Black Friday from the perspective of people who work it
I can’t say I’ve ever had a terrible experience with Black Friday, but it is definitely a spectacle to behold. With this being Round 3, I’m almost imagining myself sailing through.
Between waking up in the ungodly hours after Thanksgiving, fighting through a crowded sales floor with a cart full of product to replenish what everyone else has hurriedly grabbed, and being covered in static cellophane after wrapping numerous gifts, Black Friday can turn into a lot of fun.
One year I had a lady come in around 5 a.m. with an energy drink in each hand. When I joked about it, I found out she had a case of the drinks in the car and had been shopping from 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving, with plans to shop straight through midnight of Black Friday.
The day has a chaotic nature about it. If you ever want to feel like an amazing salesperson, all you have to do is take advantage of the “I want it now!” mentality of your customers. It’s Black Friday for a reason. Most retail locations make the most they will make in any single day all year, the day after Thanksgiving.
For anyone who enjoys people watching, this is a day to do it. Particularly in the morning, to see how much time customers are dedicating to shopping.
The scene at Nordstrom on Black Friday 2008 could easily have been a sketch on”Seinfeld”: one pair of size 38 Manolo Blahnik heels, and two “bridezillas” intent on taking them home.
These weren’t just any Manolos – they were the coveted “Something Blue” satin pumps worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in the wedding scene in “Sex and the City 2.”
For the seven years of my life that I was slinging shoes for Nordstrom, my Thanksgiving Day excitement was overshadowed by the dread of waking up at 5 a.m. the next day to work – but the hilarity of the Manolo incident made that year worth the effort.
Somehow, in the chaos that is Black Friday, the shoes were misplaced out on the sales floor. The left shoe was found and claimed by one woman, and the right by another – both desperate to own the last size 38 in the entire company.
One of the women even tried to bribe me, promising to purchase all her future shoes from me for the rest of her life!
I handled the situation like any other seasoned salesperson: I went to lunch.
By the time I returned, one of the women had conceded, and I had a sale of $920. The shoes weren’t even on sale!
Black Friday is the official beginning of the Christmas season for many in the United States. But if this day is in any way representative of Christmas, I want nothing to do with it.
Tension and anger fill the air, the static electricity it creates ready to spark tempers and incite violence. Year after year we see the stories about shoppers having lost their lives. I try my best not to leave my house on that day.
Unfortunately, I have worked with the public for over 20 years and have worked on that day most years. Don’t get me wrong, most of the year people are decent to customer service workers. But on Black Friday, all the assholes that don’t usually come in, do. Whether I was working as a baker, server, sales rep or clerk, the scene got ugly.
People want to get the best gifts at the best price. They come in mad because they didn’t get what they wanted then take it out on everyone who crosses their path. Customer service workers are a ripe target for customers like this because most of the time the worker won’t respond. Working with the public can really suck.
The point is, all of the jerks crawl out of the woodwork on Black Friday. Most decent people stay home – but those brave enough to face the perils of the day are the bright spots in an otherwise horrid day. The customers who come in with Christmas cards and little gifts are reminders of the spirit of Christmas.
Christmas shouldn’t be about how much you spend and what you get. Possessions wear out, break or get lost or stolen. They’re temporary. I don’t understand the crazy atmosphere of Black Friday at all. My ex-mother-in-law and my ex’s aunt always start shopping after the New Year. Throughout the year, they see something someone needs or wants, they watch for it to go on sale and get it. Long before Black Friday, they have all their shopping done. If only I was organized enough to do that.
Gifts alone do not make Christmas. It is the gathering of family, the warmth of the room, the delicious food and candies. It is the reminder to be kind and accepting of everyone… even the assholes.
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