Opinion
Black Friday causes concern this year
December 1, 2006
Soon after enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with my family, the excitement of the holiday came to a crashing halt. I was off to work for Black Friday (the most looked forward — and dreaded — day in a retail worker’s mind). I never would have thought that thousands of people had enough energy to drive, in some cases six to 12 hours, to shop Midnight Madness.
With more than 10 minutes remaining before stores opened, crowds of customers gathered at the doors. Some even pounded on the glass and yelled because, according to their watch, it was in fact midnight.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. These customers could not wait an extra minute or two before my store was ready to open the doors to these crazy holiday shoppers.
My manager told a co-worker and I to take a deep breath, and that we shouldn’t let anyone rush us because a simple mistake could really ruin everything. I felt so much more pressure than on a regular day — we had to make everyone happy and tend to their needs. We had lines to the door with people waiting to purchase their items, and it was amazing to see such a crowd for such a long time.
The cackle of customers’ complaints and orders filled the entire store.
After awhile, all I thought was, “How do these people think that it is OK to order the employees around? Why do they think that it is OK to tell us that a certain item is on sale, especially after we check the prices?”
We are there to help people with their needs, but not to be taken advantage of and treated like crap.
As we worked throughout the very early morning, the crowds calmed down enough for us to see clothing piled at least three feet on top of the tables and lining the floor of the fitting room area.
I just wanted to cry.
I could not imagine being so discourteous in any store. The least they could have done was neatly stack the items they did not want on the table, or ask an employee if they could put it away.
It seems that shoppers will do anything and everything to get that one little “door-buster” that they just cannot live without, or just will not purchase it unless it is at a greatly reduced price. Little do they know the sales often continue throughout that day, and may even last until the end of the week.
So when next year rolls around and you contemplate whether or not you would like to shop Black Friday, just remember that the sales do continue throughout the day.
Waiting in line to get that special doorbuster may not even be worth it, especially if you cannot even step foot in the door.
Take a look at the ads, go online and print off coupons that are not offered in the newspaper.
Lastly, be kind to the people working that day, and do not take their help for granted.
Sara Hauer is a student at UW-River Falls.