RANT: Keeping Your Cool, on Black Friday!

Surviving Black Friday rudeness, from the other side of the counter!

With the advent of Thanksgiving, and thePost-Turkey-Day event known as Black Friday, it is time for my annual rant.

The Holiday shopping season of 2008 may well be one of the most challenging of all, from the perspective of both retailers and consumers. The economy has hit the consumers hard, and the dollar will need to stretch even further than last year. And, while the shoppers are prepping themselves for the Great Hunt (for bargains) by reading the ads, both on line and in the newspaper, the retailers are preparing themselves for a wild day!

This year, the retailers have one of the best job pools from which to choose. However, this does not mean that the stores will have plenty of Happy, Joyful and Excited Sales Associates! Since the economy has taken such a dive, it means that retailers have had to curb their hiring for this season. Therefore, there will be less help. Less help means a greater chance of frazzled shoppers and even more frazzled sales associates clashing, creating a “Perfect Storm” of a bad interaction!

Shoppers will wake up at horrendously early hours, to stand in line in chilly weather, to hopefully grab that perfect gift at the perfect price. When the door opens, or to be more accurate, when the ‘door is busted open’ the mob mentality can create injuries, fights, and anger. While customers wait in line, they realize how tired they are, and the lines are long, and there is a delay in the front of the line, and no one seems happy. And, the money may not be stretching as far as they hoped!

The retail associates have had an equally stressful day. They had to arrive at the store just as early, to get prepared for the day. As the lines form, it becomes more challenging to personalize the sale transaction. Soon, the associate perceives a never-ending sea of faceless bodies. Their feet hurt, because there are no shoes in the world are made to keep feet comfortable when standing in one place for hours. Their back is aching, as they twist, turn and bend to reach and grab to get the purchases bagged up. The customer who doesn’t have the correct change is both a blessing and an annoyance, as the deliberate counting gives you a momentary break, but at the same time it makes those customers in line even angrier. Headaches may start from the stress. Hunger may set in, because the associate arrived to work so early they didn’t get breakfast, or breakfast was hours and hours ago, and somehow or other, they have not had a break.

Here are some tips that will help you, the customer, and the person on the other side of the counter.

• If you are shopping on Black Friday, prepare yourself. Make sure you have snacks and water with you. If you are not hungry, you will be able to withstand the rigors of shopping without being cranky from low blood sugar.
• Know what you want before you leave the house. For many families, pouring over the ads on Thanksgiving Day is the first step to preparing for the shopping experience.
• Better yet, Google ‘Black Friday Ads’ and you will find several sites that already have the ads in place. Some of the sites have ‘shopping lists’ that you can create for the items that you want.
• Many of the retailers will have some of the items ready for on-line shopping as early as 1 AM Eastern on Thursday. In some cases, you may only save $10 to $20 if you forego the online ordering. You should really evaluate what is important to you, time waiting in line or a few ten dollar bills.
• If you are not in the crush of humanity trying to get the loss-leaders at the ‘big box stores’, try your local mall. Most malls open extremely early, as their ‘anchor stores’ hours will dictate the hours of the whole mall. You will find many of the stores are not busy until 10 or 11 AM, and the associates are bright, chipper and ready to help you!
• When you do find yourself waiting in line, keep yourself entertained. Watch people! Strike up a conversation with those surrounding you. Sing sub-vocally to the Holiday Music! Heck, sing out loud! Bring a well-thumbed book with you, and read while standing in line!
• When you reach the cashier, take a moment and smile! Greet them! Trust me…it will make their day! Laugh about the funny part of the day with them. Keep bright and you will receive the same responses back twice fold! And it will make the next customer in line have a better experience…Pay it backwards!
• Surprise the people around you! If you are on a cell phone, break out into song! While most of us don’t want to hear your personal life, if you call someone else who is waiting in line somewhere else, and tell (clean) jokes, the people around you will hear and chuckle! (Of course, HANG UP when you get to the front of the line!)
• Another surprise! One of my best experiences ever, was taking a bag of peppermint candy canes with me. Whenever I had any interaction with any other human, they received a candy cane. The toll booth collector, the retail cashiers, the café workers…anyone who needed a smile on their face!
  

As a customer it is your right to expect quality customer service. Keep in mind, shopping during these trying times may be a case of receiving what you give.

And remember, this is a Season of Joy and Giving. Keep that in mind and don’t let the stress of the economy make this a Season of Anger and Nastiness! Happy Holidays!