Hey everyone, not that I can stop people from going out shopping tomorrow, but if you do go out, please please PLEASE be kind to the employees. Friendly reminder that a lot of them will be missing time with their family to be there, and for a lot of places it is not an optional shift, or one that pays extra. So just be kind and respectful of the employees out there. Remember:
1. Something being out of stock is not their fault
2. Yelling never solves anything
3. No they cannot hold sale items for you
4. It’s not their fault if the store didn’t have enough of an item
5. Yes they realize how early you got there, they know this because they had to be there to serve you
6. They are not going to ruin your Christmas by not having something, just wait a bit, said item will be in stock again
7. No they cannot call another store it’s going to be extremely busy
8. They are going as fast as they can to get to everyone, please be patient
9. They realize the line is long, please do not complain to them about it
10. Do not belittle them. They do have to serve you, yes, but that does not mean you treat them like shit
Happy holidays, and be safe out there!
I made a thing and I 100% encourage sharing it with as many people as possible through all means possible.
Iiiits thaaaaat tiiiiime of the year…. when consumers try to fuuuuck low-wage workeeerrs…..
It’s my first time working retail for Black Friday this year
PLEASE BE KIND, GENTLE, AND CONSIDERATE
Shouldn’t you be this way ALL the time? Its just common curtesy
Well, yes, of course.
But people have a habit of forgetting common courtesy when trying to snatch up the best deals.
Please please PLEASE be kind to your cashiers and retail workers. Its seriously major pressure for workers on black friday from not just customers but their bosses so they already deal with a lot of stress :c its crazy i’ve worked black friday shifts and its no fun and i’ve had plenty of kin people who would help me if something happened but a LOT JUST MADE MESSES and either pushed and shoved and I remember that like I had a co-worker in charge of gaurding the DVD rack and he had to keep telling people to back off till the time it opened was. And one lady literally shoved into him just a few seconds before he was going to let people through and shit just went like CRAZY my poor co-worker had to scramble outta there :c
Just don’t be a harmful rude shit on Black Friday, or I will be very ashamed of you >:Ihahhaa guess who’s scared of working in the diner during the holidays
it me
Please remember the following:
1. If something is out of stock it is not the employees fault
2. It is also not their fault if the store didn’t have enough things to begin with (spoiler: there will never be enough)
3. It is not their fault if the person in front of you bought the last of something
4. It is not their fault that the store opened so early and it is not their fault if people beat you there
5. Yes they understand that you’ve been outside waiting for a long time but, you know what, they’re taking time to be there for you. You are not the only one whose time is valuable
6. Please be patient, you are not the only customer there, someone will be with you when they can
7. Thank them. Please, please thank them, even if they don’t have what you want please give them a little bit of positivity
8. The holidays aren’t going to come to an end if that thing you want is sold out, chances are the store will get more of it in a few days
As someone who did six years of retail, all of these things are necessary.
From my writing side: It’s Thanksgiving and on my cosplay page I started with a bizarre thanks, so I’ll start one here too. I’m thankful for the person(s) who broke into my apartment all those years ago and stole our laptops. Because of you, we were not only introduced to the delicious Keys Cafe, but it forced my partner and I to start over in the roleplay we had been doing since college. Because of starting over, we came up with the idea of “the Storyteller,” and ended up taking those rpg logs and turn them into “the Hunters” series and are now about the publish our first book, “Seeking the Storyteller.”
So thanks for being a jerk who breaks into people’s houses, because of you we got a book series going.
From my cosplay side: I’m thankful for the bully I got. I’m thankful for their ignorant remarks about my cosplay, because if not for that person, I never would’ve fried chicken in response, would’ve never written that article, and would’ve never gotten so many wonderful fans like you all. If not for such a simple minded individual I never would’ve stood up for myself and for others in such a way, so thanks internet bully, because of you I got the support of some really incredible people.
Though I guess honestly I’m thankful for fried chicken, for being so yummy and symbolic in such situations ^^
My heartfelt thanks: I’m thankful for all of you, for being here and following me. It’s really great that you take time out to comment on my posts or say things to me at conventions or send me messages. You all are terrific :) And if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving for whatever reason, you still have my thanks today and every other day for now until whenever. Thank you to all of you for being fans of me and my work. Thanks for reading what I write, for supporting my work, and just being all around great people. When the books take off and I go on Ellen and do some sort of terrible dance, I hope you’ll still be there cheering me on.
My friends and family thanks: I love you. Short and simple, because you already know <3 It’s been an interesting year with some ups and some downs, but thanks for being here for all of it. From first time book publishings, to jobs I depended on being cancelled at the last minute, you all have pretty much kept me sane through all of it, so thank you.
Black Friday/Whatever Thursday reminder: behind the cut because it’s long.
I made a thing and I 100% encourage sharing it with as many people as possible through all means possible.
Amen
Even if they’re moving at a glacial pace, be nice to them. Ask how they’re doing. They’ve probably been on their feet without a break for the past six hours so please try and remember that. They probably haven’t had any nice interactions with people the entire day so be that one beacon of humanity that tells them you appreciate their help.
Especially with stores being open on Thanksgiving now :(
Urm I apologize for my blog getting all retail preachy, it’s just that time of year and I have 6 years of GameStop memories during the holiday season and I can only imagine what it’s going to be like this year with PS4 and XBOX ONE and opening on Thursday and just… sigh, wow.
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?
Since I know that some people are going to go Black Friday shopping (and maybe even “Brown Thursday” which I will never ever like, I don’t care how you try to justify it to me, stores should be closed on the holiday, period, and that includes opening at midnight because that still means the employees have to work on Thanksgiving, they have to come in and get everything set up)
Here’s some things I’d like you to keep in mind:
1. Be kind to the sales people. A lot of them are sacrificing time with their family to sell you the things you want. A lot of them don’t get a choice and are told what shifts they have to work, and have to work them for an incredible amount of hours. At my old store, every single keyholder is working 12 hours, no matter what. This is a very exhausting day for them, so please know that they are doing their best.
2. It’s not the salesperson’s fault. It’s not their fault that the lines are so long and you have to sometimes wait half an hour, or longer. It’s not their fault that they can’t get from behind the counter to help you, because there’s a ridiculous line they have to try and take care of. And most importantly, it’s not their fault if the store is sold out of the thing you want. Despite what some people may think, stores don’t come stocked with a million pieces of an item. It would be nice, yes, if they have enough Wii Us and all that for everyone in the city, but they won’t. And it’s not their fault. So please don’t take it out on them. Don’t yell at them, don’t complain about how long you’ve stood in line, don’t bitch about cutting time into your holiday to stand in line especially since these workers have cut time into their holiday to deal with your yelling. Chances are, they’ll get more of that item, and you can come back. And before you ask, no they cannot call another store to have them hold it for you, and that goes for any items on sale.
This is the first time in seven years that I don’t have to work on Black Friday, and I’m going to enjoy it. For those of you who have to work that day, just know that I feel for you, I’ve done that dance before, and I understand.
