Retail Blues and Tax Free Weekend

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **Shudder** There are two days EVERY retail worker dreads and EVERY bargain hunting shopper counts the days down to..............TAX FREE WEEKEND and BLACK FRIDAY! Yes I know a weekend is longer than one day but for this purpose I count it as ONE!

This is the “day” of days............the day you can SAVE an average of $8 for every $100 dollars you spend and that is on top of what the sale price is! WhooHoo! But it is also the day that you are going to be in a LOT of lines............Lines for the dressing room, lines for check out, even lines to get in and out of the parking lots.

Your in a hurry, I know that!, the kids are in tow.....your tired.....their tired.........you've been on your feet for hours and you are so ready to get home to relax and enjoy your weekend.

 I get it, I understand totally..........but let's talk about the “flip-side” of this coin............

I'm here because it's my job, and yes I applied for the job knowing that this day will come. Let's discuss the list of things that I am doing/not doing:

Doing:

1. Smiling! Yep, that is what I am supposed to do, no matter how tired or hungry or how many times you yell at me.
2. Helping! Yes, I am trying to be helpful, even when I am busy with another customer and you ask where something is or want a price check on something, PLEASE give me a minute, the customer who caught me first thinks that her question/need was just as important as yours!
3. Cleaning! **Sigh** I know the place is a mess right now, it was neat and clean when we opened the doors this morning and we are trying our BEST to keep some kind of order! And on a special NOTE: If you REFUSE to let me slip into the dressing room ahead of you to clean it out...........Hold off on the BITCH session when you get out about “How messy the dressing room is”!
4. Checking! YES, I want you to be able to buy EVERYTHING that you have picked out, I really do! 1 – because you took the time to select it because you wanted it! 2 – the more you buy, the less I have to straighten when we close the doors! 3 – we are in business to SELL! So we want it SOLD! 4 – If you decide you don't want it OR if I can't ring it up......that means I have to take it back to the correct department! ….................................SO................PLEASE be sure it has a bar code on it! This is NOT 1960! Just because you say it was on the $10 clearance rack does not mean it was supposed to be there AND I CANNOT just type in a price! I have to have a bar code in order to put it in the register............if it does NOT have a bar code, then you need to be SURE and check out in that Department! I have 10 people in line behind you, I CANNOT leave my register and run over to Children's to find the rack this came from and find the same item with a bar code on it!

An EXTRA Note added after working Saturday:  YES I am going to ask if you have our Store credit card AND if you say NO - I am going to ask you if you would like to apply to save some money!  I am also going to ask you to fill out a survey at the end of the transaction....................Lighten up!  This is what I am supposed to do!  Please don't bite my head off or go into a 10 minute soap box speech on the evils of Credit Cards or how you once filled out a survey and the company spammed your email to death.................If a supervisor comes by and I DIDN'T ask you about the credit card or ask you to fill out the survey - they are going to say something to me about it later!  So PLEASE bear with me, it is "in my job description"!

Not Doing:

1. Setting down! I get a break every three hours, that is it! You at least get to set down in the car between stores, not an option for me............and yes my feet do hurt too! Along with my back!
2. Quiet time! ROFL! Yeah right, refer to above, every THREE HOURS! That is when I can escape for 15 minutes of quiet time! You think your tired of hearing kids scream? Step into my shoes!..................Btw, I was so impressed with the parenting skills of the mom who allowed her son to scream at the TOP of his lungs for 45 minutes in my department because he wanted to ride the escalator DOWN when they left...........you let him scream, you ran off every customer in my department, it gave me a super bad headache, as you looked at bras, tried them on, then checked out............45 MINUTES! You turned from the register and said “Okay, we can ride the escalator DOWN..........and he stopped screaming............thank you so much! NOT!
3. Food: OH I get that! Yep........ONE meal break in a NINE hour shift, and it is ONLY a 30 minute break..........it feels like High School! 30 minutes to clock out, get up to the break room, make a potty stop, shovel my food in, and relax..........Yeah Right!
4. Escape: You have commented TWICE that you can't wait to get out of this store! AMEN Sister! Me too! Refer to above – we normally have a 1 hour lunch but to be sure we aren't delayed in coming BACK from lunch they have cut it to 30 minutes and have ordered food in – I am so excited about 4 hour old pizza that has been setting out all that time!
5. Yelling: No I am not ALLOWED to yell back at you, no matter HOW stupid your complaint, OR the fact that you just scooped all the panties off that table so that you could set your purse down, OR that your kid just knocked over a rack and you told him it was okay cause it was in the wrong place, OR that you opened three pajama sets to “see what they looked like” (btw, there IS a picture on the tag) and then chose one that was still together because it is for a gift!

Whew, okay that rant is off my chest. All I ask is that you REMEMBER! REMEMBER, the person behind the counter is there because it is their job, REMEMBER much of this is beyond their control, REMEMBER it has been a long day for them too, and REMEMBER this little fact........................................................They live here and who knows, NEXT week they maybe in YOUR place of work.............and they may just REMEMBER YOU! And how YOU treated them!

*****Just to note, a while back I encountered an insurance saleswoman that REALLY wanted to sell me some insurance............I REMEMBERED her, and I REMEMBERED her WELL............I didn't buy a DARN thing from her!

I am sure many who have worked retail have similar stories, lol, would love to hear them!