Working in retail is a special kind of torture only the bravest and strongest can endure. As a retail employee or associate, we are constantly trying to maintain face for our brand while also dealing with the demands of the public. It's not rocket science but it's no piece of cake either. Because holiday hiring season is in full swing, preparing for the next couple of crazy months, this article is dedicated to all those in retail and the crazy things that make us cringe.
1. Welcoming a customer into the store and their response is "no thanks" or no response at all.
A job requirement is to greet every single customer. Common courtesy is to say hello to someone when they say hello to you.
2. Having customers come in as the store is closing.
Bonus points if the customer celebrates making it into the store a minute to closing.
3. Customers who know the store is closing and continue to take their time browsing.
4. Customers who need their hand held throughout the entire shopping process.
We are here to help and represent our brand, but walking item to item and having to explain each and every article of clothing is excessive. Customer service is very important, but sometimes customer's take it a bit too far and demand a personal shopper experience. It is extremely hard to focus all of our attention on one customer when we have multiple customers requiring attention. We will try our best. Bare with us.
5. Standardizing a pile and a customer immediately ruins it.
6. Explaining the concept of BUY ONE, GET ONE multiple times a day.
The sign clearly reads "Buy One, Get One $19.95" so no, one pair of jeans by itself is not $19.95. It's truly crazy how many times a day this has to be explained to multiple people.
7. "Can you check the back? Can you double check?"
The back of the store is not a magical place, it has a few racks with some merchandise, MOSTLY CLEARANCE MERCHANDISE. Chances are when we go into the back, we take a sip of water and take a breath before going back out to the floor to greet a disappointed face.
8. Returns, frequent returners, and those who forget their receipts, oh my!
9. Customers who leave their clothes in the fitting room inside out and on the floor.
We understand people are sometimes in rushes, but it is extremely difficult to maintain a clean fitting room and get customers in and out efficiently when we are constantly having to pick merchandise off the floor and re-standardize each item.
10. Customers who think they are above the store's policy.
We did not make the return policy, we did not make the coupon policy. However, we must follow the rules or we will lose our jobs. We are not being mean when enforcing the policy or being unfair. It's unfair to us that we are put in a compromising position every time someone argues about putting a coupon on a clearance item.
11. Customers on Thanksgiving.
Please do not go into stores on Thanksgiving and tell any of the employees "I can't believe they are making you work on Thanksgiving". We have to work on Thanksgiving because customers are coming into the store. If our companies didn't think we would make money on Thanksgiving, we wouldn't have to come in. But because Black Friday deals aren't enough, our holidays get cut short so leggings can be half price for ten hours, even though the same deal is online.
12. Having to undress a mannequin for a customer and then they change their mind.
13. When customers who complain about the prices.
WE DON'T MAKE THE PRICES. WE DON'T MAKE THE PRICES. WE DON'T MAKE THE PRICES.
14. Parents who use the store as a changing table for their children (or themselves).
The absolute horror a retail employee faces when we see poop smashed into the walls of a fitting room is worse than any scary movie. We've heard the horror stories about women opting to go to the bathroom while waiting on long lines, but seeing it for ourselves haunts us forever. Please don't use our store as a bathroom or a changing room. Please.
15. "No price tag? Must be free!"
It's not free, it's never free. Nothing is ever free
