Getting Ready for the Holidays

It is an interesting time of year for people and business. As a child of retail, we ask our employees to get excited about the holiday season and exude this excitement outward toward our customers. However, we ask them to work odd hours, extra days and to understand that we will not be giving time off to travel to family. My last gig meant that we were open every day but one each year, 24 hours a day. I am "fortunate" that now I have three closed days and we operate from 8am to 10pm. There is almost enough time to sleep. This sad state of affairs came to be through catering to the demands of the general public for more access to the things they want exactly when they want it. Guess who works for you? Oh yeah, members of the general public that need to get things at odd hours of the day because they work odd hours to cater to other members of the general public. Now that I've brought that little bit of sunshine to everyone's day, don't let it curb your enthusiasm. The happiness of having a regular pay check at the holidays is harder to come by than it used to be. A lot of folks would like to know that there will be a tree with a few gifts and loved ones to share it all, even if there isn't enough time for a road trip to family holiday. The initial challenge of time off for family at the holidays is not a problem seeking resolution. It is a business necessity that is a self-propagating and demand driven. If you all can figure out how to change the demands of the citizens of this great republic, forget worrying about retail work hours and run for office! We could use a politician that is interested in our well-being that can get us all to listen at the same time!