Life in retail definitely has its ups and downs. It is easy for your mood to go from good to bad and back to good within the first 15 minutes of your shift. I have been employed by two very different companies now, and here is what I have concluded.
1. Cash Register Protocol
Greet, email, ring, censor, thank, and absolutely don’t forget, “Receipt with you or in the bag?” After an eight hour shift, things can get pretty repetitive, and if we get out of order, everything else will be off. Customers beware: if we ever seem awkward or stop talking to you at the cash register, we are just making sure we aren’t messing up.
2. Emails
After so many times on the cash register, you will hear every email address on the planet. There will be long emails, short emails, emails that end with “.edu” and “@gmail,” and eventually, no email will come as a surprise. On behalf of sales associates everywhere, I would personally like to thank all of you kind-hearted people who actually give us your email. Our job depends on you and we appreciate you.
3. Reoccurring music
The CD that plays one set of songs over and over and over. “Work, work, work, work” is permanently embedded in my brain. I hear that song at least three times each shift that I work and I don’t think I will ever be able to not hear it.
4. Customers
You meet all kinds of people when working as a sales associate and not everyone is going to be as delightful as the last. Still, you have to greet everyone with a smile and make sure that they get the best customer service you can offer them. Although sometimes you may feel like ripping your hair out, there is no better feeling than hitting it off with a customer and helping them find exactly what they are looking for.
5. Managers
Managers are the people we want to impress the most. Everything that they do and say we take notes on and hope they notice all of the right things we do. When we show up a couple minutes early for work, sell a credit card, or satisfy a customer, we can only hope that our managers take notice and remember. To store managers everywhere: we sales associates appreciate you and are grateful for your willingness to help.
After working a couple retail jobs in my young life, I give credit to anyone who is brave enough to take on the role. There are good days and there are bad days in retail. Sometimes you love it and everything is fine and other times you just want to walk away. Honestly, sometimes I question my decision to work in the retail industry, and then I remember that the good always outweighs the bad. I’ve gotten to work with the best co-workers and learn from the best managers, and there is never a day where I don’t get the chance to help someone. It is a pretty great job if I do say so myself.
