A Christmas Karen
The holidays, although typically seen as a joyous time, can also be an extremely stressful time. The holidays can be filled with painful dinner conversations, an embarrassing amount of shopping, angry relatives, and a period of time where everyone seems to come down with the common cold.
The common cold is an irritating casuality of the holiday season and the cold weather that comes with the new season. It seems not many people can exit the holiday season without being somehow touched by the cold.
Just as holidays brings about a season of sickness, it seems the holidays also bring about a season of “Karens.”
For anyone who doesn’t know, the term “Karen” is used to describe women who act entitled or are extremely demanding. Although a somewhat hurtful and stereotypical term, it is used to describe customers we’ve all experienced. I’m sure most of us have seen a viral video or two of a “Karen” who is absolutely berating an employee or another customer and acting in a way that is extremely childish.
Karen behavior usually involves asking for a manager, being close-minded, and completely unreasonable. There’s typically some hysterics, some screaming or shouting, and a threat or two is usually made.
As someone who has worked in both the retail and restaurant industry, I have had my fair share of exposure to Karens. Like a cold, they are persistent, aggravating, and usually bring about a maddening headache.
Whenever we get closer to the cold weather, I feel like reminders are made that help with combatting that common cold. We’re told to wash our hands more, stay hydrated, and ensure we are getting our eight hours of sleep. I’ve decided to do the same, but my tips are how to combat being a Christmas Karen.
To ensure that you aren’t displaying Karen behavior, I think the biggest tip or reminder to give is to have patience. Cashiers, baristas, servers, UPS workers, nurses, pet groomers, everyone, is doing their best. Obviously, we all have different ideas of what one’s best should look like, and maybe your version of someone doing their best isn’t the same as their own. During this holiday season, let’s remember to slow down and have patience as employees work through one of the busiest and most stressful times of the year.
Another great tip that coincides with the whole patience thing is to be understanding. There will be delays, errors, mess-ups, and mistakes. Odds are a barista will mess up your Starbucks order. When that happens, try to put yourself in the employee’s shoes. When the Starbucks line is out of the door and you see the pure panic in the barista’s eyes, try to understand that they are stressed, and they are just trying to do their job.
One of my favorite reminders; say thank you. Be grateful that someone is working at 3 am on Black Friday and that it’s not you. Don’t be afraid to tip a little extra. Show some appreciation to the people who are working the extra hours so you’re able to eat out on Christmas Eve. Overall, just be polite.
This tip helps everyone; get your holiday shopping done early. This helps relieve some of the chaos with less people shopping and ensures a less stressful experience for both you and employees.
Just know what a busy season this is, for everyone. Be prepared for a two hour wait when you choose to go out to eat on New Year’s Eve. Know that an employee may be short with you, not because you did something wrong, but because their place of work is short-staffed and now they have to work twice as hard to keep customers happy, so they’re a tad stressed.
Following these tips and reminding yourself of people’s humanity not only helps you avoid being a Karen, but it also just makes you a nicer person. Remember, you can have a pleasant experience as a customer without making someone cry this holiday season.