A Tellyspotting salute to the retail employee on Black Friday!
Today’s From the Vault segment pays tribute to those having to work retail on Black Friday.
The Friday after Thanksgiving has long been hailed as the busiest shopping day of the year in America. Only in the United States can the aptly named Black Friday start at 8:00pm pm Thursday. In recent years, the competition for consumer dollars has done nothing but get about ten shades of bizarre. Retail outlets went from opening at 6a on Friday to 5a then to 4a and then 3a in an effort to one up one another. Last year it was 12midnight and now, word is, some retailers opened at 8p on Thanksgiving Thursday for ‘pre-Black Friday’ specials.
From coast to coast, the concept of Black Friday is a simple one. Scores of crazed consumers storm the malls looking for that elusive ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ deal. Of course, those making the decision to open stores at these increasingly ridiculous hours are never actually in the store working overnight. That bit of joy is left up to the retail outlet staff that, I’m sure, are nothing short of ‘overjoyed’ to have to deal with the controlled chaos that is inevitable. Surprisingly, year after year, most seem to enjoy the task in front of them or so it would appears. I’m willing to bet that there is just a bit of Bernard Black or Basil Fawlty hidden somewhere in the deep recesses of your own personal retail mind palace.
So, at Tellyspotting, we salute you, the retail employee, on this Black Friday with a bit of video brilliance so you can live vicariously today, even if it’s during your 3am break for just for a few minutes.
Bernard Black in Black Books
Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI5m7DlcwNs&feature=related
In: Comedy,Odds & Sods
