December 26th is one of the biggest retail days of the year. Competing with Black Friday, and surpassing Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and all the rest, if you’re not participating, you’re missing out big time.

The big shopping day hits billions online alone, with the usual Boxing Day fights breaking out in stores all across the United States and appearing on YouTube shortly after.

While online retailers have the luxury of not staffing security and working their staff to the bone, physical storefronts aren’t quite the same.

So, how do you motivate your staff to help bring in the big sales this year while still remaining sane and not quitting on the spot?

Prioritize Experience

While you’re going to want all-hands-on-deck, make sure that you prioritize your experienced staff. Those who know your inventory as well as you do, can run every system, and answer every question are going to be your most valuable assistants at this time so let them know well ahead of time what their positions will be.

Share the Spoils

You may not be able to incentivize when it comes to asking for reviews online, but when it comes to your in-store staff, all bets are off. Set sales goals and provide rewards! Use your imagination and if you can, hand out prizes throughout the entire day with a big reward at the end. Don’t usually work with commission? Try it out for one day!

Provide Shift Options

Not everyone is able to power through eight hours of Boxing Day shoppers. Acknowledging this from the beginning will help you and your staff survive when it comes time to open your doors. If you have an employee that isn’t a strong seller or is unused to working longer shifts, assign them a job they can handle that your big sellers may not want to do. Knowing where everyone stands and using them to their full potential will be your secret weapon.

Plan in Advance

As a business owner it can be easy to stay within your own head and not let everyone around you know what’s going on until the last minute. Don’t do this when it comes to your big retail day. Let your staff know your plans well in advance so they’re just as prepared as you are.

Show Appreciation

When the day is over, show your appreciation! Whether that’s by ordering pizza for everyone, or planning a big party in the next week, having a way to wind down and talk about what you all just went through will bring everyone closer together.

Companies that run their staff hard during Boxing Day are going to have disaster on their hands. It’s a given in the retail industry that everyone is expected to put in their biggest effort, but managing your staff so they don’t feel pushed to their limit is what will give you a successful sale and make everyone stronger and better team players in the end.