#holidays for retail employees are always a time

[esspurrr]

im gonna have no patience for "holiday stressed" customers this year like grow up if you cant find some specific ass thing im sure your family will be happy youre all gathered together regardless and if they arent? dont waste your time gathering with them then

[jo-harrington]

Peak Sales Hours (Eddie Munson x Store Manager!Reader)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary: After his first Black Friday, Eddie is exhausted and takes comfort in his new relationship with you.

Previous Part: Promotion

Warnings/Themes: Established friendship/new relationship, fluff, hurt/comfort(?), idk it's a lot of comfort, working in retail hell, Eddie works at Tape World and Reader is the Store Manager at Claire's in Starcourt Mall, angry customers, weariness

Note: So...hi guys. Welcome back to the Store Manager Verse. This little installment is sort of skipping a step. I had a whole thing planned and half-written of Eddie and our favorite SM actually confessing their feelings and being fluffy...and it's still gonna happen I'm just...on day whatever of work and have a big deadline and have had sleep for lunch the past I-don't-know how many days.

And it just took me back to the countless Black Friday and Peak Holiday shifts where all I wanted was to get back home. So here we are.

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

___

Never, in his entire life, had Eddie Munson felt more akin to the heroes from his favorite fantasy stories.

Long journeys and harrowing battles.

Deep wounds and comrades lost to the beyond.

Hoards of villains and the promise of a better future if only there was hope.

Taran. Aragorn. Luke Skywalker. They had seen it all.

"What's taking so long? I just need a gift receipt!"

But none of them had ever worked Black Friday.

He had experienced Black Friday before, as a shopper.

Thanksgiving hadn't ever been anything magnificent in the Munson household, especially after his mom died. Wayne and Rick had always tried to make it still feel special for Eddie, with hearty midwest comfort foods.

There would always be a full belly and an even fuller heart with his uncle and his almost-step-dad around. Eddie could never complain.

Then after a late afternoon dinner, Wayne would pack up a plate of leftovers to make his shift at the plant that paid time-and-a-half, plus a little something extra from the plant manager, cash in hand. By the time Eddie woke up the next morning, Wayne would pull up with a box of fresh donuts, honk three times, and they would be on their way to the Kmart on Rt 9 and get some steeply discounted goods with Wayne's holiday pay.

It was always a madhouse, but Eddie could swiftly dodge screaming kids, empathize with over-caffeinated employees, and wait in long lines if he and Wayne didn't need to fret about things like work boots and gloves, t-shirts and underwear, and usually one nice little Christmas gift for each of them.

This year, of course, had been a little different. Wayne had been a little disappointed--he would never admit it, but Eddie could tell--that their tradition would be forsaken for Eddie's shift at the mall. But your addition into the Thanksgiving festivities had been a welcome one.

Eddie had extended the invitation weeks ago, when you mentioned you wouldn't be able to make it home to spend the holiday with your family thanks to work.

You, of course, promised to pull your weight--

"It's always really casual," he tried to ease your worries as you began to fret over what kind of dessert Wayne and Rick might like. "You don't even need to dress up. Come in your pajamas. Rick makes a really good pumpkin pie, and I have my mom's old scalloped potato recipe that will literally put you in a food coma."

"What about turkey?" you asked.

"We don't really do turkey." He shrugged. "There's only three of us. So we do different things every year. Rick usually catches some kind of fish if it's warm enough. Wayne has a good recipe for fried chicken. We were thinking of doing meatloaf..."

"I can do the meatloaf!" You perked up immediately.

--only to show up laden with a roasting pan for the meatloaf, a plastic-wrapped gravy boat full of some kind of mushroom gravy, a salad, and a casserole dish overflowing with green beans, cream-of-something soup, and heaps of french fried onions.

Eddie, of course, scolded you as you shuffled through to the kitchen, much like he had the first time you showed up for dinner at his place. But he also placed a soft peck on your lips, which earned him a bashful smile as you shoo'd him away.

That was a new development to your...friendship, if you could even call it that anymore. There really hadn't been time to discuss the logistics between the frenzied makeout session in his van outside of the Hideout this past Tuesday night and Thanksgiving dinner.

Now that he had been trapped at the cash wrap, ringing out ungrateful customers for the past 8 hours, he was almost loathing his past self for wanting to be a little discreet in front of Wayne and Rick. For not...making himself have the "what are we" conversation with you, because your lips had soothed every frazzled nerve he had the other night.

Knowing that at the end of the day that he wasn't going through it alone, that his girlfriend was also in the mall suffering through the mass chaos and that he could go upstairs and steal a kiss whenever he wanted...well it certainly would have done him a world of good to mentally prepare him for this.

For the entirety of his time working at Tape World, he thought he had been doing a pretty good job. Sure there were some hard days, some rude customers. But at the end of the day, an 8-hour shift was an 8-hour shift, and he was only selling tapes. Not...ending world hunger.

"Ah you say that now," Kyle told him on Wednesday as they were putting together cardboard "dump bins" for the discount tapes that would be placed every 10 feet in the store. "But Black Friday is a beast, and Christmas Eve is worse. You're honestly lucky you only work here and not at, like, Radio Shack or something. My buddy Todd has seen some shit.

"Actually, I'm almost regretting scheduling you as a mid but I needed a second key." Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. "Peak Hours. Mid's a rough shift for Black Friday weekend."

"I'll be fine," Eddie scoffed. "I've done mid shifts before. I'm almost excited. How bad could it get?"

Famous. Last. Words.

He had barely been able to squeeze into the store when it was time for his shift, the line for the cash wrap blocked the way to the stockroom door. As soon as people saw his name tag, they started shouting at him to open the other register, how they needed help; he could barely get a word out to explain that he wasn't clocked in yet. They didn't care.

He was no longer Eddie Munson, Tape World Keyholder and your boyfriend, probably, maybe...

He was a body who could unlock the electronics case and ring them out.

He was a husk who said "welcome in" and "thanks have a great day" and smiled until his face started hurting.

And for the first time since he had gotten this job back at the beginning of summer...it really fucked with him.

His legs were cramped from standing at the Cash Wrap for so long, he wasn't sure which of the associates had his keys, his hair was damp with sweat even if he threw it into a some haphazard bun hours ago.

