• Black Friday is notorious for pushing, shoving, and trampling. But at the Best Buy in Woodland Park,New Jersey, there was none of that to be seen.
  • I went to Best Buy an hour before they opened at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving to see how employees prepared for Black Friday, and I found that a lot of it was mental. Employees prepare by amping each other up, and a manager rallies up the team with a high-energy pep talk.
  • Of the 135 people that work at this Best Buy location, 100 of them worked on Thanksgiving night. None of them were asked to work, as working on the holiday is on a volunteer basis.
  • Employees receive time and a half for working on the holiday, as well as a special meal provided by the store in the break room.
  • All told, employees seem to genuinely enjoy working on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

I arrived at Best Buy just before 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Foto: Tape on the floor guides customers to the check-out area.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

With holiday decor staggered between stacks of products, the store was mostly quiet.

Foto: Black Friday deals at at a Best Buy in New Jersey.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

But every so often, I heard random shouts coming from across the store.

Foto: Tape on the floor guides customers through the store.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

Across the store, behind stacks of hundreds of TVs, I could hear someone chanting: “feel the vibes, feel the vibes.”

Foto: There were hundreds of TVs at Best Buy on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

Best Buy’s employees were amping each other up for the 5 p.m. opening.

Foto: A Best Buy employee stands behind a stack of tech products.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

Although I couldn’t see many employees yet, it was just because they were staggered around the large store.

Foto: Best Buy before the store opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

So while the store looked empty, it felt full of energy.

Foto: Best Buy before the store opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

“It’s like the calm before the storm,” employee Lauren Alford told Business Insider. “But we’re ready like we always are.”

Foto: Best Buy before the store opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

Outside, it was a different story. Customers were lined up around the building.

Foto: The line at Best Buy before the store opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

Some of them got in line at 8 a.m.

Foto: The line at Best Buy before the store opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

But it was organized chaos. Best Buy employees handed out a limited number of tickets for the store’s hottest deals.

Foto: The line at Best Buy before the store opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

This year, the tickets were for TVs.

Foto: Best Buy’s Doorbuster ticket.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

The ticket system saves time and keeps shoppers and products safe.

Foto: The line at Best Buy before the store opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

Local police officers maintained the feeling of safety as well. “We have a great relationship with local PD. They’re family,” general manager Stephen Small told Business Insider.

Foto: A police officer hugs a Best Buy employee.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

Back inside, Best Buy employees were using large products to separate different sections of the store.

Foto: Best Buy before the store opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

And more employees were coming in to start their shifts.

Foto: Best Buy before the store opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

But it felt more like they were coming in for a family reunion. Every employee that came through the doors received hugs and high-fives from their colleagues.

Foto: Best Buy before the store opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

According to Small, Black Friday shifts are in high demand: “It’s super easy to fill these shifts. I have to tell some employees they can’t work. We don’t force anybody here. It’s a volunteer system. They understand the gravity.”

Foto: Best Buy before the store opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

“This is our Super Bowl. If you’re in retail — especially at Best Buy — this is our prime time. A lot of our employees are athletes and gamers. They’re here for this,” Small said.

Foto: General manager Stephen Small (left) prepares for the doors to open.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

But it’s not just Black Friday that makes these employees so excited. “This is family. That’s the best thing about it. I came here early just to be with everybody,” Alford told Business Insider.

Foto: Employees catch up before the store opens (Alford not pictured).sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

All the workers seem to agree that this team feels like a family. “I’ve never been in a building that is more family-oriented than here,” sales manager Mike Henao told Business Insider.

Foto: Henao is on the right.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

Henao has worked 14 Black Fridays, and he gives the team a pep talk every year. At around 4:45 p.m., Henao stepped up onto register number eight and shouted to the assembled workers.

Foto: Henao gives a pep talk on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

“Welcome to the best day of your life,” he said.

Foto: Henao gives a pep talk on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

With the whole store’s attention, Henao introduced his leading staff one by one, and the employees cheered for each. He also talked about how much he loves his staff.

Foto: Henao gives a pep talk on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

It felt more like a pep rally than a pep talk. People were shouting, clapping, dancing, and wooing.

Foto: Henao gives a pep talk on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

At one point, Tyshon Crandal, a sales supervisor, climbed onto the register with Henao. “It’s like my second home,” he said of Best Buy.

Foto: Henao gives a pep talk on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

Crandal told Business Insider that for him, there are no downsides to working Black Friday. He loves the excitement. “I get a little rush. It’s like going out on the field for a football game — an adrenaline spike,” Crandal said.

Foto: Henao gives a pep talk on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

Just before the doors opened, the feeling in the air was one of excitement, a few nerves, and overwhelming confidence.

Foto: Henao gives a pep talk on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

“You’ll sweat, I’m not gonna lie. You’ll get anxious,” Alford said of the moment before the doors open.

Foto: Best Buy just before the doors opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

But it’s a good sweat: “We anticipate this moment all year long,” Alford told Business Insider.

Foto: Best Buy just before the doors opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

While the store was roaring with excitement, just seconds before the doors opened was quiet.

Foto: Best Buy just before the doors opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

And then it wasn’t. Because it was cold, Best Buy let customers in five minutes early.

Foto: Best Buy just as the doors opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

For the next seven minutes, customers steadily streamed into the store.

Foto: Best Buy just as the doors opened.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

“When the energy is here and the customers are here and we’re busy, time flies,” Crandal told Business Insider.

Foto: Crandal not pictured.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

As someone who’s only seen Black Friday events on TV, I was expecting chaos.

Foto: Best Buy on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

But it wasn’t so bad. A lot of people were shopping, but there was no aggression or discomfort.

Foto: Best Buy on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

It just felt like a busy day at the store.

Foto: Best Buy on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

This is partially because customers can order their Black Friday products online and pick them up in-store, an increasingly common way to shop on Black Friday and for the holidays.

Foto: Best Buy’s pick-up section on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

John Rodriguez has only been working at Best Buy for a month, and he was excited to work on Thanksgiving.

Foto: Sales associate John Rodriguez (left) works at Best Buy on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

“The atmosphere here is amazing. Everyone is always smiling, the energy in the store is always up, and everybody is really excited to be here. I’ve never been in a work environment like this,” Rodriguez told Business Insider.

Foto: Best Buy on Thanksgiving.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

According to Small, employees get a chance to go through a Black Friday “dry run,” where they learn what to expect and talk to “vets” about their experiences. This helps relieve anxiety, especially for new employees.

Foto: Small helps a customer at Best Buy’s Black Friday sale.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

At 7 p.m., an enormous order from El Sabor —a local restaurant that the employees like — arrived at Best Buy.

Foto: Employees eat Thanksgiving dinner at Best Buy.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

With two hours in and six to go, Best Buy rallied up the troops with a Thanksgiving feast.

Foto: Employees eat Thanksgiving dinner at Best Buy.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

After management set up the food, employees started flushing in.

Foto: Employees eat Thanksgiving dinner at Best Buy.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

Within minutes, the break room was full of hungry employees.

Foto: Employees eat Thanksgiving dinner at Best Buy.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

The food was served family-style.

Foto: Employees eat Thanksgiving dinner at Best Buy.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

And so was the room. After getting food, employees enjoyed their food while watching the football game together.

Foto: Employees eat Thanksgiving dinner at Best Buy.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider

I could still hear the rumbling voices of shoppers outside the door, but for a moment it just felt like a typical Thanksgiving dinner.

Foto: Employees eat Thanksgiving dinner at Best Buy.sourceJoey Hadden/Business Insider