They endure hours of intense enthusiasm, non-stop work and multiple caffeinated beverages. And when it’s time to leave, they have to get escorted out of the building, battle traffic and watch out for people who might like to rob them.
It’s just another Black Friday in the life of a retail employee.
Every year, Black Friday seems to come earlier. This year, Tyrone Square Mall in St. Petersburg will open its doors at 6 p.m., meaning many employees will miss Thanksgiving dinner.
It’s unusual for employees to request off for Black Friday, and they are encouraged to work as much as possible in the month of December, according to USF St. Petersburg senior Sarah Maieritsch, the assistant manager at G by Guess.
Retail chains have been hiring seasonal employees in bulk to lessen the pressure of winter holidays, and preparation for the holiday has been going on since mid-October.
“In retail, Black Friday is huge,” Maieritsch said. “This year we need to hire 20 people just for the holiday. We’re expected to make between $37,000 and $40,000 by the end of Black Friday.”
The common struggle among Black Friday employees is either being planted at the register, ringing up an endless line of customers, or just the opposite: being tugged in every direction at once.
Price tags are known to fall off merchandise after being sifted through all evening, and cashiers sometimes have to start entirely new transactions for people who exceed the limit of the number of items they can buy. All the while, employees are expected to maintain a positive attitude.
While these retail workers acknowledge what their jobs entail, which includes assisting customers and answering questions, they say people are quite different on Black Friday.
“When you Black Friday shop, there’s an expectation that it’s going to be busy,” said senior Tierney Tran. “But for whatever reason, people still come in and complain that the line is long, or that it’s crowded, or that there wasn’t enough attention paid to them.”
This is Tran’s fourth year working at Tyrone Mall’s Tilly’s on Black Friday, but it’s her first year missing Thanksgiving dinner altogether. Although she and her coworkers plan on bringing food to celebrate Thanksgiving, she isn’t looking forward to the busy night.
She also says the outside of the mall is just as hectic as the inside.
“You either have to get dropped off or show up 40 minutes early just to find a parking spot,” Tran said. “And when you leave, we use the buddy system. You literally have to get escorted out because of all the traffic, and robberies do happen.”
When thinking about the Black Friday shopping rush, most people consider Walmart, Target and various stores in the mall. But the chaos is also at Michaels, a hotspot for holiday crafts and decor.
“We’re still a couple of weeks away from Black Friday and you’d think the world was ending with how busy it’s been lately,” said junior Brielle Haynick, a Michaels sales associate. “I’m expecting it to be a mad house.”
“There’s not really much preparing to do. You just got to brace yourself and drink a Redbull!” Haynick said.
