Santa and his present giving antics embody Christmas. His iconic attire, prodigious facial hair and interesting mode of transportation spark childrens’ imagination the world over, making the holiday season a little more magical for everyone.
For this, and many more reasons, he’s a guy in very high demand. So you can’t really blame him for hiring a few helpers to assist in taking orders during the Christmas rush.
Most ‘shopping centre’ Santas do a fabulous job, creating fond memories for kids and their parents; but that doesn’t excuse the odd few from a disciplinary meeting, or even from being shown the front door to the Grotto. Playing Santa isn’t without its difficulties…
One grandfather and Santa impersonator of 15 years was told not to come back to work after some parents complained of delays, caused by Santa assisting an elf, unfortunately suffering from a panic attack. The girl was OK, but sadly Santa was left searching for a new Grotto, as apparently he was not performing the job to the standard ‘expected’ of him.
Another Santa when plying his trade across the pond, completely failed to recognise the needs of one of his visitors, refusing a young girl because of her service dog. He even refused to meet the girl without the dog, citing allergies and claiming that her breed of dog ‘eats people’! News of this spread, quickly going viral on Facebook. Complaints poured in and eventually the shopping centre that employed this mean Santa dismissed him in favour of one ‘more compassionate’ to guests’ needs.
And next, just to prove that even Santa himself can wake up on the wrong side of the bed, one was sacked for his Scrooge-like behaviour. Being rude, grumpy, and ignoring the kids was definitely not in the job description. The shopping centre in the USA, like the one described above, faced a Facebook backlash. Read more here.
We can see how Santa can sometimes get a little stressed, but let’s not forget that seeing Santa can be a real emotional rollercoaster for the kids also! These kids found it all a little too much.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic New Year from all of us at The HR Dept!
