ANNAPOLIS – ‘Tis the night before Black Friday and all around town, store managers are ordering pizzas and hoping computers don’t go down. But they’re thinking, too, of busy workers, serving countless customers with glee – they’ll need a little rest and perhaps a spot of tea.
Rhyming aside, the day after Thanksgiving is the kick off of the Christmas shopping season – a time when workers, never mind shoppers, work ’til they drop.
Many employers have taken heed of their workers woes and are catering to their employees, literally.
For example, at Westfield Shoppingtown in Annapolis, store managers and employees are bringing in food to provide nutrition and motivation for harried workers who don’t have time to think about eating.
“It’s nonstop, one customer after another,” said Kristen Swift, a Kay Jewelers employee.
There, she said, employees work a 10-hour shift with barely a chance to breathe, so the store will stock diamonds for shoppers and pizza for workers.
“We all know what we’re headed for on Black Friday,” said Swift. “We’re prepared for it.”
Sales for the holiday season are projected to increase 5 percent over last year, according to the Maryland Retailers Association. Even though the Saturday before Christmas is the biggest shopping day in terms of dollars, Black Friday – so dubbed because the day after Thanksgiving is typically the first time a retailer’s books show black for the year – is the biggest day in terms of customer traffic.
With the holiday shopping season the make-or-break time for most retailers, stores try different techniques to keep employee morale high, and keep them selling.
“Black Friday is similar to the Super Bowl for retailers,” said Tom Saquella, president of the Maryland Retailers Association. “They focus on getting the team ready.”
Some customers venture out the day after Thanksgiving because of tradition and to window-shop, said Saquella. This brings high traffic, but lower dollar sales. Retailers, however, said the day is busy enough in terms of sales.
“We have part-time employees who take off their full-time jobs so they can work that day,” said Doug Golden, manager of Radio Shack.
Golden brings in a luncheon platter so employees can munch throughout the day.
On a typical Friday, Radio Shack processes about 100 orders. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, the number quadruples.
“It’s a long day, but a very profitable, very nice day,” said Golden.
At KB Toys, employees plan to dress identically and have a pot luck lunch, the manager said.
The store opens at 5 a.m. on Black Friday, even though the mall does not open until 8 a.m. Shoppers begin to line up an hour before the store opens and employees monitor the number of shoppers because of fire codes.
Champs kicks off the holiday with an employee party and a secret Santa gift exchange.
“We all bring in cakes and stuff and have our holiday shindig,” said a Champs spokeswoman.
Banana Republic, Build-A-Bear Workshop and The Gap all plan to order pizza and platters for their employees.
“The store supplies the food and we wear special outfits,” said a Build-A-Bear spokeswoman. “It makes the day a little different.”
Stores have been in holiday mode since the first or second week of November, said Saquella, even though Black Friday is the traditional holiday season kick-off.
“There’s only one day worse than Black Friday,” said Saquella. “The day after Christmas when the returns come back.”