Column: How not to be a jerk to retail employees during the holidays

What a certain Christmas song calls “the most wonderful time of the year” is the same time that fills retail employees with dread. Their nightmares consist of packed parking lots, never-ending lines, cranky shoppers and children who find the most obnoxious-sounding toy in the entire store and decide to squeak it for half an hour.

All of the above happened during my shift on Black Friday last week.

I, like many students at Utah State, work retail on top of attending school. Most students in retail can tell you that juggling a busy work schedule with finals and holiday obligations is no easy task.

Many of you will probably find yourself in a store at some point this month. In said store, you’ll most certainly be helped by someone with a name tag. Here is how not to be a jerk to that person.

The first tip is to treat this person like a human being. This seems to be a foreign concept to many, especially those with an entitled customer mentality. Keep in mind that your average retail employee is there during holidays and weekends, working many more days and hours than the rest of the year. A smile and a genuine “thank you” shines like a beacon of hope toward humanity in the fog of a stressful shift.

Another tip is to shop early and not to blame a retail associate if you procrastinated. Prices change. Things sell out. It may be stressful to come up with the perfect idea of remote-controlled underpants for your boyfriend and find out that nowhere has them in stock, but don’t take your frustration out on store employees.

To make things easier all around, please read the sales. Read them backward. Read them forward. Read the fine print. Read the dates. Read, read, read. Even though it’s entirely possible for an employee to mess up a sale price, it’s amazing how many customers blame us because they misinterpreted a sign. When in doubt, ask someone on the floor about details and restrictions. They’d prefer you know what to expect now, rather than listen to you yell at the front counter cashier about it 15 minutes from now.

Now that we’re on the subject of sales, avoid acting like the world owes you the items on the shelves. Sure, being able to buy a widescreen TV that bakes you pizzas and gives you massages for only $200 is awesome. Just don’t act like the world owes you this TV, even if it’s sold out, the sale price goes up or if you take the TV home and it only bakes pizza with anchovies.

Believe it or not, consumerism is causing us to miss the mark of what this time of year is about. It’s a time where many people spend time with friends and family, get in touch with their faiths and enjoy the rewarding feeling of giving to others. Crazy, right?

— Whitney Howard is a sophomore at Utah State University, majoring in English. By day, she sells books and coffee. By night, she is a teenage pop star from Canada. Contact her at whitney.howard@aggiemail.usu.edu.