I have worked in customer service since I was old enough to be employed. From my first job at KFC when I was 15 to my current job as a style specialist at Charming Charlie's (and many in between) I've met so many amazing people and learned a ton, but I know not everyone has had this chance. Here are ten things I, as a retailer, and I'm sure many more, would like you to know.

1. We are required to greet you as you walk in and ask if there is anything we can help you with. We are there to help YOU. So it would save a lot of your (and my) time if you just told us what you're looking for in the first place. Hello, we basically live in the store so we know where everything is top to bottom.

2. We don't control pricing!! This point needs to be bold and italicized, whatever it takes! We do not control the price of our product, we do not control the amount of mark down a clearance item gets and we do not control tax. Heck we don't even control the coupons. So save your rants about how terrible I am as a person because of how much that purse you want costs.

3. We are required to ask you for your email. I don't do it because I want to hit you up on msn messenger. Trust me, if I could skip this part I would. We are required to maintain at least a 70 percent average email capture. So if I don't capture old and new emails 70 percent of the time I lose hours which means I lose money. It's totally understandable that you don't want all the junk in your email, ask the associate if there are any other options such as your physical address or a do not email list.

4. We remember you. We see tons of people daily but most of the time we know you. When Stephanie checked you out after you needed to find that perfect necklace for your prom dress and now you're back to return it after prom (we remember you). When we caught you steeling and a month later you're back (we remember you). When you complained about not getting full price back for a dress that's past its 30 day return policy (which you can usually avoid by releasing your email) we remember you!

5. Calling in over the phone to ask us if we have "that one gold ring" is a nightmare for us. First off, I'm really sorry but if I tell you I can't hear you four times in a matter of two minutes chances are you need to take the phone out of your mouth. Secondly, for some reason no items have the name on them like you'd see online. Asking me to find the "forever yours" dress will do me no good. I know our store like the back of my hand but I don't memorize our online catalog. Sorry. And last but not least, it's taking up SO much of our time. Granted, were here to help you, but something many people don't understand is it'd take 5 minutes of your time to come in and show us a picture of the piece instead of having us go on a crazy adventure trying to match a 13 digit skew code (four zeros or three?).

6. You probably think "Hey! They aren't food service so going in a minute before they close to browse is okay" it's not. Just like closing any other type of business, we have tasks. Facing everything so it looks nice for the next morning is a nightmare if we have customers browsing at last minute. Cash registers have to be closed and counted. On a holiday with four cash registers open and over two grand per register this takes a l o n g time and a lot of concentration.

7. Cleanliness. Cleanliness. Cleanliness. If it's not gross enough to be handling money all day (eeewwyy!) it's disgusting the things we find people leave around the store. My minimum wage is not enough to pick up your dirty Kleenex or your kids spilt pop. But with a smile I'm going to wipe it up as your child touches every piece of shiny new jewelry with their sticky pop hands. And for the record, YES obviously we have garbage cans begins the register (duh?) but no you can not hand me your dirty napkin/used Kleenex/ or three quarter eaten pretzel and want me to throw it away. Ask for the can, put it in there yourself.

8. Some people think kids are great, I'm glad you thought they were cool enough to have one. Notice i said you have one, not me. Therefore I should not be the one telling your child not to touch the steaming iron or it will melt skin. I should not be the one telling your children not to spray the entire bottle of body glitter. Please keep an eye on your children or invest in a leash.

9. One thing I don't think a lot of people know is a thing called conversion. Many stores have it. It's a sensor at the door that counts how many people come in and out of the store. They keep track of this so we know how many people we're getting to purchase. Walking in and out of stores drowns conversion. So much like at home, in or out please.

10. We're people too. Chances are we're getting paid minimum wage. Not getting paid overtime or holiday pay. But here we are, happy to greet you and help you. So just as a friendly reminder, be kind to your retail helpers!