Working retail can be challenging at the best of times - and, judging by the headlines these days, this holiday season isn't what you'd call the best of times. So the mood in the malls and the stores isn't quite as festive this holiday season. It's hard to hold on to your holiday spirit when you're worried about your job or how you're going to pay your bills.
Shoppers seem to be just as short on patience as they are on cash. A lineup at the checkout can transform a cluster of holiday shoppers into a gaggle of grumbling grinches. And a simple mistake made to someone's coffee order can lead to heated words being directed at the barista by some twitching, pre-caffeinated customer.
A lot of the people taking the heat from John and Jane Q. Public during the so-called season of goodwill and cheer are teenagers who are getting a foothold into the world of work via the service industry.
It's not the novice cashier's fault if the line at the checkout is winding its way out the store. Maybe he needed more training (to speed up his checkout efficiency). Maybe one of his coworkers called in sick, leaving the store short-staffed. Or maybe the profit margin this season is so low, thanks to early markdowns, that the store owner can only afford to have one cashier working checkout.
Making snarky remarks at the kid when it's your turn to pay won't make your life any better - and it can certainly make the teenager working cash a whole lot worse.
If you can flash back to what your life was like during your burger-flipping days - or focus on your own teens' close encounters of the part-time employment kind - you'll be less inclined to bite off the head of the next teenager who hands you a double-double instead of a regular coffee - or who makes you wait seven minutes in line to pay for your holiday purchases. It could be a truly life-changing holiday experience -- like the one that gave the Grinch a whole new outlook on life.
Who knows? You might even rack up some bonus holiday karma points with the big guy. 'Tis the season to be on your best behavior, after all.
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