Black Friday memories
I last worked retail in 1998 at Staples in Erie (not the one in the picture). It was a love/hate relationship with the job. I loved talking about computers and technology but hated the arrogance of the general Erie customer. Granted I had some wonderful customers who came to me all of the time but there were thorns in my side (like Doug Thurston at Erie Computer) who acted holier than thou and to this day remind me of why I left.
That said, Black Friday 98 was my last day in retail. I told myself that when times get rough I want a reminder to not give up. Working retail in general on Black Friday is a horrible experience. Selling technology is the pinnacle. We had received our BF ad weeks in advance so we could get the merch in to fill the ad. When I showed up at 5am people were camping out and asking if I could reserve items for them. Doors opened at 6 and were were slammed all morning.
Common sense is out the door on Black Friday. Rational thinking is out the window. When you show up 6 hours after a store opens on the biggest shopping day and expect to get an item from an ad, you deserve to get hit. My last customer berated me for 15 minutes on false advertising, bait and hook marketing and how horrible of a person “I” was because we sold all 20 of a certain computer. It got to the point that the store manager had to separate us because this guy was freaking out so bad and called everyone a motherf*cker. I knew my time was done at the store so I turned to the guy and did what every employee wishes they could do. I put the guy in his spot. I told him just because it’s retail doesn’t mean we’re not human beings. The guy was shocked as if it was the first time anyone stepped up to him. The last thing I said which still is fresh in my head 9 years later “Oh behalf of everyone you’ve screamed at today. Go f*ck yourself. I’m moving to Pittsburgh!” I took off my Staples shirt, laid it on the counter and walked out.
