Subject of Bill Bailey stand-up comedy routines, supplier of toys to generations of plastic-happy kids - and harbinger of a workforce that's always perpetually smiling whilst hating everyone they come into contact with - working for Argos is truly a life-defining experience. Fake smiles abound when you know you're potentially going to be called into the office if a mystery shopper check goes by and you didn't offer up everything on your checklist - and over time grinning madly like the Joker dissipates into the kind of forced-fun 'smiles' you put on at family get-togethers. Now, it's not all doom and gloom; you do get first dibs on any new merchandise coming in, a whiff of that 'new catalogue smell' (give it time, you'll be hooked) and precisely because of the whole "we're all in this together!" mentality, stores can develop into having some of the best friendship groups around. It's not without blood, sweat and laminate-staining tears though, as it takes a special kind of person to put up with the trials and tribulations of working at one of Britain's most popular retail stores - especially at something like Christmas time. So check out our list of inner secrets and complaints, then leave the best of your own worst in the comments below.
19. The Santas Not Real Moment When You Realise What The Stockroom Looks Like
When you were young, all manner of gifts just seemed to materialise from the Santa's workshop-style area somewhere off in the back of the shop, with a plucky young helper producing exactly what you wanted by the time you'd crossed the gigantic expanse that was the shop floor. However, as soon as you actually step behind that counter as an adult and realise Buzz Lightyear himself is clinging onto the edge of some shelf space for dear life, it's a bit of a bubble-burster.
