In lieu of an attempt to eloquently speak, this is an article simply dedicated to the blunt, honest opinions of a student working retail to make ends meet. I’m tired, cranky, and just finished a twelve hour day of catering to the needs of complete strangers with a smile on my face, so I promise it won’t get more blunt and honest than this. After being accused of intentionally trying to overcharge, of not knowing correct information, and after dealing with some generally unpleasant people, I feel as though I need to voice to customers the honest truth of how we student retail workers go about our jobs.

• Contrary to popular belief, I really am not trying to steal your money. I am a college kid. I pinch pennies and don’t like people overcharging me for things either. If the computer rings up a product wrong, I can promise you that ten times out of ten, it is an actual (fixable) mistake and I did not manually change the numbers to overcharge you. I have actually had a customer threaten to call the police on me and have my job because, while scanning her cart full of about forty clearance items, the computer rang up a $0.99 straw hat at $1.99. I apologized, instantly changed the price for said customer, and said I would notify my manager so the error would be fixed in the future. This wasn’t good enough apparently, as I got accused of trying to steal their money like every other corporation out there, and of being incompetent for not knowing the price of everything the store was selling and for not making sure the computer was correct. I feel like this begs a somewhat intriguing question; what would I, a student working a minimum wage job, have to gain from overcharging you, a stranger who I have nothing against, one extra dollar for a straw hat? Ma’m, even as you cuss me out I will continue to treat you with respect and will amend the situation, but I would like you to pause a moment and think about what bullshit that is. If I wanted to make some extra cash via theft, don’t you think I would be on the streets picking pockets instead of working retail and overcharging one single person one single dollar?
• I won’t know the answer to every question, but I will (honestly, not sarcastically) be happy to help you find someone who does. There are thousands and thousands of products in the store, and as much as I really do (again, not sarcastically) think it would be cool to be an expert on every one, I’m just not. I try to learn about what we sell to do my job efficiently and to be able to help others, but in the end, I have school and two other jobs to worry about so I can’t learn about the entire store. However, if you will be patient, I will do whatever it entails to find the information you desire. I’ll make phone calls, Google everything in my power, and call in my manager who is actually an expert to help you. I apologize that this takes an extra minute or two, but I really am happy to help you and will even hang around to learn what the answer is so I know for next time.
• The customer is not always right. I’ll admit that many times, you are. But sometimes, you’re just not. And I’m not looking for a fight to prove it to you.
• If something isn’t ringing up the first time and you say “Hey it must be free today,” my laugh may not be genuine. It’s probably the fourteenth time I heard that joke. In the past hour. I spend my entire day smiling, having a positive attitude, and trying to genuinely make sure my customers have a decent experience at my store. However, I want to actually bang my head against a wall when you ask for discounts or free stuff. I love free stuff, and would really give you everything in the store to you if I could. Alas, I cannot. I don’t have that power; whether we’ve known each other for years or you’re some stranger who simply made me laugh, I can’t give away free stuff or magically reduce prices. And it makes me sad to be reminded of that. So please please please, next time you want to joke about high prices, take it up with the head honchos who decide prices. I just work here.
• I will be honest with you if you ask. I’m not working retail as a career stepping stone. I don’t get commission. If you ask me about a product, I will give you complete honesty. If it’s made cheaply and I’ve had a million returns on them and they’re known to break, I will tell you. If I’ve personally bought it and was unhappy and wouldn’t get it again, I’ll warn you. On the contrary, please trust me when I direct you towards an expensive product. If I say it’s worth it, it’s worth it. I have nothing to gain but bad karma when I sell you a bad product not worth the money. If you are nice to me, I will take the time to be completely honest and give you a full rundown on all of your product options. That includes a rundown on whether it’s actually a good deal or not.
• I’m human. If you come at me bearing a return with no receipt and I start crying, don’t take it personally. I have bad days that even my smiling customer service façade can’t hide, and sometimes I’m a complete scatterbrain who needs an extra couple seconds to count change when my mind is racing. I’m far from perfect, I don’t know everything, and I’m an awkward human being from time to time. Sometimes when you see me at work, you’ll see me at my absolute worst. I’ll apologize, but you have to understand that as you’re trying to whip through lines and get service at the snap of your finger, the workers you deal with have lives too. As we’re carrying your dog food to the car, sometimes we’re doing so with a bad back. When we smile and tell you to have a good day, sometimes internally we’re thinking how ours couldn’t get worse. So please, remember that we’re imperfect humans too and we would love if you reflect on that before getting snappy with us for not racing to your every beck and call every time you ask. If someone is lazy and ignoring you, by all means get angry. However, if you see us genuinely trying to help while being pulled in ten different directions, please bear with us for an extra minute or two. We have bigger issues to worry about and the last thing that we need some days is an irritable customer to send us over the edge.

I love my job, don’t get me wrong. However, I don’t love cranky people. I swear I’m a halfway decent person and really do want to do my job correctly and I’m not a corporate monster trying to steal your money. I’m not intentionally aiming to make your life difficult, and I don’t want to ruin your day by accidentally overcharging one dollar for a straw hat. My biggest confession? Here it is: I’m just a normal person trying to pay my bills. And it would make a world of a difference if you would grant me and every other retail worker the same respect that we grant you.

End rant, have a lovely day, and please come visit me at work and say hi. I promise I’m not actually this cranky sounding on the clock (or off, for that matter), but the rant was bound to happen.