I went behind-the-scenes at a Best Buy on Thanksgiving to see what it's really like to work during Black Friday, retail's 'Super Bowl'

Joey HaddenNov 29, 2019, 20:29 IST

Joey Hadden/Business InsiderEmployees enjoy Thanksgiving at the Best Buy in Woodland Park, New Jersey.

Black Friday is notorious for pushing, shoving, and trampling. But at the Best Buy in Woodland Park,New Jersey, there was none of that to be seen.
I went to Best Buy an hour before they opened at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving to see how employees prepared for Black Friday, and I found that a lot of it was mental. Employees prepare by amping each other up, and a manager rallies up the team with a high-energy pep talk.
Of the 135 people that work at this Best Buy location, 100 of them worked on Thanksgiving night. None of them were asked to work, as working on the holiday is on a volunteer basis.
Employees receive time-and-a-half for working on the holiday, as well as a special meal provided by the store in the break room.
All told, employees seem to genuinely enjoy working on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
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I went behind-the-scenes at a Best Buy on Thanksgiving to see what it's really like to work during Black Friday, retail's 'Super Bowl'

I arrived at Best Buy just before 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

With holiday decor staggered between stacks of products, the store was mostly quiet.

But every so often, I heard random shouts coming from across the store.

Across the store, behind stacks of hundreds of TVs, I could hear someone chanting: "feel the vibes, feel the vibes."

Best Buy's employees were amping each other up for the 5 p.m. opening.

Although I couldn't see many employees yet, it was just because they were staggered around the large store.

So while the store looked empty, it felt full of energy.

"It's like the calm before the storm," employee Lauren Alford told Business Insider. "But we're ready like we always are."

Outside, it was a different story. Customers were lined up around the building.

Some of them got in line at 8 a.m.

But it was organized chaos. Best Buy employees handed out a limited number of tickets for the store's hottest deals.

This year, the tickets were for TVs.

The ticket system saves time and keeps shoppers and products safe.

Local police officers maintained the feeling of safety as well. "We have a great relationship with local PD. They're family," general manager Stephen Small told Business Insider.

Back inside, Best Buy employees were using large products to separate different sections of the store.

And more employees were coming in to start their shifts.

But it felt more like they were coming in for a family reunion. Every employee that came through the doors received hugs and high-fives from their colleagues.

According to Small, Black Friday shifts are in high-demand: "It's super easy to fill these shifts. I have to tell some employees they can't work. We don't force anybody here. It's a volunteer system. They understand the gravity," Small told Business Insider.

"This is our Super Bowl. If you're in retail — especially at Best Buy — this is our prime time. A lot of our employees are athletes and gamers. They're here for this," Small continued.

But it's not just Black Friday that makes these employees so excited. "This is family. That's the best thing about it. I came here early just to be with everybody," Alfort told Business Insider.

All the workers seem to agree that this team feels like a family. "I've never been in a building that is more family-oriented than here," sales manager Mike Henao told Business Insider.

Henao has worked 14 Black Fridays, and he gives the team a pep talk every year. At around 4:45 p.m., Hanao stepped up onto register number eight and shouted to the assembled workers.

"Welcome to the best day of your life," he said.

With the whole store's attention, Henao introduced his leading staff one by one, and the employees cheered for each. He also talked about how much he loves his staff.

It felt more like a pep rally than a pep talk. People were shouting, clapping, dancing, and wooing.

At one point, Tyshon Crandal, a sales supervisor, climbed onto the register with Henao. "It's like my second home," he said of Best Buy.

Crandal told Business Insider that for him, there are no downsides to working Black Friday. He loves the excitement. "I get a little rush. It's like going out on the field for a football game — an adrenaline spike," Crandal said.

Just before the doors opened, the feeling in the air was one of excitement, a few nerves, and overwhelming confidence.

"You'll sweat, I'm not gonna lie. You'll get anxious," Alford said of the moment before the doors open.

But it's a good sweat: "We anticipate this moment all year long," Alford told Business Insider.

While the store was roaring with excitement, just seconds before the doors opened was quiet.

And then it wasn't. Because it was cold, Best Buy let customers in five minutes early.

For the next seven minutes, customers steadily streamed into the store.

"When the energy is here and the customers are here and we're busy, time flies," Crandal told Business Insider.

As someone who's only seen Black Friday events on TV, I was expecting chaos.

But it wasn't so bad. A lot of people were shopping, but there was no aggression or discomfort.

It just felt like a busy day at the store.

This is partially because customers can order their Black Friday products online and pick them up in-store, an increasingly common way to shop on Black Friday and for the holidays.

John Rodriguez has only been working at Best Buy for a month, and he was excited to work on Thanksgiving.

"The atmosphere here is amazing. Everyone is always smiling, the energy in the store is always up, and everybody is really excited to be here. I've never been in a work environment like this," Rodriguez told Business Insider.

According to Small, employees get a chance to go through a Black Friday "dry run," where they learn what to expect and talk to "vets" about their experiences. This helps relieve anxiety, especially for new employees.

At 7 p.m., an enormous order from El Sabor —a local restaurant that the employees like — arrived at Best Buy.

With two hours in and six to go, Best Buy rallied up the troops with a Thanksgiving feast.

After management set up the food, employees started flushing in.

Within minutes, the break room was full of hungry employees.

The food was served family-style.

And so was the room. After getting food, employees enjoyed their food while watching the football game together.

I could still hear the rumbling voices of shoppers outside the door, but for a moment it just felt like a typical Thanksgiving dinner.