Depending on how you're counting, there is 4 days left until
Black Friday. I am currently employed as a sales associate in a national department store and would like to share some thoughts on what is the busiest day of the year for most stores. Many of these things really should be applied all year round , but are especially important during busy times like the Christmas season.
1. Be Patient. If you don't listen to anything else I suggest at least listen to this one. Holiday season means that there is a TON of customers in the store and they all seem to be needing help. Right now our backstock is so full that we can barely squeeze through some areas and can't get to others. It might take us a few minutes to grab the right size or color you need, but we'll do our best. Associates are trying hard to keep things moving along , but it is very stressful, so when somebody comes along who is grumpy and rude, chance are we are less inclined to try our best for you.
2. Carts Are In High Demand and Short Supply. Last weekend we had customers standing at the end of the checkout lanes asking people if they were done with their cart. If you have kids you might want to bring in your stroller otherwise you might end up carrying your baby in your arms as you try to shop. Generally stores won't care if you place items in the strollers as long as you make sure to throughly clean out all merchandise once you get the the registers.
3. Leave The Kids At Home. (or bring a baby sitter with you) I can't tell you the number of times I've seen stressed out parents snap because they have tired, crabby or exited kids grabbing items off the shelf, repeating the "I WANT" mantra, running around or running away etc. Try to work it out so that you only take one kid at a time (maybe two if they are well behaved). I had a mother one time bring in 6 kids ranging from 12 years old to 12 months and while she shopped they went to go play on the furniture. They were screaming (literally) and wildly rocking on some chairs. Completely unsupervised and completely unacceptable.
4. The Toy Department is NOT a BABYSITTER. While tempting, it is not okay to let children loose in the toy department while you shop. I had two kids once who found a football and began tossing it back and forth over clothes racks. Where was their parent? Shopping on the other side of the store. I can't tell you the number of children who find a toy they want to show mommy or daddy and end up getting lost in the store searching for them. Thankfully we now have a policy so we can take unsupervised children, lock them in our stockrooms and put their little fingers to work repairing all the broken and damaged merchandise we get.
5. Don't Wander Away When Asking For Help (Similar to number 1). We might take away to search though the pile of stuff in our stockrooms so don't wander away from where we left you. We are already running around like mad so it certainly doesn't help when you take off and we have to go searching for you.
6. Fitting Rooms: Bring Out What You Bring In. Every one hates it when all the fitting rooms are full of unwanted merchandise. Please, please, please bring out what you bring in. Many retail stores have racks right outside of the fitting rooms where you can leave your unwanted merchandise. If a store doesn't have somewhere to drop off what you don't want, at the very least rehang what you are going to leave. It is one of the worst feelings to walk into the fitting rooms and find a big mess. It sucks up our time which we could be using to clean up shelves or help customers.
7. Fitting Rooms: Do Not Bring in Cartfulls of Items. Store limit the number of items you may take into the fitting room for three basic reasons. First, the less we let you take in, the cleaner the fitting rooms stay. Customers who only take in a few items tend to be better at rehanging and not dumping they're unwanted clothes. Second, the more items you take in at once, the easier it is to steal, and stores don't like people stealing. Lastly, it helps during busy seasons to reduce the time people have to wait for a fitting room. If every one abided by the the item limit, everyone would get in and out of the fitting rooms faster.
8. Make Sure You Have Your Money and Coupons BEFORE You Shop. It is really annoying when people get up to the checkout line and realize they left their wallet in the car or they're coupons at home. Check before you shop and then you won't be embarrassed when you wait for 20 minutes in line only to find you can't pay for it. If you forgot your coupon at home ask the store's policy before you start shopping.
9. Tell Some One If You Break Or Spill Something. I work in a department with open stock dishes and stemware, glass picture frames and candles and various other breakables. Very few stores still have a "you creak it you buy it" policy. I have broken my share of ceramic candle holders and dishes and I really don't care if you accidently break something. However, I would like to know about it as soon as it happens so some little kid doesn't come around and eat it (see item 4). Same goes with spilled foods and drinks. I really don't care just as long as it gets cleaned up right away so some old lady doesn't come through and slip on it. If you are too embarrassed just tell the associate that someone else did it.
10. DO NOT GIVE CHILDREN BAGS OF LITTLE FOOD PARTICLES Cheerios, GoldFish Crackers, Gummi Bears, Chex, M&Ms, Skittles, KIX, Marshmellows and Animal Crackers are just a few of the items that I've seen kids drop on the floor. If you really feel the need to give your child any of the above (or similar) items while in a store, please only give them 3 or 4 at a time. I watched a naughty little toddler take his bag of Goldfish crackers and dump the all over the floor because mummy wouldn't buy him a toy. If an incident like this occurs while you are shopping, please tell an associate so we can clean it up BEFORE the marshmellows get ground into the carpet.
11. A Messy Store Is Not The Associates Fault. Sometimes we stock the shelves to full, in which case associates can take partial blame, but then customers complain about how we never have their size out. The store is a mess because lots of people have come into shop and they dig through shelves and don't put things back. While part of my job is to clean up after slobbish customers and hunt down items that some lazy shopper has randomly placed in another department, I'd rather be assisting people in getting items or putting away returns or getting out new products. Put the item back where you found it and make every one happy.
12. Go Home When the Store Closes. When the store makes it's closing announcement, stop what you are doing and go to the registers to checkout. We want to go home and see our families or go to sleep.
13. Don't Shop While Rushed. Don't walk in the store 15 minutes before we close and complain about how you don't like shopping while rushed (yes, I've had this happen). Don't shop when you are running late. Give yourself ample time to find what you need. People get grumpy and mean when they are rushed and that doesn't due anyone any good.
14. Don't Wait Until Christmas Eve to Shop. Popular items will be gone, mega-sales will probably be over, and peoples tempers will be worn thin. If you do have to shop Christmas Eve Don't expect much.
15. Get Off the Cell Phone While Being Helped. If you ask me for help and then sit and yap on your phone while motioning me to wait, I will leave. I have ten million things to do and simply don't have time to wait for you to finish your call. Also, when you are being checked out at the register get off the phone, it is just plain rude.
I could go on and on but at least for now I need to take a breather. If you have any other suggestions, please leave a comment.
I think it is more impressive in person. (It is roughly the size of the palm of my hand.).
Afterwards we went out to dessert with all the Hartliep kids, me, Jans' mom, Brian (future step-father), Brian's daughter Brooke, and Brian's parents. Quite the gathering.
The sculpture park had a metal tree.
Janson and I then went back down the waterfront and ate at a phenomenal restaurant called the Crab Pot. 
We had a big bowl of clams, mussels, crab legs, shrimp, corn and potatoes dumped on the table in front of us and it was delicious.
We then went to go see Monkey Warfare which was showing as part of the Seattle International Film Festival. It was a pretty good movie, well done and enjoyable.
Janson's mom and Brian:
It was a beautiful small ceremony of just family and a few friends. It took place at the back yard of a house on Anderson Island (not sure of the connection between homeowners and couple). Janson now has a step-dad and two step-sisters which is kinda crazy! 
After the wedding we went out to eat with the happy couple, all their kids as well as me and Kalina's boyfriend, Tony.
