I did, on one single occasion, spend the entire Friday-after-Thanksgiving in the mall and department store. Not because I had a yen for joining the yearly Christmas-shopping exercise in masochism… but because I was working retail that year. I was on terminal leave, and job-hunting in a desultory fashion, and took a temp position in a department store which paid a salary plus commission on sales. (If nothing else, this arrangement will guarantee attentive sales staff… and besides, the employee discount was totally generous.) It was rather fun, at first; If you truly enjoy shopping, and hanging out with other women, and people-watching, who wouldn’t get a kick from hanging around a department store? But the day after Thanksgiving was all that and doing a sort of sales-floor triathlon; we were at top speed all that long day. Not much more than half an hour for lunch, no times when it slowed down long enough that you could sit down in the back room and put up your feet.
Dense crowds in the mall, cars slowly rotating the parking lots looking for that rare species, a parking place, long lines at every cash register, and workdays that stretched out so long that another sales associate lamented that the only place she could shop for Christmas, besides the store we worked in was Walmart, because it was open twenty four hours a day. I had my fill of holiday retail madness after that experience, and truth is, I usually don’t need to shop for Christmas presents during December.
That is because I am one of those tiresomely organized people who shop for Christmas throughout the year. I didn’t start out that way, honestly… it came about because of being overseas for so long. The mail deadline for sending parcels to the States, and getting them there by Christmas was routinely in October, which meant that I had to be done with shopping by the end of September. Sometimes opportunities to shop were limited, which stretched the shopping season out for a couple of months, and bumped back even thinking about what to get everyone to… oh, say early summer. Spring, even. This set the habit for me, of buying things with an eye towards Christmas… especially if they were on sale, whenever I saw them. “OOhhh, that would be perfect for (insert name here)!”, so add it to the collection in the box on the top shelf of the master suite closet. Christmas… it comes every year, just like April 15th. Putting off doing anything about buying gifts or doing the income tax return will not, will not make either of them go away. Trust me on this.
This has the advantage of being extremely easy on the pocketbook… as long as you remember who the heck you bought something for; a disadvantage with a large family. So, all I have to do during December’s retail madness is to take out the box with the gifts bought throughout the year, and wrap them… in the paper that I bought the week after Christmas of last year when it was marked down 70%.
And put up my feet and have another glass of Chablis. You’re welcome – I live to serve.
(next: Sgt. Mom’s specialty gift Christmas baskets)
Actually, I had the same experience working at JC Penney shortly after my discharg (and - listen up Timmer - being refused unemployment because I turned down a job as an industrial electrician in a steel casting plant - same as nav equipment tech to the unemployment office). Anyway, I fitted and drilled bowling balls and generally attended the casual menwear department. I hated it. The only pleasure I derived was when parents (particularly mothers) brough their pubescent sons in for an athletic supporter. I could never resist asking, with a relish of course, “And what size will we be needing today?”
Comment by Radar — 20061127 @ 1519
I could never resist the temptation of ghosting up behind someone, silently, and asking “May I help you with something?” and watching them jump out of their skins!
That, and telling small rowdy children (with a sweet smile) that children who strayed from their parents were taken up to Store Security at the end of the day, and if their parents didn’t claim them, and no one on staff wanted them, they would be sent to the store orphanage and when they grew up they would have to work in the store… where did they think the sales staff came from?
Yeah, if that didn’t re-attach them to their parents at light speed… all but the kids who thought that sounded like a grand idea, and sometimes parents who smiled cheerily and said, “Oh, really….”
After a couple of months of this, I was willing to swear that “Are You Being Served?” was really a documentary.
Comment by Sgt. Mom — 20061127 @ 1636
I had 10 years of that particular hell called “retail”..however it did manage to put my hubby thru college on the 5yr plan plus grants, with one year of working after graduation to pay off all bills. Like you Mom i usually had Christmas bought by Oct. simply buying as I went. Stayed in that habit for quite sometime till the last few years actually. Had to go back to that mode but with a Christmas Club account saved over the year, taken out after Nov. 1st and most all is now purchased by cash. Will definitly do this plan next year, no over spending, no crowds, no stress.
Thanks for all you do and did!
Comment by debby — 20061127 @ 1704
I never worked retail. I did door to door as a tinman (home improvements). I did cold calling for home improvements. I worked the WorldBook Boiler Room for a pure 15% Commission and they were happy to pay it. I never want to sell things for a living again. I can, I just don’t like myself when I do it.
Comment by Timmer — 20061128 @ 2027