Everyone knows Saturday is the busiest day of the week for retailers. We have all been in that checkout line where it seems like there are five different kids screaming, every register seems to have a complication, and there is a line so long it might as well be to the door. The thing to remember is us workers on the other side aren't exactly loving our lives in this moment either. Dare I say it, we want the line to move even faster than you do.
The most important step is to remember is that we have to be there most of our day, so while you get to walk out the door with your new stuff and forget that cashier you were less than friendly to, we get to deal with that for hours and hours. Not that one person being a little rude is a day ruiner (if it is you are in the wrong job), but one after the other gets exhausting.
Step number two is realizing that if we ask you to apply for a credit card, it's not because it is fun to us or because we want to waste your time at the register, but because IT IS OUR JOB. We will literally get in trouble if we don't ask, so do your best to not roll your eyes, and instead just say "no thank you". The minute you say no, we can stop the credit card talk and start talking about the cute new outfit that you're buying.
Step three is acknowledging that we do not make the store policies. It doesn't make a difference in any way of our lives whether we give you store credit or cash back on a return, so we are on your side. We want to give you the money back, but if it doesn't meet the requirements we simply can't do it. We are pretty much the lowest people in the company, so thinking we have a say in making an exception on a return or getting angry about the way we have to process a return is a waste of your effort. Even if you get mad, the best we can do is call up a manager who can tell you the exact same policy we just described.
Step four is to have a sense of humor. Sometimes we'll say have a good night and it's 10 AM, and sometimes we'll ask if you found everything okay twice. It is easy to forget what time it is or get stuck in that routine of asking the same questions a hundred times, so just laugh at us honestly.
Retail is a tough job because you deal with so many people, and some days it feels like every customer is mad they waited in the long line or has a tough return to process. So if you remember that, follow these steps, and try to remember when you are worked your entry level job, then maybe the next time you check out you won't hate your cashier.
