Every year for Thanksgiving, my family and I go to my grandparents’ house for dinner. Shortly after our arrival, I eat myself into a food coma and relax on the couch for the rest of the evening. To me, Thanksgiving is the most underrated holiday, because not only is it acceptable to stuff your face with massive amounts of mashed potatoes, but it is a time to reflect and be thankful for everything you have. However, it is no secret that Black Friday has been creeping into our Thanksgiving celebrations. Although stores such as Nordstrom and H&M will remain closed on Thanksgiving day, many stores will be welcoming customers.

I have been on both ends of Black Friday. I have headed out to shop at midnight, and I have worked all throughout the night into the next morning. This year, I will be on the receiving end of Black Friday as a retail worker. My mom will leave Thanksgiving dinner a few hours early to begin the first of her two shifts, and I will follow shortly after to start mine. Yes, it sucks working retail on Black Friday. No, I am not writing this to complain. As a college student, I am very appreciative to have a job and managers that are willing to schedule me. My purpose for writing this is to ask a favor from Black Friday shoppers this year:

Please be nice to us retail workers.

We have all heard it before, Black Friday is the day that we spend being greedy after giving thanks for what we have the day before. As a retail worker, it is our job to provide customers with excellent service from the moment they walk into our store until they leave. Black Friday puts us on edge, makes us tired and tests our ability to work in a stressful environment. The panic, and sometimes tears, is what shoppers do not see behind the scenes.

I love Black Friday. I do not so much love that it begins on Thanksgiving, but I get it. It is exciting to go out with family or friends during the late hours of the night to get deals from your favorite stores. This is why I am not asking that shoppers stay home and boycott the holiday. I just ask that when out shopping, keep in mind what these workers have sacrificed to do their jobs. The last situation they deserve is to deal with a customer unhappy about a price not ringing up correctly or upset that a product is sold out.

When entering a store on Thanksgiving or Black Friday, remember to carry the thankful attitude sparked from previous Thanksgiving celebrations. We, as retail workers, promise to provide shoppers with excellent service to the best of our ability, and hope that in return shoppers promise to cut us some slack if there is a 20-minute wait to check out. In the end, we are all in this together. Here is to a happy Black Friday, and an even happier Thanksgiving.