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7 Things I Learned While Working in Retail

"Hey, you, let me speak to every manager!"

By briana okayPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
Top Story - September 2018
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1. Not every customer is rude.

These are the people who are just the sweetest angels. Everyone knows working in retail can take a toll on most people. The customers who take the time to compliment you on your customer service skills and say they'll write nice things about you in the survey are the best customers.

2. The store will never be clean.

No matter how many clothes you put away...no matter how many clothes you pick up off the floor... the store will never be fully cleaned. It's like the more you clean, the messier it gets. It never ends.

3. You'll see the same customers... a lot.

I get it, everyone has a favorite store they like to shop at. You never realize just how much someone loves shopping at your store until they come up to your register and start answering every question they know you're going to ask. These customers also seem to know the name of every manager and supervisor in your store, which kind of makes it a nightmare when they ask for a specific one because they know who's going to cave and give them a "courtesy discount." That leads to every other customer in earshot asking for that special discount.

4. It can make you hate the holidays.

Everything is going good, it's been an easygoing November, then BOOM! It's Black Friday. Everything with a barcode is on sale and customers are ripping into each other. You managed to survive it with all 4 limbs and a slightly raspy voice. Sure you didn't get to do any shopping and check out all the sweet deals, but it's okay, maybe next time. You close your eyes for a bit and BOOM! It's December and Christmas shopping has begun. Suddenly, it's like the whole state is inside your store, angrily shopping. And the worst part... your managers are going to make you work those days. And the worst worst part... you may have to work PAST MIDNIGHT.

5. Your co-workers will be your second family.

Those who have never worked in retail would not understand the difficulties of working in retail. The amount of patient and self-discipline you have to have needs to be superhuman. The only ones who will truly understand are your retail family. They're the ones who have been through it all, if not more, and will be able to offer the best kind of advice when handling certain customers.

6. There's always that one manager.

Everyone has that one manager that no one likes, regardless of the job type. It's the one manager who goes on a Thanos-type power trip, snapping their fingers and making people disappear. You say one thing and next thing you know the one thing you loved most has disappeared... your lunch break. I get it, being a manager in retail is not as easy as being an associate. But some managers go above and beyond to make it known that they're in charge and have no problem berating their employees for something as little as not folding a shirt correctly.

7. Everyone Makes Mistakes

Nobody's perfect. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get something right in the retail workplace. Only a handful of people get things right on the first try. You scanned the wrong items and charged your customer 30 bucks extra? It's okay! Just return it and try again! You returned a few items that you don't recall seeing in your store? It's okay! I'm sure the manager will handle it, just remember to look at the tags next time. This is the fourth time, you say? Hm... you might wanna start looking for another job...

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About the Creator

briana okay

I'm just a girl....sitting here....waiting for my game to stop lagging. And I like stories.

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