He'd been yelled at by more people than he could count, counted so much change the edges of his fingers were pretty much stained from all the muck and grime on everyone's money, and had made so many returns from people with buyer's remorse that he was sure they had given more money back than they had made in sales today.

Eddie hadn't even gotten a chance to take his lunch out in the mall and pay you a visit like he typically would. He had just collapsed in the little metal folding chair in the break area of the tiny stock room. Kyle had clapped him on the shoulder with a quick "good job kid" as he left for the day and Eddie hadn't even moved.

"Alright Ed," Paulie shuffled over as Eddie wrapped up the last in a long line of transactions and was about to wave the next customer over. "Quitting time."

Eddie sighed and backed against the counter as Paulie counted him down. The adrenaline of the day finally started to wear off as he came to realize that it was all over, and a weariness unlike the one he had been feeling his entire shift settled deep into his bones.

He went through the motions as he went back to the stockroom to grab his jacket and punch out. He wove his way through the still-crowded store and out into the mall, sighing in relief as the cooler mall air hit him.

It was gonna be a mercy once he got out to his van. He'd drive home with the windows down.

His ears rang as he headed towards the employee entrance and he wondered if it would be worth waiting in line at the Orange Julius before he left or if he should just stop through the McDonald's drive thru or something on his way home.

"Eddie."

But then, he didn't really need to stop for anything. There were leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner at home. He could smoke a little bit, make some kind of meatloaf sandwich, and then sink into his bed.

"Eddie."

And sleep until...

Fuck.

He was gonna have to do it all again tomorrow. And the day after that.

He thought back to his favorite fantasy heroes and wondered how they did it. How they put themselves through endless journeys, practically sacrificed themselves time and again.

And he could barely make it through a shift at the Starcourt Mall of all places.

"Eddie!"

He crashed right into your hands as you planted them on his shoulders and prevented him from absolutely barreling into you.

"Jesus are you ok?" you exclaimed and pulled him off to the side of the walkway to get out of the way of foot traffic.

Was he? Probably not.

"Yeah," he shook his head and answered. He finally looked at you, finally actually saw you. Dressed in your Teen Vogue best, as you called it, although a little worse for wear, if the eyeshadow smeared where it definitely shouldn't be and your jewelry all askew was any indicator. "Yeah I'm fine.

"You sure? You looked like you were in a trance," you explained. "I've been calling your name for a little while."

"Oh shit," he sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, no...it's...It was just a long day."

You didn't hesitate. Your arms immediately wrapped around him and you pulled him in. Pulled him back from whatever precipice he was about to launch himself off of, and straight into the comfort of you.

---

Before long, Eddie found himself in your apartment, fully upside down with his legs propped against the wall as he enjoyed the Blizzard he'd picked up on the way.

"You know just cuz you can hold it upside down, doesn't mean you're supposed to eat it upside down," you laughed as you filled a pot with water and put it on the stove.

"And what are you, the Blizzard expert," Eddie scoffed. "If you'll recall I was the one who took you to Dairy Queen for the first time."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." You rolled your eyes and turned to grab some cans from the cupboard.

You had offered to make dinner--again--while he vented about his shift. Nothing as spectacular as what you made for Thanksgiving dinner, but it left the leftover meatloaf for Wayne to take for his lunches.

"You're lucky I like your spaghetti sauce," Eddie grumbled, a little sad that he couldn't have his meatloaf sandwich.

So he talked as you ran to your bedroom to rid yourself of the remnants of who you became when you were at Starcourt, and as you emerged the person that, he liked to believe, was reserved especially for him.

He told you about the back to back returns he had dealt with when he came back from lunch as you dropped dried pasta into the boiling water and grated garlic into sizzling oil.

He complained about the man who demanded help from a manager only even though all he wanted was a special edition cassette deck that had all the bells and whistles and anyone with keys could help him. His voice got louder and meaner as he quoted the jackass verbatim, but the sharp strike of your wooden spoon against the side of the pot brought him back down to earth.

And as he finished up his story about having to count Sam's register three times because he forgot that there were large bills under the cash tray, you joined him on the couch with a bowl of steaming hot pasta for each of you.

He righted himself and discarded the empty blizzard cup on your coffee table.

"First Black Friday in the books," you announced and you passed the bowl to him. "I'm proud of you."

"Proud?" Eddie groaned. "Seriously? It was a disaster."

"They always are," you explained sagely.

"You survived," he pointed out.

"So did you."

"Barely."

"So?" you asked and twirled noodles on your fork expertly. "Doesn't that count? This is, like...my 5th Black Friday? My 6th? I count each one as a victory. And so should you."

You leaned over to kiss his cheek, then clinked plates with his in a salute, and then the two of you fell into contented silence as you ate.

As Eddie worked ravenously through the layers of starchy, cheesy, garlicky goodness, he realized that the weariness that had settled within him after his shift had started to alleviate. How he felt more like himself now that he was sitting next to you, basking in the warm glow of your company.

He briefly considered this ritual the two of you had been engaging in for months. The way you shared stories and foods and got closer to one another. He had always been a little worried that things would change if he ever got his wish, if this friendship with you ever became more.

But it was like nothing had changed at all.

He wanted to ask, was tempted to ask, what this was? If this was a date, like all the dates that weren't dates hadn't been before? If you were his girlfriend now?

But then...he recalled the time that you had a bad day and you immediately found relief in him, how he thought that he didn't need to be your knight as long as he could be your home.

And Eddie realized that whatever the two of you decided it would be, whether you were still just his friend, or if you were his girlfriend, or maybe...maybe something else...

You, too, would always be his home at the end of a long battle.

---

Next Part: Disaster Preparedness

Tag List for Store Manager Verse is still temporarily suspended. Thank you for understanding.

[bananastarion]

The Baldur's Gate 3 companions if they were forced to work boring modern day retail jobs, for some reason

Karlach would be out there doing her best, always there to reach the shelves that are too high for everyone else and doing all the heavy lifting. She gets in trouble a lot for accidentally dropping f-bombs within earshot of customers. She's the one you call over if a customer is giving you a hard time- she has no issue with telling them off and checking in to make sure you're okay. She gets a kick out of setting off all those tacky singing and dancing stuffed animals they put out on holidays, making your ears bleed. She's a bull in a china shop, and more than occasionally you'll hear a loud crash because Karlach accidentally knocked over a display again. She's also the reason the fire alarms keep going off. But despite all of that, she's by far the most fun to work with.

