First Christmas For Decades Not Working In Retail

I used to work in retail. Thankfully, it was a tourist-based shop, and we weren’t very busy over the Festive season.

We still had the whole “ruining Christmas” moments, whether it was being out of stock of an item or the customer wanting something that simply didn’t exist. To this day, I wonder how that sort of thing was our fault. Yes, of course I can pluck that imaginary item out of thin air for you, mate!

Do I miss working over the Christmas period? No, I do not. Like I said, we weren’t busy, so that’s not the issue. The shop was cold. I would wear a heated gilet and many layers to try to keep warm. We had fan heaters behind the counter, but with the doors always open, they had little effect most of the time. I had two pairs of hand warmers so I could use a set for travelling in and then use the second set at work while the first pair charged up, ready for going home.

My commute was cold, I was often waiting a while at railway stations, and they are not warm places. Journeys homeward would be stressful as I would be travelling when revellers, already having pre-drunk beforehand, would be heading out for the night. The mornings and the evenings were dark, and I worked in a basement, so I rarely saw natural daylight.

What I do miss is seeing the Christmas lights and decorations in the city centres as I passed through each day. I miss being able to do last-minute shopping before work and before the shops became too busy. I also miss the moment when you did have the perfect gift that the customer was after, and you had made their day.