After spending 3 years working in retail, I associate that time as my own personal Vietnam and I hope to never venture back into it.
Say goodbye to your weekends
Weekend. Whats that??
Closing on time is always near impossible
if your in retail you know it’s 8:58pm your starting to bring in all the displays and ready to close the doors in a few minutes then that one asshole creeps in and wants to spend 1/2 looking around at your products and want to be as difficult as possible
You have to be nice to assholes
no matter how nasty they are you have to smile and keep your cool
You get blamed for things that aren’t in your control
the item costs too much, it’s your fault you know sales assistants decide the prices
Customers ask dumb questions
without fail they ask “do you work here? ” really? Why else would you be wearing the brands uniform with the logo and a name tag and are standing behind the counter
Customers challenging for a price match
fucking price match! I hate it! If you can get a better deal somewhere else GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!
Refunds
customers deciding they don’t like an item after 3 months or don’t have a receipt, your a jerk for not giving them their cash back
You don’t get Public Holidays off
Holidays what are those??
Customers love to threaten you
“I’m going to get you fired!!” The amount Of times I heard that line, oh so ridiculous all for minor things too. Fair enough if I butch slapped the customer when they raised their voice but it’s for something stupid like oh I didn’t refund the damaged handbag that they bought 12 months ago
You feel like a maid
you tidy up a display turn your back and some asshole felt the need just to trash it
Your Christmas Sucks
the time of year everyone looks forward to…except if you work in retail! You get all kinds of dicks not willing to spend the bare minimum on items and have the worst manners
You hear the Christmas CD all day everyday
hearing the many versions of all I want for Christmas or hearing the same Mariah Carey song sung numerous times in one shift can make your ears bleed
Boxing Day Sales are your enemy
just after Christmas the time when people have given you gifts, why would you need more BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE GREEDY! this is when people become animals fighting for that one item that has 10% off and have lost all humanity….it’s every cheapskate for themselves!!
Your Bosses can be DICKS
yes because it’s your fault no one has stepped foot in the mall and they know everything you are doing wrong by just a few hours in your store
Parents treat your store like their kids playground
when you see a kid that has had an accident on the news and the parents shocked and blaming the store for it being “unsafe” I bet you it was because the parent was letting the kid go wild and not paying attention to what they were doing
Customer Service
1. Greet customer within one minute of entry 2. re-approach customer after two minutes 3. keep eye contact and make sure you are smiling and approachable.
You’re kidding right?! Pretty much most of the time customers either put their hands up and say”i’m fine ill let you know when i need help” or just flat out ignore you….until they have an issue then you suddenly exists
You’re kidding right?! Pretty much most of the time customers either put their hands up and say”i’m fine ill let you know when i need help” or just flat out ignore you….until they have an issue then you suddenly exists
Single Staffing
Your given your allocated toilet breaks, if you need to pee you have to hold it otherwise you could miss a sale. Don’t worry about bladder infections the sale is more important.
Working doubles
Working til late closing, going home sleep just for a few hours then back at work early the next day…who needs a decent nights sleep?
Customer holds
You and I both know you aren’t coming back for this item why do I need to hold it
Mystery Shoppers
The people that are paid to only report everything you have done wrong that basically waste your time asking millions of questions to see your product knowledge while judging your customer service and appearance. It seems these guys are only paid for negative reviews on staff members so no matter how great you are with customers its never a good result.
The people that are paid to only report everything you have done wrong that basically waste your time asking millions of questions to see your product knowledge while judging your customer service and appearance. It seems these guys are only paid for negative reviews on staff members so no matter how great you are with customers its never a good result.
Overall looking back at my time in retail….I don’t think I would ever venture back and I would never recommend it to anyone looking for work. If you do decide you would like to give it a go be prepared to make friends with the staff at the local liquor store