Tips for Those Working in Retail on Black Friday

By Danielle Wirsansky on November 14, 2017

Each year, Black Friday is a big deal. It’s a big deal for the stores, it is a big deal for the shoppers, and most of all, it is a big deal for the employees who have to work it. Black Friday is a crush — in 2014, US News reports that Walmart had more than 22 million people visit its stores alone for the holiday. They also report that more than seven people have died and more than 100 people injured since 2006 — and oftentimes, those caught in the crossfire are the employees themselves.

Black Friday is a notoriously unpleasant day for retail employees, with customers behaving aggressively and the hours long and cutting in on what was once holiday time to be spent with family.

Working retail on Black Friday is more than a hassle, but someone always ends up doing it, right? So if you are one of the unlucky people working retail on Black Friday, here are some tips to keep you and your day going all right.

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Wear Comfortable Shoes

The biggest tip for working retail on Black Friday is to wear comfortable shoes. You are going to be on your feet, rushing around and more all day. The customers are sure to keep you on your toes. You will be re-organizing displays, ringing up items at cash registers, unpacking boxes, finding items in the back room. The goal is to make as much business as possible and the crowds are going to keep you busy and working all day long.

If you are only an hour into your shift and your feet are already hurting, how are you going to make it the rest of the day? Not only will it impede your ability to do your job but being uncomfortable will put you in a bad mood, making it more difficult to work with your co-workers and employees alike. You want to get through Black Friday as unscathed as possible so wearing comfortable shoes is important.

More than comfortable shoes, you can also use shoe inserts, tape certain toes together, and carry band-aids. The taping method is usually reserved for when wearing heels, but why not when working retail?

WhoWhatWear.com lays out the method to tape your toes: “Tape your third and fourth toes (counting from the big toe) together — we recommend nude medical tape for a low-profile look, but Scotch tape works in a pinch– to alleviate pain in the ball of your foot.”

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Have Headache Relief Tactics

Headaches can be brought on by many different things, including but not limited to stress, loud noises, and difficult customers. You will have an abundance of those if you work retail on Black Friday. However, having a headache on Black Friday will make the experience even more of an ordeal than it has to be. The best thing to do is to ward off your headaches and have some headache relief tactics that work for you at the ready.

You can always take Motrin, Advil, Tylenol, ibuprofen, Aleve. Whatever painkiller works for you is a choice. But in case you do not like taking medicines and want to try a few different tactics to relieve your headache, try these out:

•Drink coffee!

·WebMD. com says this about the headache-relieving powers of coffee: “When your head hurts, you want relief fast. Whether it’s a run-of-the-mill tension headache or a migraine, caffeine can help. That’s why it’s an ingredient in a lot of popular pain relievers. … Caffeine helps reduce inflammation, and that can bring relief.”

•Drink water!

·According to FreeDrinkingWater.com, “Water can aid as a treatment to all of these headaches. In tension headaches, it was noted above that a cause can be fatigue. Fatigue is a side effect of dehydration. So, if dehydration is the cause of the fatigue and fatigue is the cause of the headache, start by treating the fatigue and get hydrated.”

•Take deep breaths

·Oftentimes, as people go throughout their day, they do not take as many deep breaths as they should. It is easy to fall into the trap of not paying attention to your breathing and beginning to breathe too shallowly. When that happens, you do not get enough oxygen, and it can bring on a headache. Just take a minute or two to breathe, and breathe deeply at that.

WebMD.com suggests this method of breathing: “Continue breathing, but each time you inhale, imagine that you are breathing in more relaxation. Each time you exhale imagine that you are getting rid of a little more tension. Progressive muscle relaxation: Switch your thoughts to yourself and your breathing. Take a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly.”

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