December in the city means lights, presents… and chaos for those who serve us every day.
While we rush to do holiday shopping and order gifts, service workers struggle with crowds, deadlines, and demanding clients.
While most people are looking forward to the holidays, for others the reality is somewhat different.
"The increased number of visitors naturally causes bigger crowds," said Iva Vladičić, manager of the grocery store, on "Colors of Morning" on Television Vijesti.
"Some clients sometimes throw me off balance in the morning and I'm in a bad mood all day," said Đorđe Šćepanović, a delivery man.
"You notice from the traffic lines that, unlike in November or previous months, there is more congestion," said Dragoljub Šuković, a taxi driver.
As crowds grow and time is pressed, store employees must balance professionalism with patience. Every customer, says Iva Vladičić, is a story in itself.
"People should expect when they go to stores that other people are also going to stores and that crowds are a completely natural occurrence at this time, and that they should generally prepare for crowds because that would make them feel more relaxed and enjoy themselves more. There would be less pressure on both themselves and the sales staff. In general, if we all understood that a small gesture of kindness would greatly reduce nervousness, stress, and unpleasant situations, the atmosphere would be much nicer and more pleasant," said Vladičić.
For Đorđe Šćepanović, who delivers December shipments without a break, this is the most demanding month of the year.
"The volume of work has increased because a lot of gifts are being sent now. Companies in Podgorica want to deliver some gifts to their clients in terms of calendars, key chains and so on. The delivery of those gifts has increased, and everyone wants to arrive on time to please their loved ones. It is expected of us, as if people think that if we pick up that shipment in the morning, that we only have them and that when we pick up the shipments, we go directly to them. There are not many parking spaces, and sometimes we even have to park much further away than we need to deliver the shipment," said Šćepanović.
It's similar in taxis – passengers are often in a race against time before the holidays, says Dragoljub Šuković.
"Not everyone reacts the same, you know, like everything in life, and also in a taxi. There are people who, like this now, have a spontaneous conversation, how are you, are you tired, will we arrive in 10 minutes and so on. And by God, there are also those, you know, who have, what I'm saying, they wake up in the morning frowning and then they always feel guilty about something, so what's this, have you increased the price again and the like," said Šuković.
Client requests reveal how invisibly difficult work in the service industry is, and some situations are worthy of a column, believe it or not.
"There's a situation that comes to mind now, where a man asked me to bring him a package to his living room. He told me, it's open, your door is open, apartment, number, so-and-so, your door is unlocked, I'm here, I'll sit if you can. I just stopped, looked at the phone, and said, is this realistic, but I've finished the job," said Šćepanović.
Bonus video:
