3 Tips to Survive Black Friday as a Retail Worker

3 Tips to Survive Black Friday as a Retail Worker3 Tips to Survive Black Friday as a Retail WorkerWhen did Thanksgiving weekend become an occasion to flaunt ones prowess for retail hunting and gathering rather an opportunity to count ones blessings? If you work in the retail industry, you are probably gearing up for Black Friday. The official departure to the holiday season has not historically seen Americans exhibiting their kindest or their most festive behavior. Intoxicated by the prospect of saving money on holiday gifts, Black Friday shoppers notorious reputation has only fueled retailers enthusiasm to direct the throngs into their stores. At some retail locations, the Black Friday festivities start Thanksgiving afternoon or evening, while other stores are closed for the holiday but will be open bright and early on Friday November 27. Whether your Black Friday assignment starts Thursday or Friday, here are a few tips to help you make it through Dress the partMake sure to wear co mfortable shoes, because you are going to be on your feet and running hard for the duration of your shift. Also, with so many more people in the store at one time, you are going to get really warm, so dress in layers. And due to the holiday vibe, you may be asked to wear a Santa hat or some other festive apparel for the occasioncute for ten minutes and then brutally hot. Exercise mental crowd controlExisting in crowds doesnt bring out the best in people. Crowds cause stress. They make people worry that their individual needs are going unheard and so their behavior becomes louder and increasingly urgent. Dont absorb the urgency in the environment. You dont have to share in this discomfort. Aim to be a beacon of calm.You have a job to do, and your customers are important. But you are important too. You are the one controlling this situation so dont hesitate to politely ask them for the respect you deserve. Using a controlled voice remind your customers what you expect Sir, Im happy to assist you, but I cant do so when you are raising your voice to me. Ill give you a moment to reclaim your composure and then we can continue.You are a professional who came here to work. While you would like to help as many people as you can, you deserve respect. Rudeness or aggressiveness is unacceptable. Adults should understand this. They may believe that their urgency gives them the right to try to control the situation with rude behavior. This is simply not true. Have fun with itWorking retail on Black Friday is a true cultural experience. You will get a slew of interesting stories out of this and it is also resume building. Its impressive to be able to say that you did this. Its hard work and people will respect you for doing it. They will also want to hear your juicy stories about it. You and your coworkers can have a lot of fun with this. Come up with a team contest for the best story, craziest customer, oddest request, etc. It will make those difficult moments a bit easier to handle and it will help you put this whole experience into perspective. RememberWorking Black Friday might be a bit of a zoo, but its also a huge accomplishment. You are multitasking, providing customer service, and troubleshooting problems at a truly impressive pace. Its going to be an interesting life experience. It will yield great answers to future job interview questions. Plus, this can be a lot of fun. So own it. Black Friday here you come.

3 Tips to Nail Your Phone Screen

3 Tips to Nail Your Phone Screen3 Tips to Nail Your Phone ScreenDuring the infancy stages of the interview process, recruiters often contact you for a phone screen after theyve determined you are a potential candidate for the job. What does a phone screen mean for you?A phone screen shares many similarities to a phone interview, but the two serve different purposes. A phone interview is often lengthier and requires more in-depth answers from the candidate. A phone screen is often 15-20 minutes long and allows the recruiter to share more details about the role. Even though the phone screen may seem unusually simple compared to an in-person interview, it is a vital piece of the interview process and can make or break your chances of moving forward with the hiring process.What can you do to make aya you are ready?Do your researchOne of the first questions a recruiter will ask you is, What do you know about the company? They wont expect you to rattle off the companys history, but youll n eed to prove that you have a superficial understanding of the company.Its okay if you dont grasp the full scope of the companys services, but openly admitting you dont know anything wont impress the recruiter.To accomplish this, you can use a variety of methods, most of them involving your savvy tech skillsVisit their website, check them out on Glassdoor.Reach out to your LinkedIn connections to see if they know someone in that field who can point you in the right direction. Even five minutes of internet research can make all the difference when you are inevitably asked this question.Know your Why?Another common question during the phone screen will be something like What about the position attracted you to apply? or What interests you about this role? What the recruiter is looking for here is a thought-out explanation of why youre applying to their role specifically.Use the job description and the companys industry to your advantage here. If its in the technology field, maybe you e xplain that you think the tech industry is innovative and you want to be a part of that. If you have prior experience that overlaps with the role youre applying to, use that, too Recruiters know that youre probably applying to multiple positions at once. Your ability to relate your career aspirations directly with their company will tischset you up for success.Ask relevant questionsAsking relevant follow-up questions after the phone screen shows that youre engaged and genuinely interested in the role you applied to. Prepping some questions before the phone screen is a great plan and keep in mind the key here is relevance. The last thing you want to do is ask the recruiter intrusive questions about their career path or any questions regarding sensitive company insights.Any relevant questions during the phone screen are also acceptable. If at any point in time you need the information reiterated because you dont comprehend it, its fine to ask the recruiter to repeat themselves.Its als o okay to ask the recruiter to wait for a moment while you take notes. What you dont want to do is ask a question in a way that seems rude or interruptive. Be mindful of social cues and keep the conversation flowing.One last thing to rememberEven though the phone screen sometimes takes less time than filling out a job application, it is just as important as an on-site interview and you should treat it as such.Doing your research, reflecting on why you are interested in the role, and asking relevant questions will help you hit that phone screen right out of the park

