College Gloss Mizzou contributors visited retail stores from their home towns to see how workers are anticipating this year’s big shopping day.
Location: Target, St. Louis, Missouri
Mitch Baum is a freshman at Rockhurst, who will return to his part-time job at Target to work as a cashier on Black Friday.
“Last year was a bit hectic,” he said. “We had twice as many employees on the floor as usual. I do prefer being a cashier, though. Working the floor, you get caught up in a lot of departments you have no knowledge about. It’s embarrassing when people ask me questions as I’m walking by electronics and I have no idea.”
Baum said he imagines Black Friday for a new employee would be pretty stressful.
“You have to meet a lot of customer’s demands,” Baum said. “It’s the people that are in a rush that are more there for the prices that are the worst to deal with.”
Although he’s never witnessed a stampede or trampling, he has seen shelves tip over as people hurriedly ran into them and pulled off products.
He’s also no stranger to having to deal with difficult customers.
“When people are paying, sometimes the prices they thought they saw or [are not] what they wanted it to be, they start bickering with me,” he said. “I usually just call in my manager for that.”
Location: Best Buy, Columbia, Missouri
Micky Banks, an employee at Best Buy in Columbia and MU sophomore, is preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.
"I'm expecting a lot of chaos and impatient customers," she said. “I wouldn't say that I'm really scared about anything except maybe our systems messing up or something."
Location: Macy’s, Memphis, Tennessee
An employee at Macy’s shared her thoughts on the Black Friday tradition.
"I've never shopped on Black Friday, but I think it’s a good tradition," she said. "I think some people do it as way to bond with family members, camping out and all, especially moms and daughters. Plus the deals are great, so why not."
Location: Fossil, Houston, Texas
Fossil employee Jordan Svehla said said she still enjoys working on Black Friday.
“Sure, working on Black Friday is always a crazy experience because there is merchandise everywhere, people everywhere, and it can get a little hectic,” she said. “But I really love working with my team. They make even the worst hours the best! And even though I will be working two shifts, and we will be open for 24 hours, I'm not all that worried because Black Friday only comes once a year. It seems to be a challenge and can even be fun."
Location: Macy’s, Chicago, Illinois
As one would imagine, the personnel at Macy’s on State Street weren’t allowed to share the juicy details of their planning process, but a store manager by the name of Trisha assured me that they were “making sure all the right people are in the right places as to best accommodate our customers.”
I caught college freshman Kutah Sillah as she was leaving the store and inquired on how she prepares for the shopping holiday.
“Being a college student, I don’t usually have much money,” she shared. “But if I did decide to Black Friday shop I would need tons of caffeine and need to be on the watch out for people who literally fight for deals. It gets crazy out there!”
So remember ladies, don’t miss the super savings at Macy’s or wherever you choose to shop this Black Friday, and don’t get elbowed out of a great deal! Have a great Thanksgiving, and let us know your favorite purchases this crazy Black Friday.
“Sure, working on Black Friday is always a crazy experience because there is merchandise everywhere, people everywhere, and it can get a little hectic,” she said. “But I really love working with my team. They make even the worst hours the best! And even though I will be working two shifts, and we will be open for 24 hours, I'm not all that worried because Black Friday only comes once a year. It seems to be a challenge and can even be fun."
Location: Macy’s, Chicago, Illinois
As one would imagine, the personnel at Macy’s on State Street weren’t allowed to share the juicy details of their planning process, but a store manager by the name of Trisha assured me that they were “making sure all the right people are in the right places as to best accommodate our customers.”
I caught college freshman Kutah Sillah as she was leaving the store and inquired on how she prepares for the shopping holiday.
“Being a college student, I don’t usually have much money,” she shared. “But if I did decide to Black Friday shop I would need tons of caffeine and need to be on the watch out for people who literally fight for deals. It gets crazy out there!”
So remember ladies, don’t miss the super savings at Macy’s or wherever you choose to shop this Black Friday, and don’t get elbowed out of a great deal! Have a great Thanksgiving, and let us know your favorite purchases this crazy Black Friday.
By: Hannah Boxerman, Sazanka Idris, Audrey Wilcox, Morgan Young, Luria Freeman | Image: Source
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