Nobody in their right mind would hire Lae'zel for a customer service position- but she makes a damn effective security guard. Maybe a little too effective- most of the time she is intimidating enough that all she has to do is shoot them a threatening look, and they behave. Sometimes she goes a bit overboard, though- like that time she made a guy bow down before her and beg for mercy, all because he stole a snickers bar. He swears he has no idea how it even got in his pocket!

Astarion is the coworker from hell. He doesn't actually do any work. When he's not taking unauthorized breaks, he's sneaking around to avoid helping customers. If a customer is unlucky enough to catch him, he'll just give them a snide remark or send them to Gale. Since he was hired, there has been a very suspicious inventory shrinkage. He distracts the cashiers from doing their work and they have formed a mean girl clique that gossips about everyone else. He'll also occasionally slip a product in a customer's pocket and report to Lae'zel he saw them shoplifting, then sit back and enjoy the show. The only reason he hasn't been fired is because he flirts with your middle aged divorced boss, who is putty in his hands.

Wyll's dad is a well to-do politician, but he insisted Wyll get a blue collar job so he can better understand the merit of hard work and see how the common man lives. And Wyll does an exceptional job- he offers the best customer service and has the charisma to sell anyone anything. Of course, he is honorable enough that he'd never sell a customer an inferior or overpriced product. He knows the returning customers by name and they ask for him specifically. He's also a hit with the kids. Yet it's Astarion who keeps getting employee of the month- what is that about?? If anyone ever tries to rob the place, Wyll will likely be the one saving the day- if Lae'zel doesn't disembowel them first.

Gale is that coworkers who doesn't understand boundaries. He'll be venting to you about his ex gf and asking for advice about whether it's too soon to text her again while you're just trying to mop the floor. You'll be taking care of a huge line at the cash register and he decides that's the time to show you all the cat pictures on his phone. To be fair- his cat is really cute. He complains a lot about how he graduated from an elite school and did exceptionally well academically, yet he's stuck working this shitty job- damn this economy! He's eager to help customers, but has a habit of monologuing about all the trivia he happens to know about whatever they're buying. One time, you walked in on him gnawing on a pair of men's boots in the break room, and neither of you ever spoke of it again.

Shadowheart would be the most "normal" employee of the bunch- her customer service is adequate- courteous and professional, but with minimal small talk. "Yes, that'll be in aisle 3. Have a nice day." She often gets out of any stocking jobs she doesn't feel like doing by complaining that her hand hurts- it seems to only conveniently go off when you ask her to lift a few boxes. You try to make small talk with her in the break room, and it gets awkward because you just interrupted her before lunch prayers. And her during lunch prayers. And her after lunch prayers. Maybe take the hint already, and stop trying to get to know her.

Bonus: Withers is the store greeter. In the fall, sometimes people mistake him for a Halloween decoration...

[disordercinema]

To add to your retail AU-

Fred worked right next door to the store and was really close with Tubbo and Tubbo fell in love with him. The store ended up moving so now Tubbo sulks about it, especially when he sees Pac and Fit flirting. His background is also him and Fred.

Fred is the son of the store owner so he just moved with the building. Now instead of working next door, they work a couple of blocks from each other. Tubbo always acts like he moved continents.

Other members would come by and just talk for a while.

Bolas is just that one dnd group that hangs around after closing hours. Phil doesn’t do shit about it, he’ll actually join in with them every once in a while.

Bad would often yell at Tubbo for his mannerisms, like cursing while talking to a customer or back talking.

Pierre is the tech support that everyone calls if Tubbo doesn’t know how to fix it himself or makes it worse.

If someone is yelling at an employee and no one can calm them down and Phil is needed, he kills them with kindness. If someone yells at one of the kids though, he gets pissed.

The island is frequently visited. People will stay for a few months or less but most leave rather quickly. It’s small enough to where everyone knows everyone, but everyone knows the islanders as they’re own group.

The Islanders are one big family and are willing to do a lot for each other. If you argue cross one of them, you cross all of them.

The Federation is a government system and Cucurucho is the mayor

The eggs are the islanders children still. They came from an overcrowded orphanage so they took them in.

This is it! For now maybe- idk.

I like, I like, tho I don't follow all

I had imagined Bolas as like, the employees of the other store Philza owns across the city. All the employees are insanely terrible at their jobs but somehow always outperform the morning crew's store especially during holiday season and Tubbo absolutely hates them for it. He has a whole one sided rivalry with them and comes up with crazy plans to win against them while most of their stategy is just "Let's figure out a way to leave early".

I don't see a reason why the kids would be at the store, but I like Pierre being the tech support. I think Bad would be a former Karen turned regular after Philza won against him during a passive-aggressiveness-kindness-disguised contest. He starts going there out of pettiness, but actually becomes friendly with the employees over time and it is close to his job (daycare worker) so it's easy for him to buy stuff on the way home. Sometimes Tubbo convinces him to go terrorize Bolas when he finds out Bad has an errand across town and he does it for discounts.

I also like the idea of the Fred being from a nearby shop, maybe a flower shop?

The Federation would 100% the heads of the Retailers Association, always in contact with the government, observing and making sure the policies are being followed. Fit gets a spot in it for his strong presence in the union and all he does is cover up for all the things his store fails to comply on. Cellbit gets a place in it too, because he used to be a general manager at another big retail company, but he fucking hates it and wants to leave so he has been trying to get kicked out by leaking shit he shouldn't and it somehow doesn't work because no one figures out it was him.

I really like your ideas, this is just what my brain cooked since I made that post lmao

[what-gs-watching]

“Speaking of not being able to move. I too have had trouble moving. Lately. Past the poverty line.”

Maybe I’m predictable but I’m still settling into this new job and it’s hard to focus on other new things when everything during my day is new so the other night I decided to restart Superstore. 

Which is another one of my ‘this show deserves more love’ shows. Maybe one of the last sitcoms I picked up from NBC before I went full on feral for streaming services. It’s charming and stupid and I’m weirdly a sucker for the guy who plays Jonah.

