Letting employees shop BEFORE the doors open

[browntown]

I can understand the frustrations on employees, but how many cranky shoppers did they have to deal with? If you have ever worked in retail or waitressed, or any other crappy service job, I think you should be able to pull some items. But, maybe stores should create a seniority system, or a limit...especially if there are only like 12 items of one thing.

[Illinoismom]

I have sat in line at walmart two years in a row with Walmart employees, Last year was the lap top and this year the MP3 players, I know that she got one of the TV's and it wasnt the 20 Inch for her friend who was working, did I have a problem with that nope cause I would have done the same for them. I know I did what I said I was going to do, I bought donuts and made sure I said good morning to all. It helped because she had inside information as to were certain things were and if she didnt she found us some one who knew.

 

It never hurts to be nice sometimes

[Novac]

Yes, here's how it works. Store X lets their employees pick over the doorbusters first. Thus, all resellable items like computers, plasmas, etc. are completely gone before actual customers arrive.

Guess how the customers feel and react when they enter the store to find no doorbusters? Guess how many come back next year? Guess how many newspaper articles are written about the incidents?

 

Nonetheless, I'm sure many employees take liberties with the BF deals. For instance, perhaps the store receives 12 instead of the minimum 10 and then the employees pass out 10 tickets and keep 2 to pass to their friends later?

[my3bellas]

Geesh where is every ones spirt, No they cant do this I deserve this, Man oh man nothing but a bunch of bah hum bugs here.

 

If they get something I wont, well if your number 11 and there is only 10 you wont get it any way. I braved the cold I deserve it, No one deserves anything. Every one works for it and not every one will get what they want. If a store allows thier employees to get a few things GOOD for them. Most work all night to bring you the things you want, Most will listen to you whine when they run out, I would not want to work at Walmart, Target, K-mart, Or best buy during this time. I have worked retail and every one worked the day after Thanksgiving no one got it off, just hours were staggered

I Totally Agree

[Guest RealLivePrinces]

A employee pays just like a customer.

Often, employees are the store's best customers.

[motoXmom]

I've worked retail before (many years ago) and I still don't think it's right for them to be able to shop before everyone else. I mean it's not only retail workers that get paid minimum wage. What about the single parents that this is maybe one of the only ways they can get certain items they normally wouldn't be able to afford for their children or family? Is it fair that they miss out because an employee got to shop at leisure while the single parent may only have a short amount of time to purchase things, because they have a babysitter so they can go out on BF? Like I said I've worked retail and have had jobs that paid min. wage but I've also been a single mom trying to make ends meet and needed a good deal just like others did.

[sm1kla]

I don't see a problem with employees pre-shopping as long as it's done within reason. If it's an item that is in demand, limited/sparce quantities (PS3, Wii, laptops, etc) or the item that the madmob outside the door is waiting for then no those items should not be able to be purchased. However, items that they get pallets of should be offered to employees.

[ICF]

they shouldnt be allowed to...and i bet the corp dont like it ...but i have a feeling some managers allow it if they like the employee.

If a manager wants to "reward" the employees working BF, then let them have a raffle of some sort for the items in question.

 

Say they have 15 laptops @ a great price...hold a raffle for 1 or 2 where those working @ 5am can purchase @ the BF sale price.

 

Why should customers have to wait in lines for hours on end, based on an ad provided by the store, only to find that a large % of the limited stock for door busters was sold to people that work there?? That doesn't seem fair.

[Kandy]

my BF works at walmart and all employees also work there. She works 11-7 either in Cash Office or as a CSM and she has never got BF off. She gets off about 9 that day vs her normal 7 sometimes I will grab things for her while im there and in the past some blitz items they couldn't use their discount on...

[bbyee]

I work at BB - I was onsite at 3 am to work all of BF. We are NOT allowed to hold any items for ourselves....period. If there is something left at the end of the day, we can then purchase it (for instance, we had a pretty good printer for 20 bucks - if there were any left at the end of our shift, we could purchase them). It is strictly against BB policy to take advantage of our employment with the company in that way.

