Which is worse working in retail on Black Friday? Opening or closing shift?
832386
I think closing is definetely worse, the only problem is if you open you may have trouble getting relieved so you can go. But i think it would be better to get up early and deal with that then go home and take a nap.
874476
Black Friday is one time a year and is the day after thanksgiving. It is called that because it is the kick-off of the Christmas shopping season and one of the biggest shopping days of the year. That is why all the stores open super early and have HUGE sales and giveaways.
1167971
I used to and I can say that I like my past jobs better. I worked in the jewelry dept and i hated that we had to wait for the rest of the store to be restored at closing when our dept was done. Not fair at all. We had to go and help them...it sucked
1075844
Emergencies. Believe me, when you work night shift at one of these stores, when you go to the restroom or to the stock room, you DO NOT want anyone coming in when you are not fully alert and unable to see what is going on in the store.
417264
I think being in the departments is best. Working is the register is monotonous and you don't really learn much about how the store operates. Plus, you're tied down to a tiny space your entire shift. The sales floor is the place to be.
82855
Working at either a retail store, fast food place or restruant.
698556
This is late, but thought I’d share my thoughts on it too.  First of all, when they say “minimum # per store”, that may mean they have to have at least that many when the stores open; it doesn’t mean that’s the maximum they have available.  My friend recently pointed this out to me.  And I was like “that’s true!”.\n\nSecondly, you have to be REALLY early in order to be one of the first in line.  And when I say really early, that’s like prior to 12AM!  We drove by Target & Circuit City at 1AM on Black Friday, because we were still awake and it was on the way home from our family’s Thanksgiving dinner, and there were already TONS of people lining up around the Circuit City store.  Target wasn’t as bad, maybe about 10 people waiting in line.  But it was only 1AM!!!\n\nI heard that only Best Buy was passing out tickets at 4AM.  I didn’t hear if the other stores did or not; I’m assuming no, just because this is the first year I actually heard about the tickets, which I think is a bad idea.  That’s not good for the late comers.  So, to answer your question: yes, first come first serve, with or without tickets.\n\nEven though they let 10 people in at a time, those 10 can stay in store as long as they wish.  They let people in staggered like that because it eliminates the “mob effect”, so there isn’t a million people rushing into the store all at once.  That’s how people get trampled on.\n\nI doubt you got it, but I hope you got your laptop.  :-)
742855
i don't recommend working retail unless it's seasonal or something because as a long term job, it would suck majorly. \nand to answer your question, it depends where the location is and your own personal experience :)  \nyou should apply and ask how much they are offering to give you. i would say no less than $8 an hour to start even if it is your first job.
341083
Definitely Target!  The overall atmosphere is much different in Target than it is in Walmart, for the better.  In my opinion, Target is cleaner, not as "frenzied".  Also, the two stores attract very different types of people!
773225
there are 2 businesses.\nthe 1st one opens at 9.am and closes at 1am.\nthe 2nd one opens at 1pm and closes at 9pm.
321485
Off topic, but I work at the same place you do. OTB 2nd Shift...
919349
Most everything is closed, including restaurants. I was just at a Wal Mart Supercenter and the cashier told me she has to work on Thanksgiving, so they will be open.
1128892
I'm not going to pretend that I know what it is like to do the 7 on 7 off schedule, but the transition from day to night is rough. I invested in those room darkening blinds ($10 at Walmart) and stole a pair of ear plugs from the factory I worked for. If you're in a factory, you probably agree that the industrial ear plugs are good enough that you don't hear the trash man outside, but weak enough that you can hear the alarm. The new blinds didn't make my room pitch black at night, but it helped. As far as switching the schedules, try to push yourself on Friday (or whatever your last work day is) to not go to sleep until anywhere from 8-10 that night. It'll wear you out enough that you won't be up before the crack of dawn. You'll also get enough sleep that you can enjoy the weekend "properly". Also, try to get on a sleep schedule as soon as possible. If you stick to the same schedule everyother week your body will get more used to it quicker. ie. don't stay up til noon one day and get in bed at 8 the next.
974355
One theory is that retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss for most of the year (January through November) and made their profit during the holiday season. When this would be recorded in the financial records, common accounting practices use red ink to show negative amounts and black ink would show positive amounts. Black Friday is the beginning of the period where they would no longer have losses (the red) and instead take in the year's profits (the black).\n\nEarliest Citation, speaking to the Friday after Thanksgiving:\n\nA BLACK FRIDAY.\nThere have been many Black Fridays in recent history. Most of them have been days of financial panic. There has been none of blacker foreboding than last Friday. And the blackness is not loss or fear of loss in stocks and bonds.\nNew York Times (1857-Current file).\nNew York, N.Y.: Dec 3, 1922. pg. 38, 1 pgs\nISSN/ISBN 03624331\n\nAnother theory comes from the fact that shopping experience on this day can be extremely stressful. The term is used as a comparison to the extremely stressful and chaotic experience of Black Thursday or other black days. According to The Word Spy:\n\nEarliest Citation:\nChristmas decorations around Tampa Bay started going up in late October, and business has been brisk since then. And while Friday--known as Black Friday for the legendary hordes--will be the biggest shopping day for many area stores, others ring up the greatest sales the Saturday before Christmas.\n—Marilyn Marks, "Retailers expect good sales this Christmas," St. Petersburg Times, November 27, 1986\n\nEmployees of retail stores have for years referred to Black Friday in a satirical way, to note the extremely stressful and hectic nature of the day. Heavy traffic and customer demands added to the long hours make it a difficult day.
861090
No. My poor husband had to work, though! He's an assistant manager at a retail electronics store. His manager told him to be there by 5 a.m. - and they were going to be written up if they didn't, or were late. So - he was there at a quarter till 5; the MANAGER didn't show up till 5.30!
901743
No    All the "special items" that are the Black Friday sale items are wrapped up in bundles in different aisles and at 5am the employees unwrap them and its basically a free for all and when they run out thats it.
908268
That isn't fair.  I would write everything down and take the issue to upper management or HR.  No matter what your job title, it is no reason to be treated that way. The quick vengeful solution would be to quit during a very busy time of day, but you have to make sure you will  be able to make do until you find another job.  Doing that won't look good for you when you apply for the next job though.  Just try to be patient for meanwhile.  I actually think this is the easiest time to look for a new job, especially in retail or any place that gets busy during the holidays.  Good Luck!!