There is a special breed of people who can survive working in the retail world. These people can deal with crazy customers, chaotic stores, stressed employees and a myriad of other obstacles on a daily basis, yet still show up for work the next day. Whether you work retail for a summer job, or you're working your way up towards being a manager, here are six signs you're a retail employee ...
1. You never put things back in the wrong place when shopping at other stores.
Any retail worker knows the struggle of finding a random sweater tossed in a display of jeans and also has a secret (or maybe not-so-secret) resentment for the customers who are the culprits of this crime against retail stores. So, whenever a retail worker is shopping in another store as a customer, he or she is never going to be found shoving something that they don't want back into the wrong place.
2. You have perfected a convincing fake smile, which you use on the daily.
One of the main responsibilities of a retail worker is treating customers kindly, even when said customers are acting like they are spawns of Satan himself. Therefore, every employee has perfected a smile and demeanor to be used towards customers who they would really rather just ban from the store. With an act so polished and convincing, a retail worker is really ready for Broadway.
3. You look at a perfectly folded display of clothing with the same loving smile that you would use to look at your partner on your wedding day.
A retail worker spends countless hours folding (and refolding ... and refolding ...) the same stacks of shirts, pants and sweaters, knowing that his or her hard work will be destroyed moments later by a customer. For the split second after an employee has finished perfecting a display, he or she always takes a moment to bask in its beauty. Of course, that moment of peace can only last until a customer decides to rip through every pair of jeans on the shelf to find her size, rather than using the size tags that are so clearly visible.
4. When you're sent to take your break, you make a beeline towards the staff room so that no customers can interrupt you on your way.
Break time. It's the sweet, sweet 15 minutes that every employee looks forward to having. So, there's nothing worse than finally thinking you're free, only to have a customer tap you on the shoulder for assistance right as you're about to enter the break room. Every retail worker has perfected a direct route to the staff room door, as well as a run (um, walk) to get there as quickly as possible.
5. You know that there is nothing worse than a customer who walks in the door two minutes before closing.
Most stores have a policy that they won't ask customers to leave the store if they're still shopping past closing time, as long as they were in the doors before that time arrived. However, there are many customers who take this policy to mean that it's perfectly okay to shop leisurely until 7:30, even though the store closes at 7:00, and then take their time walking to the registers and deciding on their final purchases. Meanwhile, all of the employees in the store are pacing around, knowing that there is no hope of them leaving on time. The extra half hour of pay does not seem worth it to a worker who has been in the same store all day and can practically taste freedom!
6. You end up spending most of your income at your place of employment.
After spending an entire day looking at the same displays of clothing, you end up finding tons of new things that you wonder how you ever lived without. Plus, there's always the awesome employee discount nagging in the back of your brain. "Sure, I have five black cardigans, but this one would only be $15 with my discount! Who cares that I had to work two hours today to make that money?"
