I Have To Be At Work At 4:45 a.m. Tomorrow

[THUNDER HANDS]

I have to get up at 4 a.m., drive to work, and be at my store at 4:45. That is 15 minutes before the doors open.

I'm going to stand in the toy department...and pray.

Pray that we have the toys that shoppers want.
Pray that we have enough toys to meet the demand of people who aren't going to arrive until 8 or 9 a.m.
Pray that fights don't break out amongst customers.
Pray that nobody takes a swing at me when I tell them we're sold out of Tickle Me Elmo's or Baby Alive's.
Pray that nobody goes nuclear when they find out the stuff we advertised in the paper has been out of stock for weeks.
Pray that nobody shoves me off a ladder when I'm trying to reach something off the top shelf.
Pray that it's not so busy that I can't take a break because I don't have help in my department.
Pray that people remain civil and remember that they're getting all worked up over toys. TOYS.
Pray that I can get home in one piece.

This is the first black Friday I'll be working in retail. I heard horror stories from last year of people stealing other people's stuff out of their shopping carts. A heard a grown man punched a woman in the face over a $400 laptop. I heard hundreds of people were lined up outside the store at 5 a.m. I heard the checkout lines stretched from the registers to the bathrooms in the back of the store. I heard it was so busy that employees were not allowed to leave the store. They had to sit in the back room to have lunch or take their breaks.

I'm not looking forward to this. I work at Wal-Mart. I know the types of people who shop here and I know the competency of management. The two do NOT mix well.

There will be fights. There will be screaming. It will be a zoo.

I just hope I survive.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Pray for me.

[bigtree]

1. I've got the night shift at midnite. Hope I stay awake.

:hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

2. I hope it's no where near as bad as that.

Be careful out there tomorrow.

[NMDemDist2]

3. good heavens MR!! I feel for you, what a frightening thing to have

hanging over your head this holiday

good luck! :hug:

you wouldn't catch me out there as a shopper much less an employee

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. They still sell Baby Alives??!

Wow. Cool.


Good luck Magic Rat!

[etherealtruth]

5. You will survive ...

It will be a zoo, people will be rude to you and each other.

You will be stressed and exhausted ... but you will survive.

By the way I have nothing but respect for the job you do ... I worked retail for several months while I was between jobs ... it just about killed me ... and it was summer!

[Liberal Veteran]

6. That's why me and mine don't do Christmas.

It's so flipping silly, all the rush to buy the latest thing. The hateful, pushy crowds. The corporate interests spending a nice 4 day weekend with their families while expecting others to work on Thanksgiving or Christmas or get up at some ungodly hour to open the stores for fools who think somehow if they don't get to the store tomorrow, they'll have nothing to put under the tree.

And I swore off going to any store open on Thanksgiving or Christmas. If you can't do without a six pack of beer or forgot to buy that can of cranberry sauce, then it's not the end of the world.

[pooja]

7. And here's the crazy thing about all of it... If the stores can offer

such great savings, then they can do it all year round. Or they could pay their workers better. I really wish that no one would go shopping tomorrow and if they do, let it be at local business retailers instead of box chains.

Anyway, tomorrow is another day to go further in debt with China.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Call in sick. There's always some kind of flu going around.

Worked for me on many occasions.

[amitten]

10. Yeah, but it kinda sucks to do that to your coworkers.

Sometimes they can't find a replacement for you.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. Well, the co-workers have the same option.

And, it's a job. I assume the coworkers get paid for doing a job.

When I was working and somebody called in sick, whether they really were or not, and I picked up their job, the pay was the same.

[Red_Viking]

9. Isn't this the "War on Christmas" crowd?

Just keep telling yourself these folks stand for EVERYTHING bad and rotten this holiday has become. When I was a little girl (I'm 40 now, jeez) my mom always decorated up the house, we'd go shopping, everyone was sane and happy and looked forward to spending time together. Now, it seems the holiday has become what one other poster already noted--full of hatefulness and greed, and the quest for the latest unnecessary gadget. Feels a long way from those Christmases when I was a kid.

This year, I'm 2000 miles away from my hometown (Austin, Texas) finishing up my 3rd year in law school. My SO and my 15-year-old daughter are piling in the car with me to drive down to Texas from Oregon. Our gift to everyone is the fact that we'll be there! My mom was recently diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, and let me tell you, that will change your perspective. I could care less what gifts I receive. I just want to spend time with my family.

Good luck to you! I hope it goes better than you expect. And, you'll be so busy, the day will fly by, right? :)

Peace,

RV

[shadowknows69]

11. We're all pulling for you.

If it's any consolation I have to drive cab Black Friday night. 30,000 bad drivers on the road. Not looking forward to it.