Wherein, we follow the lives of associates of Cloud 9, a big box store, while they deal with working in retail and all of the absolute ridiculousness that goes along with that (COVID, included). 

Amy (America Ferrara, who is perfectly utilized here honestly) is a 30-something shift manager at the store with a daughter she had at 19 and a lazy husband. She’s obviously disillusioned with her monotonous life until Jonah (Ben Feldman, who I JUST realized I recognized from ‘Drop Dead Diva’ like whoooa) shows up, a dude who washed out of business school and is annoyingly pretentious but also adorably fun. Hijinks ensue. 

I really do love the entire supporting cast of this show. Dina is the psychotic assistant manager who owns a ton of birds, is brutally honest and kind of a bully but ends up being a really good friend. Cheyenne starts out as a ditzy pregnant teen mom but her storyline with her ridiculous wanna-be gangster boyfriend turned husband with a mustache is hilarious and weirdly endearing. And her friendship with Mateo (who is fussy, snarky, undocumented, and has a terrible romance with district manager, Jeff) is life goals. 

Y’all know I’m all about the relationships in shows, and I do enjoy the Amy/Jonah slowburn because, like, obvi any slowburn is always gonna get me, but the friendships are really just chef’s kiss. Garrett, the chill dude who does the in-store announcements, loves videos games and doesn’t generally give a fuck, ends up as Jonah’s reluctant best friend. Dina ends up finding the perfect frenemy in Sandra, who is everyone’s punching bag but also creepily FIERCE at times. I also love Cheyenne and Garrett - there’s an episode where the store has amnesty to admit roles they’ve broken and neither one of them have so they dig into the employee handbook to find one, but end up focusing on ‘no hats’ even though Garrett insists “we’re not hatting this!”

The dynamics are perfect. 

Basically, I feel this show deeply in my heart. I worked retail for years, it was my first job in high school and I worked at a Burlington Coat Factory entirely through college. The appeal of the show is that they’re a bunch of random ass people that bond over the fact that the store is terrible and minimum wage jobs are demeaning but they make it fun and I’ve totally lived that.

I had two work moms. And I met one of my absolute best friends there. We had adventures following shoplifters,  dancing at the registers singing made up songs, throwing parties for holidays, waking up too fucking early to work black friday shifts or doing inventory.  We bitched about unfair corporate policies and I saw a few of my friends have babies and have to scramble on how to support themselves. I saw all of the hidden talents my coworkers had and the dreams they wanted to achieve. We suffered through customers treating us like shit, and we lifted each other up. 

Working retail is a brutal undertaking but it can also be an oddly beautiful tapestry and that’s what I love about Superstore. 

I also appreciate that they talk about the real shit. There’s a walkout/strike after Glenn, the high-pitched, god-fearing, somewhat buffoon of a store manager gets fired for sneakily trying to give Cheyenne paid leave after she gives birth in the store. The associates band together eventually to try and unionize. There’s a bit about Amy asking for a raise, which results in the whole store sitting through a lecture on proper “budgeting” which includes a section about how “Uncle Sam has your food, now go get it!” At one point, there’s an ICE sweep in retaliation to unionization whispers. They follow Amy’s struggles in trying to climb the ladder and make something of herself. It’s real but also exaggerated, and sad and funny. 

It’s absolutely a snapshot in time and it lets me romanticize a period of my life that I spent desperately trying to escape. You know that dream people have about sitting for an exam in a class they didn’t know they were taking? I never have that dream. I have a dream where I show up to Burlington as I am now, a thirty-something with a ‘career’, and I know I haven’t worked there in years, but I’m panicked because I can’t figure out what my schedule is and everyone is annoyed I haven’t been coming in for my shifts. 

Working a job like that shapes you and stays with you. I managed to escape, I’m the asshole who just spent nine months on the couch pouting about my cushy job being taken away and doing nothing other than trying to force myself into another one, but maybe that’s okay because I lived that retail struggle for a good bit. I understand it, and I am never one of those asshole customers. 

All that to say, Superstore depicts that struggle flawlessly. And it makes me miss that unique camaraderie that you’ll never truly get working a tech job. It honestly cannot be duplicated. And if you’ve never experienced it for yourself, at least you can through the absolute ridiculousness that is the gang at Cloud 9.

[spacelazarwolf]

This is a genuine question, so sorry if it comes off awkward or if you've already answered this. You've mentioned before that a part of cultural Christianity is everyone getting time off for Christian holidays, but non-christians being denied time off for their own holidays. How would you go around fixing this? Should it be mandatory to give religious time off, should every religious holiday be a public holiday, should no religious holiday be a public holiday?

tbh this is one issue that always stumps me bc it's one of those things where like. the only way to really "fix" it is to do a factory reset on society, which obviously we can't do.

so if we're thinking what would be actually doable under the current system, i have a few ideas. i personally don't think every religious holiday should be a public holiday, bc that's a lot of holidays. i do think that it should be mandatory to grant time off for religious observances, and the terms of that time off should be informed by leaders in that community. not like specific to each employee, but like the people determining the legalities should be consulting with scholars and authority figures in these communities so you don't have situations like forcing jews to miss kol nidre because they only get 'one day' off for their religious holiday, when jewish holidays start and end at sundown. if you're giving employees paid time off to celebrate christmas, give religious minorities paid time off to celebrate their holidays. if it's something like retail where you could just change around their schedule so they don't have to work that day, just do that.

[fitgothgirl]

[Just sorting some thoughts about barbacking/bartending as a second job]

Ever since I refreshed my resume and printed out some copies to go give out at bars, I haven't done anything with them; they're still just sitting in my drawer. I often think about how I should make a plan to go out and apply but I haven't been able to follow through (and btw, going out in-person and giving someone my physical resume, and even being ready to possibly do a working interview, is the way to go for this type of job - at least with the types of bars I'd want to work at; not looking for chains like Dave & Busters and whatnot).

