I Used to Work in a Clothing Store. Black Friday vs My Shoe.

When I started at the clothing store, they had me folding shirts on the floor. Shortly thereafter, they moved me to the register. One day I worked a twelve hour mandatory Black Friday shift. The people were like a pack of rabid hyenas. Each style and design of shirt was stacked in order from the bottom up: XL, L, M, S, XS. They didn't care. The people tore through the piles and threw the shirts they didn’t want directly on the floor.

They didn’t have that holiday spirit or charm I remember from when I was small. They were angry and mean to the workers. The manager sent me as a sacrificial lamb into the stockroom to bring out more shirts for a crowd that formed around the stockroom door. Before I could even place the pile down, they rushed in like those sports players who do that dog pile thing when they win a game.

I lost my shoe, comfortable leopard print loafers I got at Payless, in the mayhem. It was over an hour before I got it back. I miss Payless with the BOGO deals. I have big feet and it’s hard to find cute shoes now that fit me. I no longer have those loafers, but I have a pretty pair of cheetah print strappy shoes. But they don’t compare to my old leopard print ones I had years ago.

© 2026 Rose Calliope. All rights reserved.