THEY'RE READY. ARE YOU?; RETAIL WORKERS PREPARED FOR ROBUST HOLIDAY SALES SEASON

Hours after the last piece of pumpkin pie is eaten and the last football game watched, a special cadre will spring into action -- retail employees who will swing open store doors Friday to herald the first official day of the holiday shopping season.

"I see some familiar people the day after Thanksgiving," said Teresa Guiling, a merchandising assistant and floor leader in the women's accessory department at JCPenney. "We have some good sales, and I'm ready. I like crowds."

David Bridgewater planned an even earlier jump on the holiday. He is scheduled to man the cash registers at a Dollar General Store today.

Hundreds of other workers have been gearing up for the rush. Traditionally the workforce is 39,000 in Cape Girardeau County, but grows about 800 to 1,000 people more for November through January. With a 2.8 percent unemployment rate this year, employers had to beat the bushes for seasonal workers. Many stores add 30 to 40 people during the holidays.

Nationally, retailers hope consumer confidence and a healthy economy reverse a recent period of lackluster sales. They're predicting a 5 percent to 6 percent increase over last year's holiday spending.

Traditionally, about a third of holiday shoppers flock to shopping centers and stores the day after Thanksgiving.

Guiling, who started with the JCPenney company more than 30 years ago, when the store was located in downtown Cape Girardeau, said that every crowd is different. Patient and steady, she is no stranger to customer service and wears a name tag with four tiny customer service medals.

"I enjoy helping people," she said.

Guiling, a native of New Madrid County, recalled a holiday shopping incident from a few years ago.

An elderly gentleman was shopping for his disabled wife, said Guiling.

"I showed him some color samples and some different gift items, but he wasn't really sure about them," she said. "The man's wife was outside in a van, so I took the charges and samples outside to show her. She made some selections, and everything ended well."

Like many other Cape Girardeau stores, JCPenney will open early on Friday -- 7 a.m. But Guiling is devoting today to family and friends.

"I'll be in the kitchen a lot of the day," she said. "Then it's back to the store."

Bridgewater will be back at the registers Friday at Dollar General Store's Broadway location.

"I don't mind working holidays," said Bridgewater, an assistant manger with Dollar General Stores. "I may feel frustrated at times, but I'm patient. There'll be a lot of people just as frustrated during the holiday shopping season as they battle the traffic."

Bridgewater says he gears up for the big days by telling himself: "It's going to be a good day."