But yeah I'm honestly nervous for a few reasons... For one, just the putting yourself out there part. 😅 Two, getting a second job as an actual employee, as opposed to Doordash, is a much more of a commitment. I can't just decide to not work one day. I'm sure that at times I'm going to have to work when I feel shitty. I'm going to struggle to get dates off that I want, and I'll likely be most in-demand on the days I have off from my regular job (the weekend, holidays). Etc. Plus the whole "second" job thing in the first place... But my situation is what it is. And not only is it a commitment, but three, I'd be going back to a service job for the first time since I graduated college, i.e. 7 years ago. I did do admin/front desk stuff at the physical therapy place, but that's pretty different. But in my teens and early 20s, I did 10 years of jobs in food service and retail, so I definitely remember a lot of what the deal is. I know there are things I enjoyed and even miss about it, but I definitely remember the stressors and tribulations too. But at the same time, four, I feel like working at a bar is getting into a slightly different/adjacent industry; it's on another level than just "food service" and there's definitely going to be a learning curve, especially if I'm wanting to eventually bartend. (🤑) Not to mention that regardless, it's been 7 years since I've done a service job in the first place, and I'm sure things work differently overall now. Also part of the adjustment would be that five - even if I just work 1 or 2 days a week, the hours will be late. I don't mind being up late, but I know I'll have to take it into consideration with my day job and everything. Even if I work Friday/Saturday night, it'll still affect my sleep.

I'm not trying to talk myself out of it, I swear lol. In fact it's kind of a testament to me legitimately being drawn to this industry, but not even because I like to drink (regardless, I can't imagine doing a fast-paced/flow job like this with even a buzz); like I said there are things about the service industry I miss, like how good it feels at the end of of a shift from a physical job. I really feel like I worked. And it can be fun a lot of the time too; it's overall more casual and light-hearted. Etc. I've just always been interesting this type of job. I love watching Bar Rescue lol, which definitely shows a range of situations.... I love the thought of learning cocktails and how to pour (and maybe some cool moves? lmao) - just general mixology. I love the energy of the environment and the vibes, I really feel like I soak it up even though I'm definitely an introvert; high-energy environments like that can be like a stimulant for me (up to a point of course). I love the fact that it's an adults-only activity to let loose - exactly the things you're not supposed to talk about at "regular" jobs or even pretend you don't do lol. I love the thought of getting to just be myself and not worrying about being all proper/professional in most ways.

Aafs;ldjk;asjfkajsd. Just letting the thoughts flow right now, not trying to come to any sort of conclusion.

My car's registration is due the day after tomorrow and boy that is a great reminder for all of this lol......

[zalrb]

Could u tell us about ur time in college? Where’d and what did u study. What did do while studying (work , parties). Did u go abroad? Do u think it was useful for ur career present day?

Yeah, I've spoken about it before. I even posted grad photos because I was graduating when I first got on tumblr lmao. So I always knew I was going to do something with writing or something with film so I curated my studies, I did English and Cinema Studies in undergrad plus a creative writing certificate at the school of continuing studies, which was in Toronto and then I did my MFA in New York. I did one summer semester in Italy in undergrad. In undergrad, I volunteered at the Toronto International Film Festival for three years and worked all four years, mostly retail, sometimes at amusement parks. In grad school, because I was an international student, getting a job was a little bit harder, I did one summer job on campus and then I interned at a literary agency where it was basically my job to read the slush pile, which was a really interesting experience. Because it was difficult to get a job in New York, I would come back home during holiday break and do seasonal work. But I was extremely, extremely broke during those years. Literally the best part of the summer job I had was that I worked for a summer program and employees got to eat lunch with the students so that was one less meal I had to worry about but we were all struggling because they also weren't paying us on time so my friend/colleague was nearly evicted from his apartment because he just did not have the money, I had to cuss everyone out to get our first two pay cheques, lmao.

Undergrad I didn't party that much because I was living at home, I had a strict mom, I also had to commute about two hours to get home, and I was working, and my friends also had very strict parents so like there wasn't really much of an opportunity for a busy social life, although Italy was like a crash course in undergrad partying because I went there the summer between first and second year while mostly everyone else was in third or fourth year so I was actually the youngest in the program and when I explained I'd never really gone to an undergrad party back in Toronto or had that much of a social life, it kind of became a collective goal for the other students to take me clubbing, take me drinking, and give me the sort of dorm experience. And then in third year for various reasons, I did more drinking and clubbing, it was also the year I had the heaviest course load so I think I just needed a lot of stress relief and I always tell people to never pack your schedule with courses, it's not worth it, haha.

My MFA was a loooooooooot of drinking but it was also just the culture of the writing program because, like, authors were teaching us, not profs, and authors do like to drink so we could literally be having classes in a bar or if an instructor didn't mark our stories because they had their own deadlines or their own issues, they would apologize by getting us a couple of rounds at the bar, sometimes we drank in class, haha, and then our program just had a lot of readings or a lot of parties so grad school was basically writing and drinking for two years. That was just fiction though. The nonfiction students and the poetry students had different experiences. Because I was New York, I got to see/meet a lot of different authors who would come through for lectures or book tours, I even got to introduce an author at one of her lectures, so that was also really cool.

[fuck-customers]

I want to send this rant to this blog so maybe it'll get more of an audience than if I just posted it myself.

I've been seeing tons of shit about "money colonel" (censoring the name) lately and as an ex-employee it really upsets me. People, especially the customers who never worked retail, like to blame the employees for the states of the stores.

At my store, the store manager had basically 0 power. She didn't scan inventory ever, so she wasn't the one ordering product. I dunno how it showed up then but as an associate that wasn't my job. Anyway, spots would just always be empty while we get way more overstock of other things that it wouldn't even fit on the skyshelves and had to be kept in the back room. Every Saturday, we would get truck. That's when the rolltainers and u-boats show up. They overflow out of the miniscule back room into the aisles, and yes I know that is a hazard for accidents and bad for disabled people and the elderly, but we can't really be blamed for it. We tried our hardest to get that on the shelves, but at any time there were only 2 employees on staff because the company refused to let us hire more people and complained about how many hours we were using to begin with. So one employee would be running the register, which was me. I would work with no days off for weeks on end. It was chaos, trying to get out the hordes of really mean customers, and then run around the store frantically trying to put away totes and any food the manager would push up the front. If you never worked at one of these stores, those gray bins are the totes, and they are filled with random garbage so there's no telling what's actually in them or if the things in there are actually near each other in the store.

