So the countdown is on.
It’s the final push before the big Christmas holiday. Some of us are frantically finishing up work
in our offices, others have already gone on vacation, and yet there are still
more out there in the malls and shopping centres trying to buy that last minute
gift. Having had an extensive history in
the retail industry, this was always my most hated time of the year. Pretty sure this is where most of my
bitterness started. If you end up
hitting the stores this weekend and the next few days, there are a couple
things I want you all to remember.
Firstly, plan ahead.
Do your shopping early (or late in the day) to avoid the afternoon rushes
and the mad swarms of vultures. And if
you go with a list, even a slightly vague list, of what to buy and for whom,
you’ll be ten steps ahead of the others.
Without a list, you’ll quickly find yourself wandering aimlessly from
one department to another, from one store to another… and nobody wants to go
back to the mall just to “try again” at the end of the day. In my experience, those hoping to “find
something, I guess” yet still wanted to hear the angelic choir and see the
light from heaven shining on some lost treasure, it was always
those who ended up leaving broken and defeated.
Secondly, realize by now you’re not going to find that
perfect gift. Odds are the stocks are
depleting or it’s too late for the special order to come in. Odds are your Plan B (or even Plan C) is
going to be your only option. No need to
angry at the store for not having what you need. I always liked to jokingly say to customers
on Christmas Eve, “If you really loved them, you would have already bought that
by now”… which would never go over that well.
To be perfectly honest, I’ve become very anti-consumerism in my years,
so now would a great opportunity for me to recommend giving “experiences”, not “things”. Get tickets to a show, take them out to
dinner, plan a trip, promise to do certain chores. Anything.
Lastly, and more importantly,
be kind to your customer service reps and sales clerks. Give them some leniency, give them a smile,
and wish them the best. It’s the least
you can do. The sales staff are now dealing
with 10 times more customers than normal.
Customers are interrupting constantly.
Due to high theft at this time, the online inventory number you see may
be wrong. Some sales staff are just seasonal,
were only hired weeks ago, and may not have a perfect memory of the floor
layout of large stores, nor where every little thing is location, nor its
price. They have been dealing with impatient, self-important, angry last minute
customers (the ones who have no one to blame but themselves, really) all day,
every day. They have likely been yelled at more times in the last week than you
have all year. So please please please
be kind to the staff. Thank them for
their help, even if you didn’t get what you wanted. They’re trying. Wish them a Happy Holidays and smile as you
leave. There is nothing wrong with being
nice.
This is a time when we should be celebrating family and
friends, and not the gifts under a tree.
This is a time we should be kind and considerate, not pushy and
demanding. Enjoy the holidays. Take a deep breath. Go for a walk in the woods. Savour the quiet on Thursday morning. Tell your family you love them. If you find any of that too difficult, maybe
it’s time to re-evaluate your priorities.
