Black Friday is known for being a mess. People think they get a pass to be ruthless and throw elbows to get the last Xbox One at Target or the last pair of Bailey Bow Ties at the UGG store.

I don’t know who’s giving out these passes, but they need to give it a rest because as a cashier who works in retail, customers are getting to be a bit too much.

I went to work on Black Friday like I would any other day, fresh-faced and ready to start my shift. However, my day didn’t go as it typically would. My third customer in dropped all of her items on the counter – which was fine, mistakes happen – but then jerked away from the counter and demanded that I pick up the items because I was somehow at fault.

After picking the items up, ringing her up and proceeding to tell her no coupons could be used on her items because they were all doorbusters, she proceeded to scream at me that someone should have told her about that before she got in the long *insert expletive here* line and ranted about how the franchise and I should have known better then to *expletive* create these stipulations on Black Friday, of all days. In essence, she ranted until I canceled the transaction. She then swung her bag on her shoulder, which resulted in her items once again falling off the counter.

She was one person and, as someone who works in retail, I should be able to brush it off and move on because there’s always that one person. But on Black Friday, it’s as if every other customer is that one person and as the day goes on, it’s a crescendo until it’s time to clock out, which by then I’ve taken such a verbal beating that I’m literally death walking.

Which brings me to the simple fact that I’m a person, too. Just as you get upset because things don’t happen how you want, I get upset that customers – because you surely won’t be the only one in my nine hour shift – keep yelling at me about something that I have no power over.

I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t necessarily overly nice to cashiers before my best friend embarrassed me one night while we were shopping in Forever 21. He ended up scolding me and telling me I should say hello and return the favor and ask the cashier how their day is going because it’s the polite thing to do. And he’s right.

Although, there may be some difficult customers out there the customers that simply take a moment to say, “Hi, how are you?” and inquire about your day makes a difference. I’ve got nine hours of standing up and ringing out people ahead of me, and it breaks the daze to hear someone actually say hi and remember that you’re a person, too.

So all I’m saying is remember that those people ringing you out, that you may not be able to see because you piled so many items on the counter, have hearts that beat just as yours does. And it takes less than a second to acknowledge them. Also, before you lose your temper on someone, realize that they are not the person you’re truly angry at so maybe you should redirect that energy.

On a side note – How are you today?

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