I'm sitting in the office of my morning job on the phone while the other lines have two people on hold, the office cell phone is ringing, and a fax is printing behind me. The woman I am on the phone with has called back three times, each time demanding a different amendment to her order. At one point, I want to just throw the phone across the room and watch it explode into a million pieces against the wall. But I can't, because there is a job to be done. So, I put on my brightest customer service voice and handle each problem step by step.
Working in the office is one of my two steady summer jobs. Previously, I was a caddy at the local golf course for two years, worked retail for three years in high school, a summer camp for two summers, and babysat since I was about 12. When you really look at it, I've been steadily working since sophomore year of high school. Each job taught me different lessons, but I probably learned the most from working in retail.
Everyone who has worked retail knows that is 100 percent worse than working in food service. (Disclaimer: I have not worked in food service.) I worked at TJ Maxx, and it was honestly the worst three years of my working career. People are so incredibly rude when they shop. They throw things on the floor, rifle through bins with wild abandon, and try on clothes literally as we are turning off the lights to close.
When I first started, I was so excited to have a job. Cashing your first paycheck is one of the most rewarding experiences you'll have. Not only did I have spending money, but I also had people relying on me. I grew up so fast working at a place that actually counted on me to show up and do my job.
Unlike most of the other teenagers at TJ Maxx, I actually stuck around. I think I overheard that our store had the worst turnaround rate in the region. (I don't blame them. Our management was mean, disorganized, and unrealistic.) When everyone else just didn't show up for shifts, I took them and not only did that show that I was reliable, but also mature...A quality that the costumers of TJ Maxx were not.
Let me tell you, once you work retail you become a whole different person. You start to notice things when you shop, like how you can easily put the shirt you're not going to buy on the rack you found it. Also when there aren't enough cashiers and the line is piling up, you know that they're probably understaffed or the break schedule was messed up.
You become empathetic.
Just today I was in line at Victoria's Secret and if you've shopped there, you know that the line is literally always long. There is never a time when I do not spend 20 minutes waiting in the check out line. The woman in front of me was whining because there was one cashier doing a massive return and no one else was ringing. I patiently waited, and sure enough, two sales associates came out of the break room. The schedule was messed up. As soon as they were out, the line moved a little bit faster. If I hadn't been a cashier just a few years ago, I probably would have complained right along with her.
I think the most important thing I learned from working retail is how to be respectful. You meet literally every stereotype working in retail and you have to learn how to deal with every person who walks through the door respectfully and promptly. Handling phone calls to multiple stores while trying to pacify a cranky customer at the same time translated really well to working in a hotel, where I am now. My co-workers at the front desk always ask me how I manage every nightmare with ease and I can honestly say that it's because of retail. I also learned my customer service voice there. You know, the one that is vaguely Southern but simultaneously assures a customer that they can stop going crazy? Believe me, it's an extremely useful tone of voice.
It really is a sobering experience to suffer through retail. I firmly believe that if everyone in the world did a minimum of six months at a TJ Maxx, there might be world peace... or at least fewer hostile shoppers. Once you see the other side of that register, there is no going back.
