Black Thursday/Friday Debriefing Thread 2012

[XCashier]

Black Friday at our place was pretty standard. Doors opened at 6:00 AM, lots of people buying fabric (the take-a-number system is working pretty well except for the ones who space out and don't hear their number called, then accuse us of skipping them [pretty much exactly as I predicted] ).

I was on register all shift, and with twice as many registers as before, that line went pretty well. It seemed to ebb and flow like the tide; there'd be a huge line, then nobody for quite a while, then another huge line.

Yes, the place looked trashed, but everytime someone tried to restock, we'd get waylaid by endless customers wanting to know where something is or have to weave and duck through the endless throngs of people. Still, were were loads better off than a lot of people. I wouldn't want to work at "VoldeMart" on Black Friday for any amount of money!

[bhskittykatt]

Hubs had a few stories to add today.

But is it marked?!?!

Now, the auto center at the Mart of Wall is set off to the side, and there's a few parking spaces there. These were reserved for employees so they could, you know, actually make it to work. For a few hours, Hubs was stationed out there disappointing people by telling them they couldn't park there. Only employees and people with receipts to pick up large items were allowed to pass. Most people were understanding. One guy, not so much.

SC: "Is that marked employee parking?"
Hubs: "I don't know, but it is."
SC: "But is it marked?"
Hubs: "It doesn't matter; it is."

(I happen to know from past experience it's not marked, and is normally customer parking, but that was all irrelevant. The security guy says it's employee parking on Black Friday, so move along!)

"I just want to cuss all of you out right now!"

That was what some woman shouted at Hubs as she was leaving the parking lot. Hubs was like Whatever, I don't actually work for this company, so take your best shot.

Not getting the Black Friday spirit

So the parking lot inevitably filled. People were parking at restaurants next door, and at the shopping center across the street. It's Black Friday. It's busy.

Hubs said he saw not one, not two, but several people walk up to the store (meaning they parked God knows how far away), only to see them leave ten minutes later muttering about not wanting to wait in line. Which made Hubs (and me, when he told me) wonder what was going through their heads, that the lot was so full they had to park two to three blocks away, what else did they expect?!? I mean, I've never done a Black Friday, but I know if I were to go I would definitely expect to wait in a long line. That's kind of a big part of the deal.

Hubs said one little girl was being dragged away in tears, crying "But I don't want to go home!" She apparently really wanted a toy. Hubs doesn't know where they parked, but they apparently gave up after only 10 minutes in line.

Night at the Roxbu...Mart of Wall

Hubby said inside it wasn't bad. They were only letting a limited number of people in the store to keep the crowds under control. As people left, they let more in.

Me: "So, it's kind of like a nightclub then, right?"
Hubs: "I guess?"
Me: "You know, they should have totally made the outside of the store look like the inside, and then when you get inside...it would look like the outside of the store!"
Hubs: *facepalm*

What? I like my idea...

[EricKei]

This is one American tradition that is seeping over to us that I am not happy about.

Well, as long as we lose a BF custy for every one you gain, we're cool with that Then again, I've been out of the retail game for years now; I've done my tme.

Some people vowed never to return for a Black Friday sale--or ever.

Did you remember to get that in writing, or at least thank them profusely and ask them to make it a promise?

Me: "You know, they should have totally made the outside of the store look like the inside, and then when you get inside...it would look like the outside of the store!"

Taking our decorating tips from Wonko the Sane, are we?

[downforit2008]

I will be working until 8:30 on THanksgiving evening, then rushing home to bed because I have to be back at work at 4 AM on All Hallowed Black Friday. I work until noon on BF and it is going to be crazy. We are next door to Best Buy, and we get the spillover traffic. The only good thing is that corporate is feeding us for two days and they they don't skimp on food.