 

That being said, we receive a nice employee discount on purchases at any time of the year, so we aren't as tempted by the doorbusters and that kind of thing.

 

I'm in Southern NJ, near Philadelphia. Our BB is one of the largest stores in the country and is very well-run. This was my first BF as an employee, and I was really impressed with just how well we handled the lines, ticket distribution, etc. I was one of the people handing out tickets....and believe me, if someone was trying to cut, the people in line let me know about it! It was also quite obvious who the "properly behaving" (overwhelming majority) line waiters were, since when we asked people to line up against the wall if they wanted tickets, they quickly stepped back whilst the line cutters tried *unsuccessfully* other tactics which, btw, do not work with my store's management!

 

I've been lurking on a number of these threads the past few days, and I also wanted to add that the overwhelming amount of customers were quite polite and patient. I was taking care of the people waiting for their computers - making sure that, for both their own protection and ours, all the paperwork matched for their PC/laptop and their tickets, talking to them about additional service plans and services, etc. I only had 3 incidents of nastiness out of nearly 500 customers, and in all those cases, the people who were nasty got yelled at by the rest of the crowd for being nasty to me!

 

So, now that I survived BF Boot Camp, I'm pleased to say that I wasn't horrified by it at all...yes, it was exciting and exhausting at the same time, and yes, I finally have the next 2 days off after working all weekend and am thrilled by it, I know I'll be doing it again next year.

[sns128]

I work part time at Walmart and we are not allowed to shop before the sale. In fact I was in line at 3 am for the blitz items. The only advantage I get from working there is knowing exactly how many of things we have and about where they will be. I see both sides of this. There is a part of me that would love to be able to shop early but I see how that's not fair to the customers.

 

As for cranky customers, BF doesn't compare to Christmas Eve in the toy department. That night is hell.

[Passthecrablegs]

Employees should not be able to shop before the store opens and not while they are working. Does your waitress eat at the table before they open the restaurant? Do they eat while they are serving you? And if some girl is eating fries while she hads me my takeout food thru the drive thru I am not going back there. Employees don't get perks like buying up all the doorbusters are hard to keep stocked items. They get employee discounts and that is a good perk right there. If they sell before the stated time anyway can't the store be fined for false advertisement?

[lexyreyes72]

LOL at that "poor single mother" comment!!! If she's a poor single mother than she shouldn't be out there trying to get a flat screen - she should do what majority of us do and buy a regular old TV!!!

 

As for waitresses eating before the restaurant opens - I presume they do and I see nothing wrong with that. I've been to places and seen employees eating food while on their break and that hasn't stopped me from eating somewhere and if someone is eating at the drive-thru - as long as they are not eating the food that's in the bag for me I don't care. What if the person has low blood sugar and needs to eat? Not to mention I've noticed this at the stores I've worked at - they are hot/warm! I'm constantly thirsty and grabbing some water. What's the big deal? These people are human beings - just like the rest of us!!

 

And no it's not false advertising. The items were sold legally. The employees aren't getting things for free. I'm sure on some of those things that are discounted significantly employees don't get to use their discount or it could be like the store I work at and the discount is a minimum. I get 15% on soft goods and 10% on other stuff. That's the same discount any of you get for opening a credit card and in many cases it just covers the tax.

 

I think many of you are making a big deal out of nothing and just want something to complain about. I mean get real, how many employees are buying flat screens and laptops? Do you really think there are 10 of them purchasing those items?? If so they must be teens or have other jobs b/c frankly if you work retail full time shelling out $250 for a laptop is a huge chunk of your paycheck!!!

 

I'm sure that some of you who have office jobs get small perks and first dibs on things before other employees so why shouldn't others be able to take advantage of these things? Let's be realistic, if you REALLY want/need a flat screen or laptop or other item, you'll buy it!!! You'll just wait for another sale (b/c they have these things on sale every week) or continue to do without.

[lexyreyes72]

One last thing, to the person who commented about what do they deserve for their job - as I mentioned, I'm sure your job has health benefits and decent pay and you don't have to work at 4am or until midnight (I presume you work at an office). Haven't any of you seen those specials on retailers - especially Walmart. These places are looking for slave labor but since that's illegal they'll give the absolute minimum.

