In a Facebook post, Cassie Wade from Nashvile, Tennesse, displayed why it is important to be mindful when shopping during the holidays.
If you've ever worked retail, you probably don't need to read this article (unless you want to relive all the horrors, of course). However, if you've had the privilege of never working a retail job in your life, here's why it's probably one of the most demanding and terrible occupations ever - and you only get paid minimum wage. While it's pretty bad on any day, the holiday season is when it gets absolutely horrific. It all starts on Black Friday, that is, the worst day of the year for retail workers, and only gets progressively worse. Thankfully, there are some shoppers who make things a little easier on us. One such shopper, Cassie Wade, took to Facebook to encourage others to be mindful while heading out shopping this holiday season.
Cassie visited a few shops at her local shopping mall over the weekend and was shocked to find all the items lying astray. Instead of blaming the shopkeepers and attendants, she knew who the true culprit was: the customers themselves. From placing items back on the wrong shelves to throwing them carelessly on the floor, customers who shopped at the stores she visited seemed to have no regard for the products themselves or the people who would have to clean up after them. One can only imagine the kind of apathy someone would have in order to expect a random stranger to pick up after them. Instead of keeping mum about the situation, Cassie decided to speak up.
In a Facebook post, she uploaded photos of the absolute nightmare she saw and wrote, "Last night I needed to pick up a few items from Michaels and decided to pop in a few of the stores in the same shopping center. These are just a few photos from two different stores, not Michaels. The lines were all full of people buying holiday gifts and some complaining about the lines. If this is your holiday spirit, you need to re-evaluate some things. I overheard a lady yelling at a cashier about Christmas lights. I made conversation with my cashier at Michaels because I could tell it had been a rough day and one of her statements was, 'At least I haven’t cried today.' Y’all, it’s glitter and garland, why are you yelling at retail employees? Take an extra moment to be a decent human to retail and hospitality folks. They have to work insane hours during the holidays so you can buy the latest and greatest for your family while they are away from theirs. Be better."
Cassie made all her points with eloquence, and others took notice, too. Her post quickly went viral, gaining attention from individuals across the country. Since it was first uploaded, the post has gained over 36,000 reactions and 155 comments. It has also been shared over 68,000 times. Some Facebook users decided to share their own experiences in the comments section. Chris Hartsell stated, "I worked ten years in retail during the holidays. My birthday is Christmas Day and I was always depressed for it because of work. The emotional abuse and just general cleaning up after people take so much out of you. Be good to retail workers, people." And woop, there it is. That's the simple moral of the story, y'all. Be good to people. It really is just that easy.