It was a daily, exhausting struggle. It gave me back problems I'm still suffering from. All the while, customers are screaming at you because the store is messy because you can never clean because by the time you do finish the truck completely, another truck shows up and the cycle continues. You can never mop, or recover, or check for expired food, because you are one person against the world. At one point, we only had 4 employees. The SM, ASM, a keyholder, and me. That means long, exhausting shifts with no days off and you get paid a measly 7 dollars an hour for it, with maybe a ten cents raise in your hiring anniversary. At the end of time there, I just didn't care anymore. I didn't bother to recover at all or put product away neatly, because I was so tired of being used. The day I quit was one of the best days of my life.

Now we are dealing with holidays, if you choose to go to one of these stores please be understanding. I know every store has to be struggling in the same ways we were. And if you are looking for a job, DO NOT WORK FOR THIS COMPANY. Save yourself a lot of pain and look elsewhere.

[are-we-really-doing-this]

hey just saw your post about losing the piss anon message, im not sure if thats me but i do remember writing an experience i had involving piss. i was at my retail job in a small shop so i was the only employee at my shift, and i need to pee so badly but there's no one to cover for me and i end up pissing in a bag except the bag had holes at the bottom and etc etc. its such a long time ago i dont remember actually sending it though. well, idk. if i am that piss anon, you can always ask me to send the story again with full detail. if im not, consider this short piss story as a consolation prize. happy holidays and i wish all the perverts a great time.

Anon this means so much to me right now, thank you. I do not think it was you because I do not recognize the story. That sounds like it fucking sucked at the time though, I’m sorry about that. Can’t think of a time I ever pissed in a bag but I believe I have in a towel and a solo cup before. The piss anon I’m thinking of sent in a few public humiliation scenarios involving CM Punk and piss right around Brawl In and they were so beautiful and refreshing. Damn shame they’re all gone, I knew I should’ve saved them somewhere else. Guess I gotta come up with new ones myself. Happy Holidays to all my perverts out there. It’s a rough time of the year for some of us.

[rabbitcruiser]

Canadian Thanksgiving

Since 1957, Thanksgiving Day has been a holiday in Canada on the second Monday of October. Canadian Thanksgiving is a chance for people to give thanks for fortunes in the past year, including a good harvest. Below, we will explain what people do on Canadian Thanksgiving, as well as the ways that it differs from U.S. Thanksgiving. So, let’s find out more…

History Of Canadian Thanksgiving

Long before Canada celebrated thanksgiving, the native people of America held festivals and ceremonies to celebrate the completion and bounty of harvest way before European settlers and explorers arrived in what is known as Canada today. Early European thanksgivings took place in order to give thanks for some special fortune. One example of this is the ceremony that Martin Frobisher held in 1578. He held this ceremony after he survived an extensive journey in an aim to find a passage to Asia from Europe.

A lot of thanksgivings in the 18th century occurred after noteworthy events. The custom of a yearly thanksgiving festival was first brought to Canada as a result of refugees fleeing from the civil war in the United States. From 1879, Thanksgiving Day occurred each year, yet there were different themes and it was held on a different day every year. One of the most common themes for a lot of years was “Blessings of an abundant harvest.” Nevertheless, in later years King Edward VII’s coronation and Queen Victoria’s diamond and golden jubilees formed the theme in later years.

From the end of WW1 until 1930, both Thanksgiving Day and Armistice Day were celebrated on the Monday falling the closest to the 11th of November, which is the date that marked the official end of hostilities in WW1. Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day in 1931. Also, Thanksgiving was moved to a Monday in October. Since 1957, it has always occurred on the Second Monday of October.

Symbols Of Canadian Thanksgiving

Canadian Thanksgiving is associated with the European tradition of harvest festivals. At this time of year, a common image that people see is a horn – cornucopia – that is filled with seasonal vegetables and fruit. The cornucopia means ‘Horn of Plenty’ in Latin. In Ancient Greece, this was a symbol of plenty of bounty. Ears of corn, pumpkins, and turkeys, as well as large displays of food, are also used to symbolize Canadian Thanksgiving.

Is Canadian Thanksgiving A Public Holiday?

Yes; Canadian Thanksgiving is a public holiday in Canada. A lot of people have the day off work. All post offices and schools are also closed, as well as a lot of businesses and stores. There is also usually a reduced timetable in terms of public transport, with some services not running at all. Some areas have different rules and regulations. For example, in Nova Scotia, this day is deemed a retail closing day. This means that some retail companies are not allowed to open and employees have a legal right to refuse to work. In New Brunswick, this is deemed a day of rest. This means that businesses have to close on this day.

How to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving

A lot of people will have the day off work on Canadian Thanksgiving. This gives them a three-day weekend, which they will typically use to have family and friends in their own homes or visit those who live far away. It is a tradition to prepare a special meal to be eaten at some point throughout the weekend. This will traditionally include a roast turkey, as well as seasonal produce, for example, pecan nuts, corn ears, and pumpkin.

A lot of people also decided to take a short autumn vacation during this period. This is because it can be the final opportunity in a while for people to use holiday homes or cottages before the winter season sets in. Other activities that are popular during this time include outdoor breaks so that the amazing colors of the autumn in Canada can be admired, fishing, and hiking. If you are a fan of the Canadian Football League, you may decide to spend the three-day break enjoying the Thanksgiving Day Classic matches.

Of course, no matter how you decide to spend Canadian Thanksgiving, the main thing to remember is that this is a day of thanks. Therefore, it is important to spend some time reflecting on what you are thankful for. Make sure you take the opportunity to thank people who have played an important role in your life or done something special for you. A small ‘thank you’ goes a very long way.

Differences Between U.S. And Canadian Thanksgiving

Of course, a lot of people will think about the U.S when they hear the word thanksgiving, and so you may be wondering if the two holidays are observed in the same way. There are actually some key differences between both of them. For example, in the U.S. Black Friday – a huge retail sales event – is typically coupled with Thanksgiving. However, the Canadian equivalent of this is Boxing Day, and this happens two months after Thanksgiving.

You will also notice that parades and football are smaller affairs in Canada. Similarly to the U.S., you can expect football marathons to occur on the day, giving families the opportunity to watch plenty of sport. Aside from this, the traditions are pared down a little bit.

