Whether retail is your main job or a side job for some extra money, you know the struggles that ensue as the holiday season approaches or the second the weather gets bad. Stores get crowded, customers get cranky, and your managers take it all out on you: the lower-tier associate. If you've ever worked in retail, you know these struggles to be true.
1. Getting personally offended when customers ignore your greeting.
2. Hiding from your managers when the store is dead because you know they'll want you to do some busywork.
3. Being the only one on register and somehow the entire store is ready to cash out at the same time.
4. Trying to close the store and there's one customer still trying on clothes and you can't force them to leave so you just look at them like:
5. Seeing the pile of put-backs from the dressing rooms and actively trying to avoid it.
6. Trying to be polite when the 1953498th costumer of the day complains about the prices being too high which you have no control over.
7. Your face when a customer does not understand that they cannot return something without a receipt and get cash back:
8. Only making minimum wage and figuring out that the lunch you bought on your break represents an hour and a half of work.
9. Trying to make an excuse to your managers so you don't have to come in after hours for a shipment and store reset.
10. Constantly getting really bad shifts.
11. Having to work every single holiday.
12. Checking the schedule to see if you're on with your friends/ favorite managers and if you're not, desperately trying to switch shifts with someone.
13. Closing the store after a really busy day and knowing it's going to be a long night.
14. Trying to keep it together when your manager is yelling at you over something stupid.
15. Getting pleasure out of seeing your managers stress out and be extra nice to you when the district manager comes in for a visit.
The list of these struggles goes on and on. Working retail is definitely a job everybody should experience, and even though there are many struggles that ensue, you're pretty much getting paid to fold clothes and deal with rude customers, so it's not that bad.
