Working retail for over a decade made me hate everything about the holidays. Here's why.

Sat, 12/16/2023 - 08:51

Photo of a woman fixing decorations on a Christmas tree that has red bows and colorful ornaments on it. The woman has dark brown hair pulled into a bun and wears a green t-shirt and blue apron. Behind her are displays with Christmas decorations on them. — Author not pictured.
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I started working in retail as a teen; my job made me hate the holiday season.
Hearing the same music on repeat from as early as September and working on Black Friday were awful.
Now that I no longer work in retail, I'm finally able to enjoy the music and decorations.

I started working in the world of retail and customer service when I was about 12, when my parents decided to buy their first hardware store. When I went to college, I got a job at a big-box home-improvement store. It was a natural fit, but working in retail came with challenges.