I love my job at a retail store. I have incredible employers, I get to work with my two best friends, and I've picked up all the aspects of it pretty easily. These duties include the Sales Floor (returning items to their original places whether, they've been left in random places or at the front), Fitting Room (giving people a card with the number of clothes they're taking in to prevent them from being left in the back), and Register. No matter which job I have for that day, I maintain a positive attitude and try to help people to the best of my abilities.
However, there are times when a person's question may tend to get repetitive due to hearing them multiple times throughout the week, ranging from reasonable to ridiculous. This definitely happens a great deal at the time of checkout and, while we are as polite as we can possibly be, what goes through our heads may be slightly different. Here are just a handful of these various questions that we tend to get, as well as the thoughts that we would never say at risk of potentially getting yelled at:
1. "Could I possibly get a bigger bag/double bags?"
Plastic bags cost a good deal of money. If you have decent-sized pillows or storage railings, sure thing! Although I'm not gonna put a single pair of shoes in a bag five times its size.
2. "Can I take these hangers?"
Unfortunately, we need those hangers because we get shipments without them. We truly do understand there are clothes that need hung up, but please do not steal ours.
3. "Would you be able to fold the clothes nicely?"
Well, we're timed on our performance, plus the line is pretty backed up. So I'm sorry, but no I cannot.
4. "Can I pay *Insert Amount Here* with cash and the rest with card?"
Yes we can, and that's actually a perfectly reasonable question. It may seem complicated but it's actually not that bad for us. Just know that our card scanner will still say full price even though the receipt will show the difference, so no need to get mad beforehand.
5. "Are you gonna take off the hard tags?"
Yes. It might be a little uncomfortable if we didn't, and I'm not a fan of hearing the alarm go off if they stay on and you walk through the door.
(Similarly) 6. "Why is so much stuff hard-tagged?"
Here's the incredibly convoluted and fascinating reason we have hard tags: some people steal things, others don't.
7. "Can you do returns at this register?"
Yes I can. The front two lit-up towers may be the only ones that say "Returns," but all the registers are well-equipped to do the job. But PLEASE tell me you have the original receipt and price tags.
8. "Who picks out your music?"
I have no idea, and no we can't change it. Although I will agree that it does get tiring listening to "Dangerous Woman" by Ariana Grande over and over again.
And probably the biggest question we are tired of hearing...
9. "Do you have a chip reader?"
Our store doesn't have chip, and I'm not sure if we ever will. We do know that some people prefer this and it can speed things up. However, lifting up/tearing at the bold red tab on the reader that says Chip Reader Unavailable will not change anything, so please stop messing with it.
So there you have it. If you or someone you know has worked in retail, feel free to mention any other common questions you get far too often. Though, there's no need to include this one, as I'm sure everyone gets it eventually: "Where's the bathroom?"
