Black Thursday/Friday Debriefing Thread 2016

[Food Lady]

I think it's fine. I have a friend who says he only shops for necessities. Food and gas are just that. At least you'd be supporting a small business rather than a greedy corp. entity! Go buy that onion and report back.

[Tito]

Good luck to anyone who has to deal with the madness tomorrow. I do have to work tomorrow, but I will not be in the midst of the craziness at all. I actually should have a very quiet day.

[workerbee222]

It's of a normal workday for the purveyors relatively expensive clothing for men. I do have to drop off the car for snow tires, and I guess I'm thankful. Others are posting that the first appointment they can get is around Christmas.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I stopped in at the swamp tonight. Chaos as far as the eye could see. Very few employees I recognized. One told me the backroom is a total shitshow; I looked through the windows in the doors and saw shit piled everywhere. So glad I left when I did.

Found out my former supervisor called in sick for tonight.

[prjkt]

That supervisor will be out of a job soon

[Pixelated]

Enough background, here's the problem. I need an onion. I don't shop on holidays. The new store owner would be happy to sell me an onion and has in fact stocked a small amount of Thanksgiving food just for people like me and probably can't return it if it doesn't sell.

So, do I stand on my principles, or just go and buy a damned onion?

Update! We want an update!

[ralerin]

I had the day off, got called in towork this afternoon at Freshbasket. Thing is, I'm going to the mall before my shift starts, to drop off cookies and hot choc to my poor best friend, who is working at Large Yellow Tag. She needs the chocolate more than I do.

[Mental_Mouse]

So, do I stand on my principles, or just go and buy a damned onion?

That's not "holiday shopping", it's buying something you'd need whatever day it is. Go for it.

[Ghel]

Years ago, it would be very busy here at the bank the morning of Black Friday. Tons of people would come in to get cash for their Christmas shopping. But now, between "door busters" and nearly everybody using debit cards, the lobby is basically dead. We've had our regulars who come in every day, and that's about it.

I hope those of you who have to deal with the zaniness are staying safe and sane!

[Food Lady]

I worked last night. The crowd was 1/3 the size of last year's. I got a couple of people making a point to say "Happy Thanksgiving" which annoys me because I don't get to have one because of them. I also got a "sorry you have to work Thanksgiving" and I couldn't say that I had to because of them, so I blurted out something like "blame corporate!" Yeah, that wasn't the right response, but I don't know how to respond to someone who rubs salt in the wound.
Speaking of wounds, I've had an issue with my ulnar nerve for a few weeks and it had made dramatic improvement the last few days but now it's back to almost the former level of numbness. I'm taking paid time off Monday to see my doctor.

[Slave to the Phone]

I don't think that 1 single onion to be used in a very large meal is a necessity. We would still have plenty to eat and I doubt that anyone would have noticed its lack but me. I was standing fast on my principles when our friend called to say that he was running to the store for cigs and did I need anything.

So, I kinda cheated and dinner was saved

[Trixie]

We just had a bunch of grumps today. Some unruly couponers who felt that didn't get what they deserved. The topper for me was the call I took from the woman asking since we had a deal for 50% off photo products if that also applied to card readers since she needed one for her camera. No, just no.

[Android Kaeli]

I worked very early this morning at the Warehouse, I thought that the doors were to open at 5am [which was when I was scheduled to come in]. Nope, doors opened at normal hours and it was just a couple of "specials" that were running; I hadn't even known what they were until I got a hold of a flyer twenty minutes before I left for the day. As far as I know there wasn't any problems, so there's that.

I have tomorrow off, so I might sneak over to one of my favorite stores to see whats going on there.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Forgot about the guy who randomly came into the store and called out, "Flour!?" Apparently, he was having a holiday cooking "emergency" and needed flour in a hurry. Go figure.

A couple of years ago, a week before Thanksgiving Day, I bought a bag of flour so I could make cheese bread Thanksgiving morning. When I opened the cupboard to get the flour, I found a mouse had eaten a hole in the bottom of the bag. So I headed to the grocery store to get another bag. I explained what happened to the cashier, to which she asked why I hadn't brought it back in to exchange it. I responded, "Why? It wasn't your mouse."

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I work in a grocery store, so we get Black Wednesday instead.


I do have to be back on Friday at 6 AM to open the dairy department, but it'll be dead that day and I'll be able to spend my shift re-filling everything that was left empty when we close this afternoon.

I survived the Black Wednesday plague myself . . . .and miraculously did NOT have to go run a front end register!!!!

I had to go back at 7 today - had deliveries coming in the back door (except for Coke and Pepsi, they are scheduled for tomorrow, meaning either Grasshopper or Sheldon gets to handle those) and we were all but dead.

Had grocery truck come in around 11:30, so I was able to get my cigarette order stocked before I left around 1 pm, so that worked out.

Did find out we made just under 60,000 in sales on Wednesday alone - nice.

Tomorrow and Sunday, I will be here getting the house decked out for Christmas (and getting those cards ready to mail next weekend.) Only place I'm going tomorrow is to pick up hot dog (and also by the store for more drinks for me.)

I don't do Black Friday . . . never have, never will.