5 Things People Working In Retail Want to Tell You
Working in retail exposes you to secrets that you wish you knew while shopping there. Knowing the correct way to interact with store employees can transform your shopping experience. At some point in our lives we have all had to take jobs that we didn’t want, & retail is no picnic. Working retail exposes you to people in one of the most frantic states possible, shopping.
People Working In Retail Want to Tell You
Combine that with crazy holiday sales & painfully low wages and you have a job that could drive anyone completely insane. However, watching the American dream turn into a nightmare has its perks. On top of learning the inner workings of stores you also learn how to shop without making cashiers want to go postal. Since we all can identify with this predicament we decided to gather all the top secrets that people in retail want to tell you. Sit back and enjoy the hard earned tips that have the potential to make retail workers enjoy life a little more.
Tip #5: We Hate Christmas – Christmas is a magical time of year where people are forced to buy products that they can’t afford for their loved ones. People keep repeating this vicious cycle even though after a month most of the gifts will either be collecting dust or sitting in a dumpster. The financial burden combined with everyone’s rush to get their shopping finished creates a complete nightmare for store employees. Every time you think retail workers deserve to get paid minimum wage imagine listening to Christmas music 8 hours every day over a period of months.
Tip #4: We Don’t Own the Franchise – Just because we throw on a uniform & accept a paycheck doesn’t give us any company clout. We don’t make the prices, we can’t control the sales & we certainly don’t pick the inventory. Once you realize that we don’t have the company founder on speed dial you should think twice before berating an employee for a manager’s mistake.
Tip #3: We Listen to the Same Music Everyday – Even if you have a cool boss that lets you listen to the radio, by the end of your first shift you have memorized every song. This problem is compounded by the fact that we can’t pick what station we listen to, so depending on your job you might already be starting off with songs that already drive you crazy. Even if you love the music by the time you listen to it for a few months you will want to burn down the entire store. Since we are at a cashier it’s impossible to escape the music by wearing headphones, so we just sit there & develop the patience of a saint.
Tip #2: “The Back” isn’t a Warehouse – Every time someone asks us to look in the back for their perfect sweater we go in & realize how disillusioned customers are. The back isn’t a never ending warehouse that’s flooded with extra products, it’s usually a small cluttered room that won’t have what you are looking for. When people get that sparkle in their eyes when they are asking us to look in the back room we just chuckle & hope for the best. We know that we have a better chance at hitting the lotto than actually finding your elusive product.
Tip #1: Treat Others How You Want to be Treated – Dealing with outrageous customers is hands down the most terrifying part of working in retail. It’s amazing how many people forgot how much they hated unruly customers at their first job. Just because you moved on with your career doesn’t give you the right to harass store employees. Remember that you have the ability to make or ruin someone’s day, so act accordingly.