I am a 5-year Black Friday veteran. Every year, we have always had food for us in the breakroom on Black Friday. Not this year. My company decided to go cheap on us and say that because they approved overtime for us last week, we can use the extra money we get to have our own food. Try telling that to the employees who had just worked a 15-hour shift, even longer for some of my supervisors, and them finding out that they have no free lunch! I worked between 10 and 14-hour shifts and I was plenty pissed. No free food??? Cheapskates!

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Management thought we could use a couple of our "friends and family" hires (people hired to work one or two shifts a week basically doing bitch jobs like carryouts and carts and holding the balloons for the line queue) to handle the lines. They couldn't. End result: the lines weave haphazardly, every-which-way through the store. There are people cutting the lines. This nearly results in fisticuffs a couple times. Customers seek out anybody in a company polo shirt to complain about how poorly the lines are being managed. I am told the walkie-talkie chatter about this was quite animated.

I used to think controlling lines was pretty darned easy but I got quite an education on that during some major midnight launch events including World of Warcraft and Call of Duty.

Efficient crowd control requires someone with a loud voice, well placed spine, firm demeanor and the ability to respond quickly to constantly changing circumstances.

Good line control can make a major sale or product launch 100X easier. Bad line control can make it 1000X harder.

[Food Lady]

My brother's wife dragged him to Mall of America. He posted "I don't know why I'm here"...

Ah, the cry of husbands everywhere.

[Simbacat]

I am a 5-year Black Friday veteran. Every year, we have always had food for us in the breakroom on Black Friday. Not this year. My company decided to go cheap on us and say that because they approved overtime for us last week, we can use the extra money we get to have our own food. Try telling that to the employees who had just worked a 15-hour shift, even longer for some of my supervisors, and them finding out that they have no free lunch! I worked between 10 and 14-hour shifts and I was plenty pissed. No free food??? Cheapskates!

That is really crappy. I always felt a little reward was in order for all of us who have to work on BF.

[depechemodefan]

there's a few parking spaces there. These were reserved for employees so they could, you know, actually make it to work.

I was visiting a friend on Sat. and her neighbor came by. Neighbor works at Voldemart. I wasn't sure if she worked on black friday, though she was scheduled. Sounded that she said she had to call her manager because she couldn't find a place to park so she couldn't come in to work. Considering she didn't have any BF stories, I guess she couldn't come in.

[wolfie]

I am a 5-year Black Friday veteran. Every year, we have always had food for us in the breakroom on Black Friday. Not this year. My company decided to go cheap on us and say that because they approved overtime for us last week, we can use the extra money we get to have our own food. Try telling that to the employees who had just worked a 15-hour shift, even longer for some of my supervisors, and them finding out that they have no free lunch! I worked between 10 and 14-hour shifts and I was plenty pissed. No free food??? Cheapskates!

And WHEN did they tell the employees that there would be no free food? Was it a few days ahead of time, so that they could make arrangements to bring their own lunches, or did you only find out when you went to the breakroom and saw that the food YOU HAD BEEN COUNTING ON FOR YOUR LUNCH wasn't there? In the latter case, not only would the employees not have free food, but since they would have been expecting it, they wouldn't have brought lunches that day, and so would have wound up working extended shifts with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO EAT. For people with certain medical conditions, that is bad for their health. For everyone, that leads to hungry, grumpy, pissed-off employees.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I am a 5-year Black Friday veteran. Every year, we have always had food for us in the breakroom on Black Friday. Not this year. My company decided to go cheap on us and say that because they approved overtime for us last week, we can use the extra money we get to have our own food. Try telling that to the employees who had just worked a 15-hour shift, even longer for some of my supervisors, and them finding out that they have no free lunch! I worked between 10 and 14-hour shifts and I was plenty pissed. No free food??? Cheapskates!

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest overtime was allowed only so all the prep work for Black Friday could get done, because the company was too cheap to hire a few more seasonals.

What a great way to build employee morale. Management's lucky they didn't just all stand back and let the shoppers rip each other limb from limb.