As holiday shopping approaches, retail workers ask for kindness amid the chaos
JACKSON, Tenn. — With holiday shopping slowly beginning, we had the chance to speak with the workers who make the season possible.
“You get to check those things off your to do list and I have to go back to seven more hours of choosing gifts for people who are stressed,” said Kathryn Harper, retail worker.
Members of ‘Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union‘ say that November and December are some of the most demanding months as workers.
“They’ve been conditioned to expect to get anything they’ve asked for. Overnight shipping, 24 hour service and immediate satisfaction are not normal things. They’ve become normalized through the exploitation of low wage workers,” said Margaux Lantelme, retail worker.
For those that may Black Friday shop online or wait until Cyber Monday, there are still those who call onsite stores for assistance.
“Sometimes when they don’t get it, they still call you on the phone so you can find that item for them. So, sometimes it’s a hit and miss. Sometimes we get it and sometimes we don’t. We still search to what other stores have the product,” said Jono Solomon, retail worker.
These workers ask that customers are patient and show kindness. This time of the year can be stressful, however, remember you are not the only one searching for the perfect gift.
“Patience is necessary and really takes a load off. Because, when you as a customer come to the store, you have two things on your to do list. You need a gift for so and so and so and so, and we’re more than happy to do that — we’re gonna give you excellent customer service,” said Harper.
Workers have shared that the shift from COVID to now has changed how their viewed as employees.
“Our COVID honeymoon is over. We’re not treated like we were treated during COVID where we used to get the ‘Thank you’s’ and ‘We appreciate what you do,’ that’s kind of faded away,” said Eddie Quezada, retail worker.
Along with those remarks workers remind that they are also missing valuable time to visit their family and friends to be at work.
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