Working in a mall during the holidays has let me see the real world of retail. The congested highways, the full parking lots, the crowded malls. and the worry of shoplifters all affect me every time I go to work. While I don't work at a big department store, I still see the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers in the mall. Working in a smaller, more expensive shop, has let me see the truly snobby shoppers during the holidays. These people can really be on a mission for the best deals and sales in town, and who am I to get in their way?

Sales goals and trying to keep the store clean can be difficult during this time of year too. Every day, my store has one day sales, and I can't keep track of all of all of them. When people ask me if something is on sale, I honestly never know. The sales come and go so quickly. It's insane. The pressure of making sales goals doesn't help either. You would think that the holidays would make it easier to make goals, but it doesn't. With so many people working and so many things to get done, it's nearly impossible to make the $1000 goal for your four hour shift. On my last shift, I spent two of my four hours wrapping presents... I sold around $200 worth of merchandise that day.

Just about everyday, we have to call mall security to the store because we have a "sketchy" person doing a "return." This is tiring, because I hate having to be cautious with people and always being on the lookout for people walking out the door with things. " 'Tis the season" everyone seems to say, but it's just sad that that's true.

Let's not forget the endless parade of coupons and free shipping codes. "I got an email the other day for 15% off. Can I use that?" That never gets old. Just about every coupon excludes what they want to buy, and I have to spend five minutes comforting them. This close to Christmas, almost everything is sold out online. They come in the store hoping to find what they need, but we are just about out of everything, except for the ugly stocking no one wants. If they are lucky enough to find what they want online, they expect free shipping. Most days in December are free shipping days, but sometimes it's not. Those days mean even more complaints.

With all of this being said, it is definitely worth tackling the congested highways, the full parking lots, and the crowded malls because once it's all over, you're glad you could make your loved ones happy. As for the workers, it'll all be over soon, and we can get back to the regular hours with not-so-great pay. The constant stress of shoplifters will be gone, you can focus on the regular sales, and on selling to regular guests, not ones looking for the best deal.

Happy Holidays!