Retail. God be with us all. Whether it is your first job experience in high school or you are just working it part time in college as a side hustle, it is no easy task. People literally drive you crazy at work with their ridiculous actions and insane requests. Having to deal with the craziness of customers makes for an interesting story to tell your friends when you clock out. Here are a few retail pains that I know some can relate to. Brace yourselves -- I cannot make this stuff up.
1. Coworkers make the best friends
I know it is hard to believe, but yes, we have nothing better to do than to complain about how crazy the customers drive us. If you are the rude customer mistreating one of us, better believe we are talking on the headset to one another. You disrespect one of us, we all feel their pain. This retail life is no joke - we stick together like white on rice. These are "your people." The ones who know when you have had a long day at work and need to go out afterward to have a good time. The people you enjoy sharing an eight-hour shift with during Black Friday because you know they will give you all the love you need and then some.
2. The mysterious back of house
Anytime you ask someone to go to the back to find you something, keep in mind how you have been treating this individual before hand. Sure, there may be a lot of clothes in the back in your size or maybe it is completely out of stock and all on the floor, you may never know. I ultimately control if you are going to be satisfied with finding this product or not -- it would do you well to not sass me.
3. Watch your attitude
Please, please, please do not catch an attitude with me. More times than not, I have had an extremely exhausting day at school and the last thing I need is you giving me a hard time being rude. I promise you I want this transaction to go as smoothly as possible. I am more inclined to help you out if you talk to me as a civil individual who has some sense instead of acting a straight-up fool.
4. Greetings are the worst
If I take the time out of my hardcore folding at the front table to acknowledge your presence with a “Hey, how are you?” please answer me back. Contrary to what you may think, I do not have to greet you. I am encouraged to speak to the customer -- that can be interpreted in multiple ways. I, however do enjoy being acknowledged and indulging in some small talk, so by all means, a simple smile or a wave of the hand (friendly of course with no special finger) is always appreciated.
5. Slow days are horrible
There are only so many ways I can rearrange the T-shirts or put the denim in the wall. I do not understand how people enjoy no traffic and just standing around doing nothing. Customers make the store go round-and-round, literally. Without customers we do not get any money and no money leads to no hours which ultimately lead to me not getting scheduled. I am already a struggling high school/college student and I need my hours.
6. Fitting room cleanliness is important
Let us be real. I appreciate your effort of "trying" to make my job easier by hanging things back up, but just don't. Why bother if you are just going to hang items backwards or even inside out, it is just causing me to do twice the work. Swimsuits are also an issue. You should know what size bottom you need. Do not grab every pattern you see and think I will not get flustered when I have to hang all 15 pairs back up. Another thing, keep the safety sterile tag in and keep your underwear on, it is there for a reason.
7. Closing
That sad moment when it is closing time and you get excited that the store looks somewhat decent and then a family walks in five minutes until. I absolutely loathe you. No. Turn around. Go away. How dare you come in and decide you want to buy something knowing good and well you are not even going to get anything full price and complain when it does not ring up the clearance price you thought it was. It is so frustrating thinking the closing team is going to actually get out on time, yet being held up by this family causes us to stay an extra 30 minutes. Have a blessed night.
Working in retail has taught me more about myself than I care to admit. I have had to practice patience, wisdom and esteem myself while on the job. There is not a chill level from customers when it comes to how they treat employees. Hands-down though, I would not trade the experience thus far for anything. It is my daily comedic relief and gives me something to ponder and ensure I definitely do not want to make a career of it at the sales associate level.