 

And that's actually not a bad idea about getting a job at BB so you can get a jump start on the bargains. I'm sure you'd have a better appreciation for the employees if you worked in retail for a few weeks during the holiday season. The only experience you'd miss out on working at a Best Buy would be that they don't sell clothes. So you wouldn't get to see customers try and return smelly, wrinkled clothes that they claim have "never been worn, but purchased like that"

[mom_of2boyz]

They get employee discounts and that is a good perk right there.

 

10% ? That does not include food, clearance, or anything that is reduced in price because it is on comp. Also if we buy something, and two days later it goes on rollback, we are not allowed a price adjustment like a regular customer. If a shelf label says something is $10.00 and it rings up $12.00, guess what? If we want it we are paying $12.00.

 

I work at Walmart and we ARE NOT allowed to put back anything or shop on the clock. If we were, I would have been able to get one of the computers for $148.

[noehlp]

Yes I freeze my rear off every year to get deals. But, I feel if an employer allows employees to get in on a bit of the fun. Good for them. There are some people that, working in retail is the only way to support their families. Yes, they don't have to stand out in the cold all night like the rest of us. But man, they are putting up with all us nutso's all year round, as well as the craziest shopping day of the year. And I've seen some pretty nasty people giving cashiers and other employee's all sorts of trouble on that day.

Bottom line is.. we all need to be able to have fun or whatever that day, as well as saving money for gifts for our family. And that means anyone who waits on me at any store.. I hope they got something out of standing there all day putting up with all that they have to on this day and missing out on the deals we all get to go for. JMO

I don't think that could have been worded any better. That is my exact opinion as well!

[Passthecrablegs]

LOL at that "poor single mother" comment!!! If she's a poor single mother than she shouldn't be out there trying to get a flat screen - she should do what majority of us do and buy a regular old TV!!!

 

As for waitresses eating before the restaurant opens - I presume they do and I see nothing wrong with that. I've been to places and seen employees eating food while on their break and that hasn't stopped me from eating somewhere and if someone is eating at the drive-thru - as long as they are not eating the food that's in the bag for me I don't care. What if the person has low blood sugar and needs to eat? Not to mention I've noticed this at the stores I've worked at - they are hot/warm! I'm constantly thirsty and grabbing some water. What's the big deal? These people are human beings - just like the rest of us!!

 

 

The big deal is they will be passing germs.

 

 

 

I think many of you are making a big deal out of nothing and just want something to complain about. I mean get real, how many employees are buying flat screens and laptops? Do you really think there are 10 of them purchasing those items?? If so they must be teens or have other jobs b/c frankly if you work retail full time shelling out $250 for a laptop is a huge chunk of your paycheck!!!

 

 

Hardly the people I saw standing in lines for the $600 playstation 3 didn't look like they could afford it. They bought them to sell them. They did news interviews and the majority said they took time off from work because they could make more money reselling than working at their jobs. I cancelled my order for a ps3 yesterday because I decided I didn't want it, I could have easily resold it for a profit. I am not into that and I think the whole hoarding of these Wii's and PS3's is sick. One thing to make a profit but to sell them at three times what they are worth should be illegal.

[ICF]

I am not into that and I think the whole hoarding of these Wii's and PS3's is sick. One thing to make a profit but to sell them at three times what they are worth should be illegal.

The worth of something is determined by what someone is willing to pay for it. What they are willing to pay is often based on supply and demand. If you want an item, and their are few out there the price will go up.

 

Do you think most of what you buy isn't marked up greatly? The item is produced and sold to a merchant (at a profit to the supplier), the merchant then marks it up to sell to you (and thus make a profit). That assumes there isn't a "middleman" of some sort between the merchant and supplier taking a profit for themselves as well.

 

I'll never understand those people that say it is wrong to sell items for a large profit on EBay. If nobody wanted them, the ebay seller wouldn't make any money....the fact that they are making money is proof that somepeople wanted the item and either couldn't or wouldn't wait in line or put forth other effort to get one. As such, they are paying a premium for the item that someone else has.