It is also worth pointing out that Thanksgiving Day in the United States takes place in November, not October. There are a number of reasons why this is the case. One is because the Canadian Thanksgiving is more about thanks for the harvest season, as opposed to being about the arrival of pilgrims. Another one is that Remembrance Day on 11 November is a Canadian holiday. So there would be two holidays very close together.

Source

[jupiter235]

Unpopular Christmas movie idea that will likely never ever get made: 

Person A is one of the following: 

1. either not religious at all or a member of a religion that doesn’t celebrate Christmas

2. an overworked and over-exhausted retail employee who’s long since been disillusioned with the entire idea of Christmas and would love to find a new industry to work in, but hasn’t been able to. Maybe they live where the only work they can find is the retail job they already have or they can just never get an offer from somewhere else, I don’t know. But they keep their job because the only other alternative is homelessness and starvation

3. they have some sort of trauma relating to the holiday. Maybe they had been in the military and had been serving in a war zone when they were nearly killed and/or watched all of their fellow servicepeople die. Maybe they had a bad childhood growing up and the abuse they endured or the violence they witnessed at home always seemed to escalate during this time of the year and now they can’t associate the holiday with anything other than what they went through

4. they’re some form of neurodivergent and this time of the year always easily overstimulates and overwhelms them. The repetitive music, the smells, the lights, the crowds everywhere they go--it’s always too much for them, and they’ve since learned to dread this time of year since it seems to be unavoidable. 

Or maybe we never learn the reason why they don’t like Christmas. Maybe they simply don’t care for it. It could be some combination of all of these. Suffice to say, Person A is very much not a fan of Christmas. 

Enter Person B, who would have been much happier being born a citizen of Whoville. Person B is the type that decorates their house for the holiday before Halloween is even over--or as soon as they know they aren’t going to get nasty letters from their HOA about it. They’re the ones at Hobby Lobby the day they start stocking out their Christmas merchandise. The one that’s always organizing every single Christmas event every year in the town/city they live in, the company party at their place of employment, and the party they always have at their own house on Christmas Eve. Person B lives for Christmas to an obsessive degree. 

Person A and Person B somehow meet, of course. I’m not sure how exactly it happens--maybe Person A is in a hurry to get home and drops something and Person B gets it back to them, maybe Person B comes to Person A’s store (in the case of Person A being a retail worker,) maybe Person B has volunteered at some sort of therapy group Person A is in. Either way, the meeting happens. And Person B immediately picks up on Person A’s dislike of the holiday, and decides they’re going take Person A under their wing. Maybe all they need is someone to show them all of the good things about Christmas, they think. Then they’ll love it the same way everyone else does! 

Here’s the twist, though: the story doesn’t resolve by Person B successfully endowing Person A with the magic of Christmas and a brand new, life-long love of the holiday. Rather, the story is resolved by Person B learning that Person A’s reasons for not liking Christmas (or simply the fact that they don’t like it) are perfectly valid, and actually they themselves learn that this time of the year just isn’t for everyone. And the way Person A feels is just as valid and worthy of respect as the way anyone who likes Christmas feels. 

Bonus points if Person A is not a cis man and Person B is not a cis woman. 

Also bonus points if the story doesn’t end with Person A and Person B romantically involved with one another. 

[ns-games]

My Black Friday experiences

So, Black Friday has come and gone. For those that don’t know I used to work for a very well known electronics retailer as a customer service tech support agent. I know to my fellow current and former retail workers, Black Friday can be one of the more nightmarish days to have to deal with. As a former retail worker I can certainly vouch for the fact that it is one of the absolute craziest shopping days of the year. No other day of the year would I ever see a crowd that large in our store. Now, some are going to think I’m crazy but I actually found Black Friday to be one of the easiest shifts of the year.

As I mentioned, I used to work on the customer service side of the counter. I was the face you would see when you brought something broken to the store to have us fix or replace. Our system worked by appointment as there are a high volume of people that need assistance with their technology. So most days ended up being me working through appointments four 8 hours each day back-to-back. Every day was always a balancing act, similar to how I believe most would feel about Black Friday. But also keep in mind that people are brining us technology that they are either having trouble with or is just flat out broken. Most of them were in a bad mood by the time they got to the store. And I thank my former employer for at least emphasizing that this was a chance to put a smile on someone’s face when we could help solve their problem. But nevertheless this was a pretty stressing job to keep up with.

That brings me to Black Friday weekend. When I first joined the retail sector in 2013, it was the first year that my store decided they were going to open on Thanksgiving day. The plan was to open late in the day and keep the store open through Black Friday evening. This first year went pretty bad. This ended up with me working a 12 hour shift after only getting about 3 hours of sleep the previous night. Most employees voiced their displeasure with this setup and the company decided that they would no longer keep the store open overnight. Things got better in the following years after that. While I was still not happy with their decision to open on Thanksgiving, I did not have to work crazy long hours that weekend.

And that brings me to why in my later years of working in the retail sector that I felt Black Friday weekend was one of the easiest to work. The store I worked for didn’t consider it a priority to keep the tech support end of the store open on Black Friday. They did have a limited customer service desk open to process returns and such, but our side of the store was effectively closed for two days. Which left me with the job of standing at a register and just ringing up customers one by one for 8 hours. Of course I’d have to occasionally answer a few questions and point out where some products were located. But it otherwise proved to be much less of a balancing act and more of a first-come-first-serve situation. Work 8 hours, lunch in the middle, then go home.

Now the aftermath that came after all of this is a different story. Since my team was also responsible for processing the items returned by customers (I.E. checking them for defects and what not). Given the holiday season, that job would take us from Black Friday to the beginning of February to complete. But that’s story for a different time.

[21st-century-minutiae]

Federal Holidays

In the United States in the 21st Century, there are a number of days each year designated as Federal Holidays. They are usually (but not always) defined to be the Nth Monday of a particular month and are usually (but not always) named after a person or an occasion.

On Federal Holidays, the US Federal Government is legally closed. Important functions of state still continue, but it is essentially an extra weekend day. State and local governments almost always follow suit. Federal Holidays are closely related to Bank Holidays, days where stock trading cannot happen and where banks will closed. You can generally expect every Federal Holiday to be a Bank Holiday, but it is possible for a Bank Holiday to be declared without a Federal Holiday (usually in an attempt to avert or slow down a financial crisis).