All of the times Ive felt guilty for spending money

All of the times Ive felt guilty for spending moneyAll of the times Ive felt guilty for spending moneyIf you read my blog regularly, you know that I am not the type of financial expert who says you shouldnt spend any money ever. I dont believe that you can be hyper-restrictive of yur spending and still have a good quality of life. In fact, I think its imperative to build the things you value into yur budget so that you feel mora motivated to stick to a budget in the first place.One of the best ways to include the things you value most into your budget is to save up for them over time. That way, when a big expense comes up, you know you have the money for it and you dont have to feel stressed out or guilty about it. However, there will still be times when you have a hard time spending the money you saved up. At least, thats how Ive feltAs someone who is fairly structured with spending and saving, I dont often spend a whole lot of money. But the truth is, a lot of very exciting things cost a lot of money And in the past year especially, Ive had a lot of guilt and conflict about spending large sums of money. These feelings havent been particularly rational, but they do make some sense, because spending a lot of money is scary So here are some of the times Ive felt most guilty (and scared) about spending my money.TravelThe funny thing about this guilt is it welchesnt about the actual money I was spending. In fact, for years, Ive prioritized saving for travel so that I can explore this world without guilt and without going into debt. I believe that if you love to travel, spending money (that you have) on it should never be a shameful thing. It only improves your quality of life. And thats what ultimately mattersThe guilt I have felt has actually come after Ive spoken to friends and family about my travel plans. Not everyone is able to save the money or take the time to travel, and I completely understand that. Its also true that a lot of people dont prioritize thing s like travel. And thats okay Everyone has their own priorities.The problem for me is when I talk about my travel plans and the snarky response is Well, that must be nice or I wish I could travel or Wow, do you ever work?. Its a frustrating response and often makes me feel hintermannschaft and guilty about the exciting trips Ive been able to take. Luckily, my reaction has softened over time, and the comments come less and less. In fact, I havent heard any negative comments about my upcoming honeymoon in ThailandThe lesson here is that you just have to continue doing what makes you happy, and try not to worry about what other people think. Its your money and its your life, so use it in a way that means the most to youHouse ExpensesMy actual guilt hasnt been too high on this end. However, buying a home was probably the most stressful thing Ive ever done We only put down 10% as our down payment, and that was the largest check Ive ever written in my life I wanted to vomit. But at the sa atkorn time, Ive always wanted to own a home, and I allocated that money specifically for our down payment. I was still surprised at how conflicted I felt when I was actually writing the check. I wondered if we were making a big mistake.The real money drama came when we started construction on our home renovations. We had a big job that included knocking down walls and rebuilding new ones. We found a contractor we liked a lot and ended up adding a bunch of work to the project just to get it over with faster. That was a mistake We ended up overspending on shoddy work and feeling really foolish about our decisions. In fact, I had a hard time talking about how much we spent on new counters and railings, because I wasnt happy with how they turned out, and I felt like we were taken advantage of. I also felt foolish and regretful, which is not a great way to feel when youve just spent a ton of money.That was definitely a learning experience, because we are much more careful with our contr actor choices and home renovations now. We are choosing smaller, individual projects and getting at least three quotes before moving forward. This has helped us keep our costs and stress levels down, and makes us feel like were making the right decisions with the people we hire and the money we spend. ur next project will be getting a new fence installed in the backyard. I hope to share pictures soonMy WeddingAs a feminist and a financial coach, Im very aware of how capitalism and the wedding industrial complex pressure people to overspend on their weddings. So I felt very strongly about not spending a lot on my wedding. When I received a financial settlement from a shoulder injury, I set aside $10,000 earmarked for my eventual wedding (we werent even engaged yet can you tell I like to plan ahead?). I was certain that $10,000 would be plenty for a wedding. Boy, was I wrong. In fact, were paying more than double that amount for our wedding. And were only having 130 people attend And we are getting married an hour away from DC. And we pursued a lot of cost-cutting measures The point is weddings are incredibly expensive. We really wanted a wedding where we could invite almost everyone we love the most. Put those two things together and you have to spend quite a bit of money. Luckily, we have been able to save up the amount in full, and will not be going into debt for the wedding. In fact, we may