Black Friday.
I didn't sleep at all before my shift. That would of ruined the Thanksgiving feeling. It was hard for me to even look forward to it when i knew i'd have to cut it short. We only had a chance to eat before i started looking at the time. That's one of the reasons i despise it when we have to drive an hour away to Lewisville to have Thanksgiving or any other holiday. We're always the ones wasting gas to get there because no one wants to come down to Lancaster.

There was already a crowd of people when i got out of the car, but not as bad as last year. I clocked in at 11:00 but we weren't opening until midnight. By the time we opened the doors, more people had gathered and as expected, they pushed and shoved and ran to get in. Sometimes, looking at it from the perspective of "the employee" i wonder what goes on in these people's minds. Then i wonder if they really have to push one another in order to get what they think is a good deal on a toaster. Are they really willing to trample on their neighbor to the left because they couldn't possibly afford one any other time of the year, or because they believe the hype and think they have to be so barbaric and say: "I was a part of something. I went Black Friday Shopping".
Are people really that stupid?
It didn't take long for me to witness caveman-like behavior. We opened the doors and as i was walking away, i head a woman scream at the top of her lungs that the man behind her was pushing her. She was so loud and the freak-out was completely unnecessary. We all starred in disbelief but then again, none of us were surprised. I missed a few other customer outbursts but i was told there was some punching going on. People lose their sense of respect for one another just to save a few fucking dollars.

On one of my rounds, as i walked by, the store had died down considerably after 5 hours. Most people already know what they're coming for so it didn't take long for multiple lines to form. It was about 3:50a.m. I walked through my area and i find a woman curled in a corner sleeping and sucking her thumb. I didn't know whether to laugh or join her. I was tired too, but nevertheless, seeing her there reassured me how ridiculous Black Friday really is and that people don't need to be up in the middle of the night at a retail store. There is a reason we sleep at night and when you combine the excitement of shopping with sales and no sleep, you're looking at disastrous consequences. I don't think people have learned a thing. Is is really worth getting your ass kicked?

To top the madness off, we had two visits from the district manager, then his boss which means M-Tosh was a bigger pain in the ass than usual. Forgive me, but i don't understand the logic of having Black Friday in full swing, then having a visit from 5 guys in suits. It's BLACK FRIDAY which equals the biggest mess the store will ever see. M-Tosh was on my ass big time.

"Why doesn't she go bother someone else?", i said to Juanita (my supervisor)

She's always bitching about getting things picked up but in case she didn't notice, it's fucking Black Friday and if i pick something up, it'll end up on the ground 5 seconds later. You know, i can only do so much.
Customers don't care. I've seen this happen time and time again...

They grab and go and if they are near a fixture of hats and are looking around and something is already on the ground near their space, they will step on it. they know they are stepping on it but do not pick it up. They kick it around with their foot. Holy Fuck does that make me want to burst. Are you THAT much of a lazy fuck? You'd rather run over something with your foot 10 times than to bend your ass down for 3 seconds to pick it up? Cause God forbid you break a hip. Idiots. Seriously, i don't really mind picking things up. I like it when both my areas area tidy enough for people to look around freely but there's a limit to how much people actually become lazy.

There just came a time where my legs were in such pain from running, doing recovery, and standing all day that even when i sat down it was painful. The rest of my body was fine, but my legs were on fire. I really had to just sit for 5 minutes in the Big fitting room in my department periodically because i was too exhausted with no sleep. I was done. The last hour dragged on for me. I was starting to become crabby but i tried my hardest to smile anyway. Turns out, Fred and his bosses were happy with how the store was and made us number one which means M-Tosh will be thrilled and hopefully that means we won't get a visit for awhile and she won't be on our asses about cleaning up. So glad this day is over! I'm working Saturday and Sunday...and Monday and Tuesday. So Gosh...let it be known that i hope the weekend flies by.

Such Madness.

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posted on 2011-11-25 @ 7:42 p.m.