Kelsey Mix – Online Editor/Copy Editor
For the past few years, my friends and I have willingly gone Black Friday shopping at ungodly hours to get the best deals out there. The mall that I go to frequently, Westfarms Mall in West Hartford, Conn., isn’t too crazy at six a.m. on Black Friday…but note that I said the mall itself. Maneuvering yourself from store to store isn’t the problem, it’s navigating through the sea of irritated shoppers in Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret or Sephora.
It depends on the store you want to go to, and not every single store is open on Black Friday anyways, but if you want the deals at Forever 21 or H&M, good luck. I’ve tried and it’s definitely a challenge. But as a consumer, I can truly say the stores pull you in weeks before the now recognized “holiday.”
With the free tote bag from Victoria’s Secret, gift card from H&M or free gifts from Ulta, you bet your patoot I’ll be in the stores, good and ready to get those. Once a store dares to say the word “free,” they’d better be prepared for the angry crowds that come once all the free gifts are gone.
For me, this year’s Black Friday was a little different. Not only did I go to the mall later in the day, but I did the unthinkable: I worked in retail. As a beauty advisor at Ulta Beauty, I had to be into work at 7 a.m., although we did open at 8 p.m. the night of Thanksgiving. I was considered one of the lucky ones to not work through the night—but I beg to differ.
All of my jobs in the past have either been in an office or at a childcare facility, so working in retail was definitely a change, let alone working Black Friday. So that means first time working with a cash register, first time doing floor sets late at night, and more importantly, first time getting an employee discount. I never really had an opportunity to get that last perk in childcare.
Jokes aside, I love working with makeup all day. I’m convinced it’s my calling to help young girls find their first eye shadow palette or locate the perfect tinted moisturizer for her mother. It’s also a fantastic feeling when the customer goes out of their way find you in that huge store to thank you for your help.
Although you meet many genuinely nice customers on the job, there will always be the occasional customer that’s always irritated. Some people are just rude to workers in retail because they think they’re entitled to your time and respect. Let me just say, one: you most certainly are not, and two: the customer is not always right, but I’ll let you think so as long as it’s not ridiculous.
I’ve realized that when you work in retail, and in life in general, anyone can be going through anything and you could be that one person that makes their day better. A simple “How are you?” or “Can I help you find anything?” could make someone’s day merely because you’re being polite and respectful to them.
When working the register, you always have to have a smile on your face. No matter what. That’s rule number one. The minute someone sees a smile, it can instantly put him or her in a better mood. The register is the last chance for a good impression of the store.
So on Black Friday when you’re tired, your knees are aching, you feel a headache coming on, you just have to pretend you’re not feeling all those things and do your job. I didn’t find the job itself particularly difficult the day of, but you just have to make sure you’re on your A-game and you’re efficient as hell.
I don’t have too many crazy stories from this past weekend in retail, but you’ll always have the customers you try so hard to cheer up that just give you a puss and ignore your efforts. But like I said, you need to consider the kind of day the customer is having and if you can’t do that, then shouldn’t be in customer service.
A mutual respect needs to be present between the customer and the employee because when you don’t have that, well that’s where those Black Friday horror stories come from.