[Deedum]

The worth of something is determined by what someone is willing to pay for it. What they are willing to pay is often based on supply and demand. If you want an item, and their are few out there the price will go up.

 

Do you think most of what you buy isn't marked up greatly? The item is produced and sold to a merchant (at a profit to the supplier), the merchant then marks it up to sell to you (and thus make a profit). That assumes there isn't a "middleman" of some sort between the merchant and supplier taking a profit for themselves as well.

 

I'll never understand those people that say it is wrong to sell items for a large profit on EBay. If nobody wanted them, the ebay seller wouldn't make any money....the fact that they are making money is proof that somepeople wanted the item and either couldn't or wouldn't wait in line or put forth other effort to get one. As such, they are paying a premium for the item that someone else has.

 

And in the case of Ebay, its the buyer pushing the price up to 3x retail... If people where not willing to pay the price they would'nt...

[lexyreyes72]

Well I don't think you should be worrying yourself about the germs you get from the cashier eating on her job. Germs are everywhere. I'm more grossed out by people in public coughing up mucas and not covering their mouths. As I mentioned I've worked in retail and you'd be surprised how dirty your hands get from cash! I mean for all any of us know someone could have wiped their rear with the dollar bill in my wallet!!! In fact, I'm more worried about the folks in fast food chains adding "special sauce" to my meal than I am worried about them giving me germs from their hands.

 

I'm not sure what your point is about the folks buying Playstations. I mean one minute we're talking about employees being allowed to purchase items and the next we're talking about customers hoarding items and selling them on Ebay. This stuff happens everyday - not just on Black Friday. There was a big deal about this with Ticketmaster. The regular folks want to know how scalpers or "brokers" seem to end up with all the great seats to sporting events and concerts despite people camping out at the box office. Also people complained b/c they did camp out and then they'd get to the box office and they'd have some kind of raffle for numbers or wrist bands so that if you were there at 3am and I came 5 min before the raffle, we'd have the same chance to win the band to go to the front of the line. They also said brokers/scalpers had special phone numbers to that helped them get through the Ticketmaster line when they called (while the rest of us get busy signals) and I guess they even know special back door entrances to get tix on line before everyone else too. And what about the specials the event's have with credit card companies - ex. if you have an Amex card you can buy your tickets to an event before they go on sale to the general public?

 

There are lots of people who are getting "special" deals everyday. Why would Black Friday be any different?

[Passthecrablegs]

The worth of something is determined by what someone is willing to pay for it. What they are willing to pay is often based on supply and demand. If you want an item, and their are few out there the price will go up.

 

Do you think most of what you buy isn't marked up greatly? The item is produced and sold to a merchant (at a profit to the supplier), the merchant then marks it up to sell to you (and thus make a profit). That assumes there isn't a "middleman" of some sort between the merchant and supplier taking a profit for themselves as well.

 

I'll never understand those people that say it is wrong to sell items for a large profit on EBay. If nobody wanted them, the ebay seller wouldn't make any money....the fact that they are making money is proof that somepeople wanted the item and either couldn't or wouldn't wait in line or put forth other effort to get one. As such, they are paying a premium for the item that someone else has.

 

 

Well after all the price gouging we have here when we have hurricanes I am not about to pay three times what a Wii is worth just like I wasn't going to buy a bag of ice for $20 or a gallon of gas for $10. There is a limit to what people should have to pay and taking advantage of people should be illegal. At least most places are putting a limit of one per customer but what a shame that they have to be told not to grab a handful, just take one like some little kid.

[krytal]

Somebody posted that they should be allowed because they "work all night to bring you what you want" WELL DUH that's their freakin' job!!!

Just because it is their job doesn't mean that they need to be disrespected. JMO but one that I feel very strongly about.

[krytal]

I've worked in retail before and like any other job, there may be disadvantages or things you don't like. That, in iteself, does not entitle employees to special privledges.

This is true every job does have it's disadvantages, but they also have their advantages. Although I have never worked in retail from the sound of it early shopping may be one of the only ones that it does have. JMO