Shopping during the holidays can turn even the nicest people into the Grinch and for retail workers like myself, that can be the absolute worst.

Having worked for over four years in retail, I’ve been able to witness a range of human emotions during the holidays that I didn’t think were even possible; everything from strangers buying gifts for others in line to full blown public adult temper tantrums over products that were sold out.

This year, the crowd hasn’t gotten particularly out of control just yet, but as we get closer to Christmas, I presume things will ramp up and people will grow more agitated.

That’s why I've come up with a short guide that I think would be beneficial to retailers and customers alike. A guide which would expel some of the myths and misconceptions one may have of the other and hopefully create an overall positive shopping experience when shopping at retail stores during the holidays.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Retail workers, most of the time, are just trying to do what they’ve been told to do. And from time to time, that includes asking shoppers the question everyone seems to dread, “Can I help you with anything today?” Most people say no, but then in just a few minutes, realize they do need help and then end up finding that nobody is available to help them anymore and become angry. Take them up on the offer the first time, because 9 times out of 10, they’ll be able to find that one product you’re looking for but can’t ever seem to find.

And yes, I realize that some people take the pestering to an extreme and seem to hover over you the whole time, but a simple “I’ll let you know if I need anything,” will suffice and they should hopefully be able to take the hint.

Be nice

We get it, the holidays are stressful and trying to pick out the right gift for others can feel impossible, but your bad mood and grumpy behavior can and will rub off on the person trying to help you and then everyone ends up losing.

Prepare for lines during checkout

Cashiers are going as fast as they can, but they usually have some sort of script that they have to follow, which includes the endless amount of questions that their screen will prompt them to ask you. This ultimately slows down the process, but they have to do it.

It’s this vicious cycle where the cashiers have to ask certain things or risk getting marked down by “mystery shoppers” and ultimately lose their job, so just keep cool and be patient; rudeness again will not get you anywhere.

We’re just the messengers

We dislike having to offer those extra add-ons as much as customers may hate hearing about them. I’m referring to those credit card offers, points memberships, extended warranties, etc. — most of which are actually designed to help customers benefit from their purchases.

Instead of shutting them down or laughing at them like you can’t believe they’re trying to “dupe” you into this thing, keep in mind they’re not the ones who make up the offers, they’re just the messengers and are required by upper management to offer these things.

Ask for a gift receipt

Most stores these days offer gift receipts and it will make the return and exchange process go a lot smoother after Christmas is over with and people decide they didn’t like the gift they got. It’s free and easy to do and helps everyone.

Local stores across Austin like Book People do an excellent job with customer service and with good reason, too. Most people seem to be less defensive at locally owned stores — where some of these guidelines may not apply — than they would if they were shopping at a large department store like Best Buy or Wal-Mart.

The most important thing is to just simply be nice. I can’t count how many times customers have complained to me about trivial things like bags being too transparent during the holidays as if somehow, I was the person that designed the bag in question. People tend to be more responsive if you’re nice and in turn, they'll help you out to the best of their ability.

I'll end with saying that not all customers are bad, and for those of you that aren't guilty of any of this, I and retail workers across the nation applaud you. I'll admit too that there are retail workers who carry their bad attitudes with them, in which case I say that they probably shouldn't be working there in the first place.