There was no worse feeling on Thanksgiving than having to set an alarm for 5:45 am on Black Friday. Never one to really partake in the shopping tradition (…or even leave the house, much less my bed, the day after Thanksgiving), the feeling was new to me. But I didn’t set an alarm with a zealous hunger for bargains. I — the Black-Friday-homebody who gets exhausted by shopping before even finding a parking spot — signed up to work a liqueur promotion. At a mall. On Black Friday.
Working in the spirits industry, I’ve seen my fair share of entertaining promotions. But the thought, attention to detail, and execution of this particular event was pretty impressive. The ad campaign for this brand is full of smartly dressed party-goers celebrating but ‘remaining classy’ (or something along those lines — encouraging responsible drinking by essentially implying regurgitated booze does NOT look cute all over your shiny new cocktail dress. Your cool friends will judge you. You’ll have to taxi alone.)
With a huge focus on style in the new branding, the featured shot was called the Glamour Shot.
Keeping with the Glamour Shot theme, the brand’s PR team had partnered with a famous local salon for guests to get complimentary hair and makeup touch-ups. Afterwards, they could take a ‘glamour shot’ of their own in the photobooth station. My job was to man the lines, sample the drinks, and tell guests about the product. Piece of cake! I’d done this a million times before in raucous, crowded bars, where I faced the inevitable challenges of uncoordinated drunk people, angry drunk people, and overly-flirtatious drunk people, armed with nothing but a tray of samples and (more often than not) a brazenly short uniform. The change of setting was appreciated, but I assumed too quickly it’d be significantly easier than previous jobs.
Though doors opened at 9:00 am, the mall was particularly uninhibited in the first hour of the event. Having anticipated a stampede, my fellow brand representative and I were pleasantly surprised by the slow pace. We figured an upscale mall might not draw as large a crowd as more commercial shopping scenes on this particular day.
Spoke too soon.
Around 11, it seemed that within the blink of an eye a massive sea of shoppers had congregated within the tiny roped-off corner we had set up in, asking for samples, asking for makeup, waiting for samples, waiting for makeup. Each time a member of the style team ran downstairs to restock mascara or grab more hairspray, I felt that 5 minute absence with such indomitable desperation. One less stylist to ease the burden of the crowd really did make a difference. Women began to chatter and get impatient. I tried to calm nerves by sharing more recipes or asking about shopping.
I’ve learned that if you ever want to calm the nerves of a shopper on Black Friday, the last subject to bring up is shopping on Black Friday.
Some women were gracious and patient, the pizazz (and spectacular perks!) of the whole event not becoming lost on them even after 20-30 minutes of waiting. One of my favorite women was so enthusiastic and grateful for all the freebies, she kept blushing and insisting “This is too much! It’s truly too much! I can’t believe this!” Women like her — the ones whose appreciation is so apparent, who make you know you’ve accomplished your goal — are the reason I love my job.
Of course the moment I was hungriest and seconds from sawing my own feet off, the largest crowd amassed. I wish I had a quarter for every time I discussed how the newly released liqueur flavor has a thinner consistency than the original, yet the flavor notes — which were delicate yet distinctive — offered a richness to the drink; a nickel for every time I suggested other spirits to mix it with; a penny for every time a guest’s reaction to their first sip was a surprised sounding “Oooh!”
Oh honey, I could buy me a Coinstar machine!
Total, I spent 12 hours at work chatting with women and men about the shot. Oh how I loved talking to tourists and suggesting itineraries, not to mention the satisfaction I felt correctly navigating them to certain spots! See? I’m not totally geographically hopeless! (May there not be a handful of tourists wandering around the city of Chicago tonight because I led them astray… werps)
Walking down the Magnificent Mile at night, looking into window displays and observing cheerful families strolling along, I briefly stopped hating Black Friday. At that moment, it stopped being an overly commercialized display of greedy frenzy, but rather a family day in the city, a girls’ shopping escape, a something-to-do for young, doe-eyed couples. I suddenly got into the holiday spirit and Nat King Cole‘s “Christmas Song” was on my iPod before I even crossed the river.
Despite the pulsing ache in my feet, the piercing cold gripping my ears, and the burn in my throat, I was unexpectedly joyful. I had survived my first Black Friday out of the house and — dare I say it? — enjoyed it!
(It certainly helps that I got paid to do so.)
TRAVEL LOVER, HISTORY NERD 