This time of year is hard enough for experienced employees. But when the seasonal hires start, things really get interesting.

Working holiday retail sometimes means biting your tongue.

Or is this the most difficult thing about working retail during the holiday season? Quite possibly.

The holidays bring out the worst in some people, unfortunately.

Some people don’t realize that they literally are the problem.

Is this your first year of working holiday retail? Saruman’s here to tell you what’s up.

One of the toughest things about working retail during the long holiday season is listening to that music for weeks … and weeks … and weeks on end.

Retail employees generally approach the holidays with one of two attitudes — which is yours?

Mix holiday pressure with biological needs and there’s high potential for someone to snap.

Okay, this doesn’t often happen in a jewelry store. (And if it does, the retail gods are smiling upon you.) But Black Friday can still be pretty intense.

Is it just us, or do customers maybe not seem entirely sincere when they say this?

Or you may hear this equally insincere variation instead.

Johnny Depp totally feels your pain.

You gotta love those desperate, last-minute, yet still off-puttingly demanding Christmas shoppers.

One of the best things about the end of the holiday season is a nice, long break from the annoyingly smooth sounds of Michael Bublé.

More holiday music pain, in the form of Mariah Carey’s universally despised 1994 holiday hit.

The song may get old for retail workers, but memes about it never do.

And remember, once the holidays are done, you’ll have this to look forward to.