'We all have families': As the holiday shopping season reaches its peak, here's what retail workers want you to keep in mind

With the passing of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, we've once again reached what is typically one of the most challenging periods of the year for retail workers.

It's no secret why that is, either.

The rush to purchase limited quantities of discounted items and the clamoring for last minute gifts around this time of year can easily make for an atmosphere that is more hectic than usual at stores across the country. Throw in the fact that the employees running these stores have already had their jobs complicated by a stubbornly persistent pandemic for the past 20 months, and you could understand why any one of them might dread the holiday shopping season.

With that in mind, I took to The Break Room (TBR), the retail-focused private forum on LinkedIn, to ask a simple question: What can customers do to make workers' lives easier this time of year?

Some of the replies made a plea for shoppers to think of their own families.

"If you wouldn't yell at your daughter, mom or wife because they weren't at the register the second you rolled up to it or because the coupon you had didn't work, or because you downloaded an app wrong and digital coupons didn't work — or for any one of a hundred picky reasons — don't yell at us," one Dollar General store leader wrote.

"We all have families, we're all looking forward to spending time with loved ones. Those things need to be kept in mind," another TBR member wrote from Illinois. "...Kindness, patience and a smile may just make the day a little better for the human being in front of you."

Others shared more specific advice that can help avoid some of most typical issues that make store employees' jobs more difficult. In this edition of The Hustle, you'll find responses that are representative of what most retail workers had to say in response to this prompt.

You can check them all out below and, if you’re a retail worker, click the button also below to join The Break Room on LinkedIn for more conversations about customer service work.

Know what you want

"Having some idea of the specifics one is shopping for is also really helpful, I get a lot of people shopping for something but they don't know the brand, model or size" an Idaho-based retail worker said. "They are looking for something specific but don't have a lot of details for me to help them get what they want."

"We aren’t mind readers when you are looking for something and can’t explain exactly what you want," one JCPenny employee added.

Don't treat us like we're invisible

"Don't assume that because we work in a shop we are stupid. Don't talk to us in a horrible manner if you've had a bad day. Acknowledge our existence; so many times I've been putting stock out and had a hand go across my face," wrote one U.K.-based retail worker. "Say 'excuse me.'"

Come to the line ready

"Please have everything ready to go! Money, products, etc. Instead of playing on your phone while you're waiting in line, get everything ready so your cashier can check you out more quickly," an Orlando-based retail worker wrote. "The person behind you will thank you, too."

Be attentive at home

"If you are ordering gifts online, please be sure to put the correct delivery address, check delivery notifications, make sure you don't leave parcels outside for a long period of time, report it right away if you see that the parcel has been delivered, but you have not received it," a San Antonio-based USPS employee wrote, "that will give us a better opportunity of recovering it."

Don't leave a mess

"Remember that it takes work to make eye-appealing displays, or get products processed to entice you; picking something up and not putting it back the way you found it can be infuriating," another Illinois-based TBR member wrote. "Imagine you're an associate, with 80-plus feet of space you are recovering, and someone comes and just picks out something, and rather than put it back, throws it on top, or on the floor, WHILE you are standing there. With the lack of labor out there, stop adding to the workload."

We don't make the rules

"Don't yell at us — we don't set the prices, we don't choose the sales, we don't control the stock level/inventory, we don't make the company policy, etc. Yelling at us causes a scene in the store, and ultimately you still won't get your way," a Florida-based store manager wrote.

"Understand we don't make the products, or have control over when they come and how much comes," a Lowe's store leader added. "Don't yell at me or my associates when something comes in damaged. It happens. Especially now with how quickly they are moving product from overseas to the ports to the trains and trucks."

Save yourself time

"If you are shopping for decor to spruce up your rooms for holiday guests, please bring samples of paint, fabrics, or carpet that you wish to match," one cashier based in British Columbia wrote. "Do not rely on cell phone pictures as the lighting in your home does not match the lighting in the store, and the colours are always off. It will save you time and frustration to get it right the first time, and it frees up sales associates from having to do unnecessary returns and trying to find pieces that we had in stock a few weeks ago, but are sold out now."

Be mindful of the times

"Realize that there is a problem nationwide with the supply chain," a Costco store assistant wrote, alluding to the long saga that has resulted in longer wait times for online orders, among other implications. "While we do everything to keep things in stock, we sometimes just can’t get them."

Adhere to the Safety measures

"As others have said, be calm, patient and polite. And PLEASE wear your masks," one Saskatchewan-based retail worker wrote. "We hate them as much as a customer and we HATE asking for the customer to put them on."

Are there any other points that should be added to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments below.