After working at Starbucks for two years, I can honestly say that I have gained a whole new level of respect for anyone who works in retail. It never ceases to amaze me how belittled retail workers are by customers.
- Your retail worker is not beneath you. After working at my job in retail for only a few months, I reached the painful truth that some customers believed they sat in a seat above me. It was as if I did not have the education value because I was behind the cash register instead of being waited on. Most retail workers that I worked with were highly intelligent and were either in undergraduate or graduate classes, just working in retail as a side job
- Working in retail is not easy. Many people think retail workers get to stand around all day and hang out. From working at Starbucks, I have people that think I got to stand around all day and just have free beverages, which is completely untrue. Retail workers have to stand on their feet for hours each day. I, for one, have “grandma” feet from standing on a hard floor all day. You have to wash dishes and who said there would be no physical labor? From mopping, washing dishes, putting up displays, to burning hands on hot food/drinks, it is hard work.
- “Hi how are you today?" Customer: "I’ll take a Venti White mocha." The whole time I’m thinking, “Oh great, thanks for asking.” Just take the time to ask your retail worker how they are doing. They are humans and want to be treated well just like anyone else.
- Retail workers work really early and really late. I don’t know about you but when I worked the opening shift at Starbucks I had to clock-in by 4:30am. I always giggled to myself when customers came in during the morning rush and said, “Gosh I’m tired, I had to get up early at 8 a.m. tomorrow.”
- Ask any retail worker, I bet they haven’t had a full weekend off in a long time. For any retail store, the busiest time is the weekends, when everyone else is off. Appreciate your retail worker who often squeezes in 30-plus hours during a weekend.
- Leave a good tip. During my time at Starbucks, I often ran into the issue of customer’s not leaving tips. I think people often think if they go in anywhere besides a restaurant there is no need for a tip and there isn’t—all the time. A nice tip here and there, though, is always appreciated.