While government workers all get Federal Holidays as paid time off, non-government workers are not given the same guarantee. That said, it is common for companies to offer their salaried employees some (or all) Federal Holidays off separate from the vacation policy. This benefit usually does not extend to low paid workers, and does not apply to industries where a lot of business is expected on weekends/holidays (e.g. retail and hospitality).

Notably, the School System is part of State and Local Government, so, most students get these days off. Most everyone grows up with a fondness for these special days of extra vacation from school, even if they lose the privilege after entering the workforce.

Your characters will be familiar with all the Federal Holidays, even if they might not be able to recall all of them off hand. They will almost certainly be fond of them, with memories of their time as students (if they aren’t currently students) or with current experiences if their current job gives them time off. If they don’t get the day off, they might be aggravated to find that certain businesses are inconveniently closed.

[pendulum-sonata]

You know? In holidays there's always this weird clash, mostly i see it in reddit and twitter but tumblr isn't free of it, in which people are all in for worker's rights and better work conditions, etc. but the moment you suggest that retail/food service/minimum wage workers should be able to take holidays off, that stores should close early and allow employees to go home, that maybe it isn't such a good idea to go to the store 5 minutes before they close for "1 last thing I promise" some people go absolutely feral, they start going off about how "this is a management issue, people should be able to buy things ALL the time" or sometimes "what if people don't celebrate holidays uh? Where are they supposed to go?" and if pressed enough they may start to move the subject from the workers to the "tyranny of the christian calendar" and any other oppressed group to defend the idea that they want to be able to buy anything they want at any time they feel like it.

Way to miss the point, and really I get where some of you are coming from, I have ADHD, all the planning, the post-it notes, the reminders haven't stopped me from being in that place where there was something I forgot to buy, and yeah, it is frustrating, I get angry sometimes, but ultimately I'm the one to blame, not a poor retail worker who's is already closing the doors because it's 10 minutes before closing time and they're already doing the day's till.

And I think people need to realize, without trying to bring other tangentially-related issues, that this is what a consumerist attitude looks like, and that maybe, is not okay to expect everything that's doesn't involve life-saving services to be open at all times of the year, just because someone might want to buy something.

[rekrootingagency]

5 Effective Tips to Hire the Best Candidates for a Retail Business 

Hiring in the retail industry can be quite a challenging feat! 86% of retail companies said in a recent survey that they have to fight against several factors to hire great people.  

Some of the most critical ones which affect USA staffing in the retail industry include high turnover, low retention, dropping in application rates, and much more. This situation immensely exacerbates during the high-volume hiring season of retail businesses, i.e., the ongoing holiday season now!  

Along with the issues above, many retail companies have to hire more quickly during this season. Hence, staffing agencies must implement an out-of-the-box process to hire top talents as the holiday season is already there. So, is your staffing agency ready for it? 

This blog will discuss some most proactive and practical retail resource staffing tips that can help you boost your recruiting efforts tremendously and attract high-quality talents. Explore the best staffing solutions to create a successful retail hiring strategy.  

What are the Best Tips to Recruit Amazing Talents for Any Retail Business? 

Unfortunately, the retail industry in the US experiences a very high turnover rate of 60% compared to the world average of 15%. This calls for a constant need to hire new people! Keeping this daunting statistic in mind, it is imperative to transform your retail staffing strategies right now before it’s high time! So, here are some of the best tips for your staffing agency to hire the most competent candidates for a retail business. 

Hire Those Who Work More Hours 

Although you might have heard this advice many times, hiring many contingent workers is a brilliant idea to increase your flexibility. But with this, you will end up with more associates who are not engaged with your brand’s success. That’s because if they work two to three jobs every day, they will not have the time to settle into the workplace culture.  

Instead, if you hire people ready to invest the maximum of their time at your client’s workplace, they will be more connected with the business. And it will eventually give them a sense of belonging, and they will turn into their employer’s true brand ambassadors. 

Look for Employees Who Gel Well 

When it comes to hiring for retail businesses, it’s crucial to have people with outside interests and hobbies who are good at communicating with people. The retail industry requires precisely those kinds of candidates. 

The suitable candidates for a retail company should be those engaged in the real world. So, you must ensure that you are crafting the interview questions accordingly.  

Try to Understand Candidates’ Past Behavior 

Knowing the goals and plans of what candidates hope to do in their job in the future. But deciding your retail interview questions only centered on this aspect is not the correct gauge to measure how an applicant will work in reality.  

Instead, make sure your questions are crafted around specifics. If applicants can’t answer you with such details, it is entirely unsure they will do that for your customers. Likewise, if you find candidates who can tell you specifics based on their past experiences, you must prefer them more. Because they know what that desired customer experience looks like and how they can deliver it.  

Let the Cooling-Off Period Pass 

You’ve indeed had that experience when you meet a candidate who clicks immediately! But whatever the situation might be, don’t hire on the spot. As we have already discussed above, there is a tremendous turnover rate in the retail industry. So, everything that looks good might not always be so. Thus, when hiring for a retail business, make sure either you are calling the candidate or they are calling you back minimum after 24 hours. Talk to them back:  

After you have spoken with the references 

After you have interviewed other people

After the candidates have sweated a bit thinking if you will hire them

 Doing this will keep you strong as an employer.  

Don’t Go with Your Gut

To hire good retail employees, you must first filter out the posers. If you throw curveballs, it will force candidates to give a genuine and unrehearsed reply. So, if you find an applicant is precisely giving you the answers you wanted to hear about their skills and successes, try to find something you will not like.  

Listening to your gut instincts might end in a mistake in hiring. So, ask something like this to a candidate who seems perfect: “We all know no one can be perfect. Can you tell us about a time you didn’t serve your customers perfectly and how you handled the situation?” 

Competent candidates can pinpoint a time like this and tell you what they did uniquely to solve an issue like this. However, if an incompetent employee is sitting in front of you who is just pretending to be efficient, they will tell you that it never happened.  

Over to You 

So, what are you waiting for? If you want to recruit the best and most capable employees for your retail client, follow the above proven hiring tips. With these excellent retail hiring strategies, we at Rekrooting hired some of the best contingent candidates for a couple of our premium retail clients whom the employer retained for extended periods.