have some money leftover afterwards, because we saved an extra 10% as a buffer.But having enough to spend on our wedding didnt take away the intense shame and inner conflict I felt throughout the planning process. I felt strongly, on principle, that we should spend as little as possible. But at the same time, there were many things I was not willing to DIY in order to save money. I also wasnt willing to have a tiny, inexpensive wedding that many of our loved ones wouldnt be able to attend. I had many values that were in direct conflict with each other. However, as time h as gone on, Ive had to accept that we decided to have a wedding and that means we have to fork over a lot of money. Theres no sense in being ashamed about it the entire way. In fact, there have been some areas where the higher cost probably means itll turn out better.Here are the areas where we spent more than I wanted to, but will actually turn out greatOur photographer.Shes amazing and we have great chemistry with her. It took some convincing, but now I realize that spending a lot on photography will be worth it. I cant wait to see how our wedding photos turn out.Our florist.Do you know how many times I said we dont even need centerpieces? I said it a lot. Were spending more than double what I wanted to spend on flowers. But I also didnt want to be up late the night before my wedding finishing up the centerpieces and bouquets. So we hired a florist who is associated with our venue and who grows many of their flowers themselves. They value sustainability and authenticity. They seem ed to really vibe with our wedding day vision, and I think the flowers will turn out beautifully. Plus, we definitely cut some costs here, as the bridesmaids will not carry bouquets.Our venue.When we first booked our venue, I felt really good about the price. This was because I was completely naive about everything else we needed to pay for. I also wasnt fully aware that almost nothing else came along with the venue fee. We had to rent a bathroom trailer, tables, chairs, and we had to pay for all of the staff from a different vendor. But I saw our venue two years ago and knew I wanted to get married there. Its a beautiful space and I cant wait to see how it looks on our wedding day.Here are the areas where wesavedsome money and I feel really good about itDJ.Were actually not hiring a DJ. We are making our own Spotify playlists and we hired an audio engineer who will run the sound system for the day. Were also having our good friend, Liz, emcee the reception for us.Booze.We had to ov erspend a bit on wine because we were required to purchase wine from the venue (theyre a vineyard), and their wine is more expensive than the three-buck chuck I would have gotten from brsenspekulant Joes. But were making up for this by buying our own cases of beer. Were going to try to only buy local beer, but this will still be more affordable than having our vendor provide the booze.Wedding dress and shoes.Ive written about this before, but my wedding dress cost less than $250. (Plus, my mom paid for it.) I dont often spend a lot on my clothes, so I felt strongly about not spending a lot on my wedding dress. I also really wanted something very simple that I felt like myself in. I found the perfect dress fromBHLDNand it was even cheaper than I expected To top it off, Dan and I both bought our wedding shoes fromPoshmark.Here are the areas where we spent more than I wanted to, and Im still annoyed about itOne vendor.This vendor was who we were originally looking at for catering. They are a one-stop shop for weddings and it seemed like it would be much easier to just hire them to handle everything, rather than having multiple vendors. And it would have definitely been easier But it would have also been way more expensive. The original quote they gave us for food and drink alone was nearly the entire amount were paying for the wedding. We decided not to use them for food and booze, but we ended up having to hire them for a few other items bathroom trailer, tables, chairs, linens, bartenders, day-of-coordinator, etc. I think their staff will help the day to move more smoothly, but Im still frustrated by how much were paying in operations fees.Invitations.When Dan first told me wed probably spend $400 on invitations, I had a fit. I couldnt believe that something so small could cost so much. Of course, Dan is a graphic designer and has made wedding invitations in the past, so he knows better than I do. But I thought that having him design our invitations would mean that we would save some money But the truth is, printing is expensive. And printing gold foil on thick paper is even more expensive (did I mention Dan is a designer?). So well likely spend around $400 on our invitations, after all. Im not pleased about it, but Ive accepted it at this point (for the most part).So why did I tell you all of this? Well, first of all, I needed to write about it for catharsis. But I also wanted to let you know that its normal to be freaked out about spending money, even if youve planned and saved for it. Its okay to have conflicting emotions when youre making big decisions. And youll probably find yourself in situations where you have competing values. Its okay You just have to decide which value is more important in that instant. For me, its having a wedding day that well love, while still not going into debt.Thisarticlefirst appeared onMaggieGermano.com.