Who else secretly loves working retail at Christmas time?

[Boozy]

Admit it. There are some of you who LOVE the hustle and bustle of work this time of year.

Personally, I really enjoy December at the wine shop. I never get bored and I get to make up all sorts of pretty gift packages. And people start buying the really good, expensive wine, so my average sales skyrocket, which makes me look good to corporate. Also, the rest of the year I am often scheduled to work by myself, which is lonely. In December, I always have someone on shift with me, which is so much fun.

As the number of customers increase, so do the sucky customers, but I've never really noticed the percentages change. People for the most part are in really good moods.

Am I crazy, or are there others like me?

[Lace Neil Singer]

Christmas Eve can be amusing, yes. Like the sprout fight which is still one of the funniest things I've ever seen. XD

[Boozy]

Like the sprout fight which is still one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Okay, I'm going to need to hear this story.

Have you posted it here? If so, is there a link to the thread?

[Emrld]

I took on a retail job to be around people for the holiday season. I am loving it. True not every customer is going to be happy. For the most part with the store I have chosen the quality of customer tends to be on the mid to upper end. I think it helps that is a well established store and for the most part people know what to expect when the come in.
Yes, we do have Christmas music on the overhead but, it isn't every song and according to staff they got rid of the annoying ones from last year's track.
I also feel like I am supported by staff/ mgmt which is fantastic. In fact the other day the credit card machine screen went blank . . .so I intercomed for help. Two managers came up . . .one to fix my problem the other to open another registar to take care of the back up this was creating. The customer that was with me felt she was handled correctly - and was not made to feel guilty by other customers for holding things up. Things like this make me feel good that they chose to hire me.

[crazylegs]

I *always* loved working around Christmas, the buzz from being constantly busy and having to think on your feet, I loved it.

[Ringtail Z28]

I used to hate working in retail during the holiday season, but now after being out of retail since '05 I'm really starting to miss it. I miss being busy, I miss working outdoors in the garden department hauling trees around or working in the backroom.

Bleh, there are no seasons or anything working in a bland, stagnant government office. Each day is the same as the last.

[Pezzle]

I love watching assholes this time of year. Ahh the smell of pine, the sound of fist fights over wiis.

Joy of joys!

[edible_hat]

My favourite sale ever was on Christmas eve. An under-prepared non-sucky person doing her gift shopping at the convenience store, doubled my average non-fuel sale, resulting in my special prize for being "third-best salesperson in Australia" that December. It was $150 in fuel vouchers.

[Dreamstalker]

Okay, I'm going to need to hear this story.

Ditto. It can't be any less amusing than the images I'm getting.

The bookstore was fun for the most part. When I was the Sci-Fi Queen, I had a blast trying to match gifts to what people had already read (and if I was at a loss, I would just recommend DeLint, Bradbury or Pratchett and rarely went wrong). Most of the time customers would rattle off titles I'd never heard of (which of course meant I had to pick them up out of curiosity).

The game store is OK, as most of what I have to worry about is getting stuff shipped (which it is now becoming clear I cannot do alone without logging serious overtime, at least not until the end of the year). I do kinda miss working register, but not completely (small store, single register, everyone thinking they're next in line=EEK)...

[Mr. Rager!]

I'm not a fan of working during the Christmas season because people can be complete dolts and completely rude.

Day after Thanksgiving (current job)

Me: *punching out*
SC: Can you help me fnd mics, I need to record lectures for my online students.
Me: They're around the corner on your left.
SC: Can you make a suggestion?
Me: I like Logitech equipment.
SC: You're a lot of help *sarcasm*
Me: I've been here since 4, I'm out of here.
SC: We'll you're still here.
Me: You don't work for free, don't expect me to either.

Then, at my old job...

Me: *bringing in the cash from the register to the cash office*
Dolt: Are you closed? (stupid manager must've forgotten to lock all the doors)
Me: Yes
Dolt: I need to pick up just one thing.
Me: *thinking the cashier still had his register open, shouldn't be a big deal* What do you need?
Dolt: It's a Christmas gift for a friend who is about 25 and is a mechanic. Do you have a suggestion?
Me: Are you serious?
Dolt: Yes
Me: We're closed. Come back tomorrow.
Dolt: Great! See if I come here again!
Me: Great! If you do, try when we're open!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I used to enjoy working the holidays, until working the holidays meant working third shift and thus having to do everything the day people refuse to do.

Seriously, right now it's the coworkers pissing me off more than the customers.

[Retail Associate]

I can honestly say that it is because I work retail that Christmas has been ruined for me. It was always my favorite holiday and I used to decorate my house to the nines. For several years I didn't even put up my tree. It's only been out of it's box once since 1998. (This year I bought a little 4-ft, pre-lit tree.)

I dread the holiday season for months because I know what's coming. I literally get sick to my stomach just thinking about it. I can't wait til I can retire and never have to step foot inside a store on Thanksgiving weekend again.

Seriously, right now it's the coworkers pissing me off more than the customers.

Same here!

.

[AKWalMartCartGuy]

well, to me christmas time means floods of work, co workers quitting because of the cold and store managers gravel fetish(STOP WITH THE FUCKING GRAVEL! GAH! he dumped gravel on a plowed parking lot) (we have 2 courtesy clerks with their 2 weeks in already, which will take us to a grand total of 2 cart pushers, effective the 18th, 3 in less than 24 hours, oh joy) and of course the climate of working outside in alaska in winter. once it hits -10 the controls on the electric carts start to freeze up, and it's only a matter of time until one gets left out until 7 or 8 PM from like 10 AM because I couldn't get to it and the battery is frozen so I have to drag it in by hand, so no i'm not particularly happy with the holdays this year, even with my birthday being a month before christmas.

next year Ill be able to get OT and use the electric cart pusher though, so it won't be as bad,(hell, there's even and off shot we might be properly staffed on courtesy clerks, or at least at 2 FT and 2 PT like we have been for a while til 2 quit)

[smileyeagle1021]

I don't mind working the holidays here... mainly because most of our hotels are near sold out and will stay that way because everyone is assuming that all the hotels are sold out and not even bothering to call to check... so i'm getting paid to sit here and post messages to customers suck.

my last job though I loved the holidays because i had unlimited OT because we were swamped... ah the joys of working at a rental car company when it's the holidays/ski season/crappy roads... all of which made it hectic.

[gunsage]

Not retail, but I do enjoy working, well, ANY holiday doing tech support. Yes, it can be stressful, but only on a few select holidays. For example, you might get a few drunken calls here and there on Independence Day, but it's a nightmare on Christmas...and guess who's working good ol' St. Nicky's Day this year?

And just to recap...

- Working holidays as a stocker was okay.
- Working holidays as a gas station attendant SUCKED.
- Working holidays as a security officer was okay, depending on the location.
- Working holidays as tech support is actually kind of nice, even if it's hectic.

I suppose there are a number of reasons for this. One, our company doesn't have full shifts on holidays and you have to sign up for them. The rule is you must sign up for at least one a year and there are designated times you can choose from, assuming someone else hasn't already taken them. Plus, if you don't work, you get holiday pay.

If you DO work, you get overtime holiday pay! As a result, I'm more willing to take crap from customers, drunk or otherwise.