How May I Help You?

The low point in my one-day stint as a holiday saleswoman came shortly after lunch. My feet hurt. My back was sore. I longed for dessert -- and, oh, yes, I was trying to sell a customer an $800 diamond necklace to tuck under the Christmas tree.

He showed me the diamonds in his wedding band; we chatted about the quality of the jewels. I tried unsuccessfully not to zone out.

"Is this a gift for your girlfriend or your wife?" I asked, my thoughts already on the next customer. He stared at me indignantly.

"I hope it's for my wife!" he said.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, trying to recover. "I didn't notice your ring."

Oops.

You think you have it rough, dear shopper. The long list. The short time. The traffic. The crowded stores. The need, especially this year with gloomy economic news bearing down, to get the perfect little gift at an amazingly low price.

But think. Think about the seasonal laborer, transported from some other life to make all those sales happen, the nimble, stouthearted soul who races from jewelry (Carats, anyone?) to electronics (Who knew USB stood for Universal Serial Bus?) and ricochets to the cake demo table (Can I eat another slice?).

I persuaded Sam's Club to let me, a retail reporter, spend one day last week working at its warehouse club in Laurel to see what life is like on the other side of the sales counter, one woman in an army of holiday help hired across the country each year.

The National Retail Federation, a trade group, found last year that stores increased their workforce by nearly 4 percent in November and December. Nationally, retail employees are on the job an average of 30 hours a week and make $12.78 an hour, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These workers hail from all walks of life -- school teachers, retirees and college students are common -- but they grapple with the same issues: long days, cursory training and high expectations.

I steeled myself for the anticipated onslaught of crazy customers during this hectic time of year. I quickly learned that the craziest person in the store was me.

My shift began at 9 a.m. with a quick training session and a rousing meeting with staff members that included rounds of clapping and whooping as they recounted accomplishments of the previous day: Produce sales up 20 percent! Jewelry up 60 percent! A $50 bonus for signing up so many new Sam's Club members!