Black Friday = Be Nice Day

You're not fully ready for the biggest shopping day of the year until you have your retail clerk appreciation cards in hand.

As someone who has had to work retail on Black Friday, I can tell you, it's no picnic to get up at 4 am to be at work super early in order to deal with the throngs of people desperate to find the best deals in order to make THIS holiday season the most perfect ever.

And when you're dealing with the potential down fall of perfection - you're dealing with the crazies, who, on any other day are perfectly normal, congenial, and down right nice. Remember, it's the retail clerks that are running to the back to see if they have any more of whatever it is you want, they're calling other stores for you & making special orders, they're ringing you up, and they're picking up after your messes. So show 'em some love, tell them that you appreciate them, because you know they're only making $8 an hour - which is not nearly enough to put up with all the crankmeisters (it's the stores that are rakin' in the dough, not the employees - so be nice).

Should you find yourself out and about before the crack of dawn on the day after Thanksgiving, make sure you have your cup of coffee, your check book, your lists & coupons - AND your thank you cards.  Who knows, you might just make someone's day - or at least make it possible for them to make it to the end of their work shift without breaking down.

You can download a sheet of 10 cards to print and cut out here. (and if you want to be extra nice, consider tipping those retail clerks who are working extra hard to help you get what you need. $1 will go a long way to making someone's day).