'Twas the day before Christmas, And all through the store, Not a salesperson was available, So I walked out the door.

At the next store the customers were stacked up to pay, So I turned on my heels, and went on my way.

When finally I found, A store with no wait, I bought all my gifts, from a woman named Kate.

As I rushed to my car, I shouted with glee, To all of those stores, from which I did flee,

Merry Christmas to all, though your service was poor, You helped me find Kate, and my new favorite store.

As exciting as it can be on the sales floor during the Christmas season, the rush inevitably creates havoc for retail stores and makes it difficult for them to maximize potential sales.

The number of customers who wander in and out of stores during the chaos without being acknowledged, directed to merchandise or served in any way equals lost sales. When faced with the option of waiting for assistance or going to another store, the majority of customers move on to another store.

When there are more customers waiting to be served than there are salespeople in the store, the store manager or a designated floor supervisor should be circulating throughout the store instead of assisting individual customers. The floor supervisors' goal should be to greet all customers entering the store, escort them to the merchandise they are seeking, get them to wait for assistance, handle any problems they may have and jump in every once in a while to help a salesperson close a sale that is taking too long.

Having a store ambassador, who answers questions and even offers refreshments for those waiting, will encourage customers to wait more patiently until a salesperson can assist them. Give this method a try on your next busy Saturday and see how many sales you save. Get a head start on managing the holiday rush now and prepare yourself for your best selling season ever.