime, either. And no option on what time you work (corporate sent an email on what time key holders had to work, absolutely had to).
NOT ONLY THAT, but since we opened so early, after the mad rush it was dead for hours until the normal shoppers woke up, you know, the ones who will enjoy Thanksgiving, sleep in, wake up, take their time, maybe grab breakfast or something, and then leisurely come into your store? So from the midnight madness until about ten a.m. it was dead. I think the rush was done around 2 or 3 a.m. and then we literally stood there, because who cares about your B2G1 free sale at 4 in the morning if they didn’t run out to sit outside on Thursday night?
Oh, and as for that corporate email of “you’re awesome” that we got? Our district manager actually did go to his stores to check in… at 10 in the morning. So you know, he slept, and relaxed, and then woke up. I had already worked 12 hours by then.
But as a general PSA, since I’m sure some people do shop on Black Friday, please please PLEASE be nice to the employees for the love of god. Chances are they’ve been on their feet since Thursday night, with few breaks (or if they even had any) and it’s not their fault that such and such sold out because the back room does not have an endless supply. No they can’t call another store for you there’s no time, and no they can’t put one on hold. And please please PLEASE make sure you have enough money in your bank account so your card isn’t declined and then you feel the need to yell at said employee about it like it’s their fault and no they can’t hold it for you while you go to the atm. Please don’t complain about the line, don’t be all “I’m sorry you’re here” because they’re there because you’re there, and just… please don’t. What the employee would appreciate most is just… being nice to them, o.k.? Thank them for their help, tell them to have a good day, fuck bring them some Starbucks or something (actually had a regular customer do that for me once) I dunno, just… please?