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From a Retail Employee to You: Attention All Black Friday Shoppers

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

If you have ever or plan to at any point, shop on Black Friday, then I am speaking to you. This will be my second year working at a store that has major sales on Black Friday. It is absolutely as hectic as you think it would be, so I am here to speak directly to the customers that will be waiting in these lines. 

I get it, we all want to save money during the holiday season. It gets crazy expensive buying all of your loved ones’ gifts. Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to stock up on all of those big gifts at a deeply discounted price. Putting aside the fact of saving money, I think we can all agree that Black Friday shopping is a literal workout. Running in and out of stores and shoving your way through hundreds of people just to get that extra 20% off a brand new TV. The one major factor I think a lot of people forget is to consider is that the employees in these stores have to deal with you and your frantic shopping needs. 

Courtesy: Knox News

The number one piece of advice I have for you as a Black Friday shopper is to just be patient.  You will have to wait in lines, stores might run out of the product you wanted and you might have to wait to even find an employee that can help you. When there are hundreds of people walking into our stores, employees are most likely overwhelmed trying to help as many customers as possible. Also, when I say you will have to wait in lines, that means waiting in a line to get into the store and then another line to get to the register and pay. If you have to ask an employee to check in the back for a product, again, keep in mind that they are probably doing a million other tasks and to give them just a few minutes to get back to you. 

 The majority of these big box stores have now started their Black Friday deals earlier on Thanksgiving. Many of these employees are spending their holiday working rather than spending time at home with family. Be patient and kind to them, if you do decide to spend your Thanksgiving holiday shopping. We know that you feel sorry for us having to work these shifts, but either way, we are here and all we want is for you to be nice. I can guarantee that if you are rude to an employee on these major shopping days, you will in no way benefit from it. Our entire job description is to help you, so why would you come in expecting great service from someone when you are yelling at them over a $20 product being sold out? I’m sorry, but the product at this time is first come first serve!

Courtesy: Business Insider

Major super-stores, like Walmart and Target, are always going to be the craziest stores to shop at. If you have a product you know will probably sell out quick, get there early because those lines are no joke. Again, keep in mind that the employees are dealing with the huge rush of customers that come in when the doors first open. Do not push people out of your way like a monster, be patient and walk in the store like a normal, healthy human being. I promise, if you do not get the product you were wanting so badly to buy, you will be just fine. 

Good luck Black Friday shopping and remember to just be patient!

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Senior at Florida State University majoring in Professional Sales. From West Palm Beach, FL. Will probably be seen leaving early to get home to her dog. Instagram: @reneebram
Her Campus at Florida State University.