today is a weird not-quite-holiday that stems from greed, insanity, and just plain american-ness. this day is known as black friday. a day when much of our lovely nation gets up waaay before the crack of dawn to stand out in (at least where i am) below zero temperature for hours so that they can shove someone out of the way for a cheap tv, laptop, coffee maker, toy, you name it. it is on this lovely day that all of the employees at my wonderful retail job are called upon to serve these sale-crazed masses. that is how i spent the first 8 hours of my day today.
it wasn't so bad this year. i've seen worse customers on regular days of the year. i got mostly cheerful shoppers and the store was steadily busy for my entire shift. there were subs, cookies, and free sodas in the break room and i got 2 breaks and a lunch because my shift was so long (this is the only day of the year that ever happens). the one fly in the ointment of my day was location. my store has 13 registers (including self-checkouts). only one of them is in the vicinity of the door that leads to the frigid outdoors. that is where i spent my 7 1/2 hour shift today. i at least had the good sense to wear long sleeves just in case. during my first break, i went and bought a pair of gloves ($0.88 for 2 pairs = score!!) which i proceeded to wear, despite the ridicule from coworkers and customers, for the rest of the morning. they were purple :)
overall, it was a successful day. no one was trampled to death (not even the managers who unlocked the doors), everyone got through the line safely and soundly, and most of the cashiers were in high spirits. what more can you ask from the busiest day of the year?
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