We all have a strong dislike for retail, but in a sense, it's like a rite of passage into adulthood. Everyone has had that miserable retail job where we can band together and remember those woes as someone complains on social media about their life in retail, but the woes we experienced helped us with real world experience. These are the things retail taught you that you can use in the real world if you don't already.
How to be completely friendly to someone you do not like.
In retail, you're clearly not friends with all the customers who walk into your store, but you still hold a steady conversation with them and convince them to buy that outfit to help with your sales. In the back of your mind, you really don't care if she buys that crop top, and you think those jeans would look horrible with those shoes, but you'll smile at her and tell her they look amazing because it's part of your job description.
In real life, maybe you can't stand to be in the same room with the person, but they are the key to your success, use your retail experience and be cordial. Keep that retail smile on and be on your best behavior because the way you behave will affect you in long term senses.
How to deal with rude customers or stressful situations.
In retail, this does go hand in hand with how to be completely friendly with someone you dislike, in retail at least once a day you will come across that rude customer who will act like they are entitled to certain treatment or that they are better than you because you're the employee in the place. Do you flip the cash register and yell at this person? Rhetorical question, the answer is always no the customer is always correct. You put your calm face on and call your manager or handle the stressful situation yourself.
In real life situations, you cannot flip the coffee table at meetings, you cannot flip your desk when your manager wants you to redo something, you probably can flip your desk at home while stressing over finals, but that helps nothing. Treat each stressful situation like your rude customer.
Recovery.
In retail, if there is one thing a manager cannot stand is the room you're working in looking like "something spit up on it" -- true words of my manager. The way each room is presented represents the store, just like how your parents tell you the way you present yourself represents you. Therefore, some stores pride themselves on their recovery. You have to recover the rooms as fast as possible, that means to fold those jeans as quickly as possible and make sure all those shirts look as neat as possible. It's part of the job and you've become a pro at recovery
In real life, this is probably the best thing I have taken away from working retail, but if I get a text that says, "I'll be there in 10," then my room can go from looking like "something spit up on it" to a sparkling wonder in five minutes tops. Also, I am a pro at packing and folding now, and if that's not the best real life experience you can get from retail, then I don't know what else is.
