After hearing from many friends and family what a zoo Black Friday was (I said no to shopping that day), I thought I'd share my thoughts about being a considerate shopper. We do still have 27 shopping days before Christmas. So, imagine, you are standing in your favorite electronics store with another stranger who also observes that there is only one DVD player left on the "red light special." Do you flip a coin, start a DVD player tug-o-war or offer to let them have it? (I know, that's a hard one.) Here are some suggestions next time you find yourself in a similiar situation:
· If there are not enough items to go around and too many shoppers, do your best to take the minimum of what you need. If it’s not possible to subdivide the items (like a DVD player or turkey), politely wish the other patron happy holidays and move on to the store. It’s not worth causing a scene.
· When the number of people in a store escalates, so do the number of carts. Remember to ‘drive’ your cart in much the same way as you would a car. Stay on the right side of your lane, and try not to ‘park’ your cart in the middle of an aisle, making it difficult for someone to go around you.
· If it’s unclear who was in front of who in line, be gracious. The few extra minutes it will take to let them go in front of you will go much quicker than the few extra minutes it would have taken if you ‘cut’ in front and had everyone’s eyes on the back of your head. (Haven't we all done this to the "line cutter?")
· Empty cart and basket at the checkout; being courteous to the stores’ employees is something that will payoff later—they will remember you during the crazy season as well as during the calm. Address them by their names and be patient when they don’t have all the answers because they cannot memorize thousands of SKU’s. And like your mom taught you, always say thank you.
· Be courteous to those behind you and have that credit card - or cash -ready to pay when it’s your turn. If you are paying in cash, make sure you have enough and don’t have to count through all your change after everything is rung up.
· If there are not enough items to go around and too many shoppers, do your best to take the minimum of what you need. If it’s not possible to subdivide the items (like a DVD player or turkey), politely wish the other patron happy holidays and move on to the store. It’s not worth causing a scene.
· When the number of people in a store escalates, so do the number of carts. Remember to ‘drive’ your cart in much the same way as you would a car. Stay on the right side of your lane, and try not to ‘park’ your cart in the middle of an aisle, making it difficult for someone to go around you.
· If it’s unclear who was in front of who in line, be gracious. The few extra minutes it will take to let them go in front of you will go much quicker than the few extra minutes it would have taken if you ‘cut’ in front and had everyone’s eyes on the back of your head. (Haven't we all done this to the "line cutter?")
· Empty cart and basket at the checkout; being courteous to the stores’ employees is something that will payoff later—they will remember you during the crazy season as well as during the calm. Address them by their names and be patient when they don’t have all the answers because they cannot memorize thousands of SKU’s. And like your mom taught you, always say thank you.
· Be courteous to those behind you and have that credit card - or cash -ready to pay when it’s your turn. If you are paying in cash, make sure you have enough and don’t have to count through all your change after everything is rung up.
And remember, it comes down to a common case of "treat everyone as you want to be treated."
Happy shopping all.
Making Etiquette Easy,
Susan K. Medina
Susan K. Medina
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