After Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham’s for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I’ll never forget.
I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales. Now 1 know the secrete Firstly, there is the special winter stock and the stock that people buy all the year round. Some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn’t sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in especially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60%o in the sale. Lastly, they buy in “seconds” for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.
When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building.
When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn‘t believe my eyes; this wasn’t shopping. It was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn‘t keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.