How to Shine While Working in Retail at Busy Times of the Year

Last updated: November 3, 2024

Most people who work in retail dread doing so during Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Hanukkah, and Christmas. All three of these celebrations, and quite a few others, involve gift-giving and eating special meals with friends and families. They are wonderful times of the year, which most people who celebrate them enjoy immensely.

Be Mindful of How Critical Celebration-Related Sales Periods Are

But for people who work in retail, those times of the year are also extremely stressful. Doing well during these trading periods is essential. It is not unusual for retailers to take between 15 and 25% of their annual takings during these times. A fact that means that they really cannot afford to get things wrong.

Recognize the Opportunity

For someone who is just starting a career in retail making a good impression, at this time of the year is critical. They need to be ready for the stress, able to think on their feet and recognize sales opportunities and take advantage of them.

Making a serious mistake during critical sales periods is a sure-fire way to get noticed for all of the wrong reasons. Of course, the opposite is true. If you manage the situation well and boost sales your efforts are likely to get recognized, which can greatly improve your chances of promotion.

Be Prepared to Work Long Hours

As much as possible, clear your diary. Make sure that you do things like going to the dentist outside of these busy trading periods. Your employer may not notice that you have done that. But they will certainly not respond well to your booking a dentist appointment for December the 23rd.

Try to limit how much socialising you do during these busy trading periods. Arriving at work with a hangover and not performing at your best is not an option. It will be impossible for you to get away from all of the hustle and bustle, which is not going to help if you are feeling fragile.

Being willing to pick up extra shifts should someone go home sick will get you in your employer´s good books. It will also be good for your finances.

Plan to De-Stress During Your Time Off

Regardless of when you go to work during these times of the year, it will be busy. Usually, manically busy, so the chances are that you will go home tired, and a bit stressed out. If possible, plan some activities that will help you to destress. For example, book a massage and keep some scented candles at home.

Share Your Marketing Ideas

At busy times of the year, effective marketing is especially important. Many stores use digital signs during Christmas shopping periods. They do so because they know that they are a highly effective way to point people toward the best offers. This generates strong sales and makes the shopping experience less stressful for consumers. Sometimes these screens are also used to share important information with customers. For example, cooking times for turkey and how many people each size/weight will feed. This makes it easy for people to select the right turkey for their family.

If you work in one of those stores, sit down and see if you can come up with some interesting promotional ideas. There is a lot of competition. So, anything you can do to help your store stand out and do so in a positive way will be greatly appreciated.

Anyone who goes to their line manager with ideas for adverts and short videos that can be used to promote important products will be well received. Especially if you also offer to create some of these ads. Something that is surprisingly easy to do using the right software and stock images. This comprehensive tutorial explains how to do it using Canva. This will provide you with the chance to go to your manager with some rough mock-ups to show them what you are thinking of. If they use them and they generate sales, you will have greatly advanced your career.

Listen Carefully and Make Notes

You must do exactly what your line manager asks of you during these trading periods. They will not have as much time to supervise you. So, listen carefully and make notes. You will be able to use those notes to do an even better job the following year. As well as when you get promoted and have to run your teams.

None of the above is hard to do. Nor is it time-consuming, so it is well worth your while putting in a little extra effort to prepare yourself for these vital trading periods.