By the time you are finished with college you will have probably worked at least one or more jobs in retail. These are some of the most important jobs of your life. The jobs you get to list as “work experience” on your resume. There are many skills that you gain and should list under “work abilities.” Yet, there are oh so many skills that you will be absolutely professional at but cannot get any credit for them.
1. Hiding
I bet you never thought that “hide and seek” could teach you anything. Everyone has had those days where they can’t stand to face another customer or they will explode. For future advice the best places are the stockroom, bathroom, or hide in a dressing room stall.
2. The “Bend and Snap”
"Legally Blonde" also taught you the basics of the bend and snap. Your retail job will give you enough practice to become pro! When you bend to pick up paper and other trash off the floor all day thinking in your head “bend and snap” will make it much more bearable.
3. Deep Breathing
The customer is NOT always right. Your company probably says they are but 99.9% of the time the customer is wrong and is just fighting the price because they are cheap. Deep breathing will get you through all those times when the customer is yelling at your face and threatening to write a bad review.
4. Folding Clothes
You probably had to fold clothes as a chore growing up. Retail will teach you how to fold a shirt like a pro! If there were Olympic Games for folding shirts you would win the gold metal. Mountains is the only word that comes to mind when trying to describe the amount of unfolded shirts at the end of the day.
5. Screening Phone Calls
When your phone rings at 8:00am on your day off, DON’T ANSWER IT! Your managers will call you from the store number, cell phone, house phone, and even their spouse’s phone just so you don’t think that it is work calling you to come in. Pretend you’re sleeping in or out of service range unless you want to get out of bed and head to work.
6. Not locking your knees
Some of these jobs require you to stand in the same 3x3 feet space for 8 hours running a cash register. If you haven’t found this out already, lock your knees for 45 minutes and you’ll wake up confused with a knot on your head. Yes, this will get you out of work for the day but the concussion you will have for the next two weeks won’t be worth it.
7. Sugarcoating
Suggestive selling is equivalent to cursing. The last thing a customer wants to hear about is the extra candy bar or seasonal item on the display beside your register when they are ready to check out. They do not want to sign up for a store credit card and they do not want to take that survey at the bottom of their receipt. Start out with the good news and just forget to mention that 20% interest rate and the 30 minute length of the survey.
8. Memorizing Song Lyrics
All day every day these stores play the same playlists, especially during the holidays. For customers shopping it isn’t that bad because they don’t come at the same time every day. But for the sales associate, you will know every song by heart that comes on from 2:00 until closing. Just try not to burst out into song and dance.
9. The fake smile
Like the bend and snap, the “smile and nod” is vital for all retail workers. Customers will tell you their whole life story without you asking or they will be yelling in your face and all you can do is smile and nod. This skill will also help out those people suffering from RBF when they are off the clock.
I would go as far as listing these on your resume. But you are definitely a pro! These skills will get you through the day and you will be a professional retail worker.
