During the holiday season, stores get so overcrowded. As a customer, it can at times be overwhelming with long lines and noisy patrons. Years ago I had a six-year stint as a retail cashier and I would like to remind you all of why you should be nice to retail workers. Here are some things that I experienced:

1. At times those with the least amount of money will give the most to others. And many times those with the most will argue every single price with the cashier. Every. single. cent. I once had a lady complain about me because I mistakenly rang her up for $1.00 versus 99 cents. I gave her a dime from my own pocket for her time. 
2. Little old people can be so very sweet and cute. They can also change prices with the best of them. I once saw an eighty-year-old in a wheelchair peeling off prices and replacing them with lower ones.
3. People get very afraid when they find fake snakes hidden behind things! We had a group of neighborhood children who would come and visit every day after school. They enjoyed playing tricks and one was hiding plastic snakes from the toy department all over the store. Under fabric, behind school supplies, you never knew where they would turn up. At random times during the week you would hear someone let out a huge scream. No doubt they had found a snake. Looking back I probably should have known CPR as some of the victims nearly had a heart attack. 
4. When your store does not have a public restroom people get upset. When people get upset they also sometimes get creative. We once found poop inside a vase. Perhaps they wanted to recycle for fertilizer? We also found it once in the middle of aisle 2. Right there for all the world to see. 
5. People sometimes don’t want to walk far from the parking lot so they just run right into the store. Once we had a lady accidentally push the gas pedal instead of the brake. She ran right into the glass window, into the store and pushed an entire aisle a few feet back. 
6. One man decided his change wasn’t quite good enough. When the cashier went to give him his change he just took all the money he could grab. 

After reading my experiences I hope it serves as a reminder to be kind to those working at stores this holiday season! They may be going through more than you know!

Have you ever been a retail worker? If so anything to add to my list?