Playlist | Department Store Purgatory

Tangs+Christmas+Store+%235+by+chooyutshing+is+licensed+under+CC+BY-NC-SA+2.0.

“Tangs Christmas Store #5” by chooyutshing is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Entertainment Team

Whether department store workers are avoiding being trampled by avid Black Friday shoppers, locking themselves on the back dock to cry over a customer yelling at them for throw blankets being out of stock or trying to help a mediocre husband find a gift for his wife at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the soundtrack will always be the same. It feels as if it will never end. Purgatory starts November 1, everybody. As the holiday season ramps up, we must not forget our nation’s bravest soldiers working in the great expanse of strip malls, coffee shops and department stores. We must not forget the endless stream of Michael Buble, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Ariana Grande that corporate deems appropriate. We must not forget the 17 different covers of “Last Christmas” that play over the speakers as they sit in the breakroom after nine hours, defying their boss who begged them not to take lunch. Leave this playlist with unending sympathy for those who prevail year after year. Happy Holidays.