Why the holidays and retail just don’t mix

There is a season that strikes hatred and fear into any sales assistant’s heart: Christmas.

The craze has intensified over the years, getting worse until soon shops will be open on Christmas Day to beat the competition. Some have already lost New Years closing, leaving only two days of the year that stores are actually closed.

The days grow shorter as the nights get longer but still the shops stay open later. Those poor shop assistants have to stay hours after late night closing, which is 9pm in Liverpool ONE.  And that’s if your lucky.The shop floor will look like a tornado has hit it, so there’s no chance in hell you’ll finish your shift on time.

It’s not Santa’s elves who restore the store from bomb site to pristine and organised over night. Arriving in the cold, dark and wet, leaving in the colder, darker night will turn most people miserable.  Seriously though, who wants to shop until 9pm at night?!

While in a hurry to get the best Christmas gift or that perfect outfit for New Year’s Eve, you may pick up several things then just dump unwanted items anywhere and everywhere. This leads to the next issue when a customer just “has to have” something they have found abandoned in the wrong section, except they want it in a different size or colour.  Trying to find this item can lead to even more problems. Frenzied customers have yelled at anyone and everyone as if it’s personally done just to ruin their day. That kind of language will get you on the naughty list, you know.

These problems have been intensified by the American culture of Black Friday. Who’s clever idea was that? The phase itself is basically telling people to behave like the world is ending. Every experienced shop assistant knows to scour the work rota and pray they are not working the dreaded Black Friday. Becoming more and more popular over the years, it has seen this year an arrest in Asda as a man became crazy and aggressive after being informed he cannot buy two 60-inch TVs.

Christmas songs are great right? Yes until you’ve worked in retail. They start far too early, as early as November,and after hearing the same compilation over and over for eight hours a day for over a month, you’ll be wishing Santa was stuck up the chimney and stayed there.

If you work in retail it comes with the job, as with many jobs in hospitality, you will be working one of the holidays: Christmas Eve, Boxing Day or New Year’s Eve. There are many perks to retail, but having to leave your snug spot in front of whatever  Christmas special tickles your pickle to go work is devastating. It’s insane turning up for your 8am start on Boxing Day, hungover, to see a queue of people waiting outside the store. Madness! There is no bargain worth that.

With all the madness of looking after other peoples’ shopping needs, when do you get time to shop yourself? And will your family and friends notice if you buy all presents from your own store? Using your discount to your advantage is kind of cheap: but why not? It’s one of the best perks of being in retail, getting must have items for a cut price.

Speaking of presents, the classic Boxing Day return, with queues round the corner I suggest using the extended returns all stores have, and come later when the store is less mental to exchange that unwanted gift. Even more cheeky is the customer who brings the receipt and asks to rebuy the item at the cheaper price. A) you knew it would be more expensive before Christmas than after and B) can you not play the game a little? Pick up the item and buy at new price then return the more expensive one later: t puts cashiers in an awkward situation saying no.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. There is the occasional heart-warming moment of helping someone get the ultimate gift, or seeing the smile on someone’s face when you find the last medium jumper and it’s made their day. Also, gift wrapping; nothing can make you feel more like a jolly little elf or (plus you can act out the Rowan Atkinson gift wrapping scene from Love Actually). Personally wrapping up and finishing with a big bow just fills me with Christmas cheer.

Retail workers have probably wanted to tear their hair out with the stress of it all, and just want to rest their tootsies after being on their feet for hours on end; they haven’t personally tried to ruin your Christmas. A smile and a thank you really can turn a shift around from Scrooge to Elf.

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