I Work(ed) in Retail, and Now I Understand...

[RaggedyAnn]

So, I'm double posting, because I was afraid I'd time out. I have seen just about everything while working in retail, and will probably contribute more, but here is my bee story.

One day, while working at KB Toys, a woman came into my store and asked if she could used our bathroom. She had a bee in her dress-and yes, she was serious. Okay, that part isn't that strange. The strange part is she drove about an exit on the highway and went to the second floor in the mall before doing something about it. I was a part timer at the time and got the manager who went back there with her so they could kill it after it was out.

As a former retailer, I try to be really nice to all the associates and pick up after myself and talk to them, because I know it helps their day go by faster. Because of that, they remember me when I go into my regular stores. I even get hugs from some of them as a hello or goodbye. It makes shopping easier, because they help me and I also get every discount, both advertised and not advertised whenever I shop. I get the newest stuff that hasn't even been put on the shelves yet, if they know I will like it. I've had managers buy me coffee when I was going to be shopping for a while and one even brought me a mini heater one day when I mentioned how chilly the fitting rooms were in passing (that was at Talbot's, by the way). Being polite and friendly will get you some extra perks. I've been offered 2 jobs in the past year too while shopping (and not from my regular stores) and jobs are really hard to come by around here.

Now, believe it or not, I HATE shopping and have actually had to be dragged out to go to the store by Andy for clothes and shoes because I needed them so badly. (How many husbands can say that!) I only go out when I really really need something.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by Tulip86

- People steal. A lot. From make-up, to tooth paste to candy. So many people steal it's ridiculous!

When I worked in the shoe dept at Wal-mart, I could watch someone take off their old shoes, put them in the new shoe's box, hide that box, put the new shoes on their feet and rip the tags off, and I couldn't do A THING about it until they actually stepped foot outside the store...at which point, they were pretty much gone.

[Billy_Optimist]

That no one who is in retail management has a soul. And neither do most of the customers.

[lovespink88]

I worked at Victoria's Secret for two summers and a winter break. After that experience, I'm now always extremely careful when looking through pile of jeans, shirts, whatever, as to not destroy the display. I LOATHED working in Pink because you'd get a bunch of idiots who would destroy the panty bar (yes that's what that table with the 5 for $25 panties is called). I would spend 20 minutes making sure that panties were laid out with the right number of sizes, in the right order, etc. It seemed like someone would always come by within a minute of me finishing a row and then pull a panty out from the center of the row and just destroy what I had just cleaned up. I'm not sure why, but I was really set on keeping that thing in order, so that always drove me CRAZY.

I also try my best to not get frustrated when the sales people ask if you need help 943577465203845038 times. I know at VS we were required to ask every person (unless you were already helping someone) who walked through your section if you could help them find something. It's just a part of the job, they're not trying to annoy you.

Same things goes for the credit card thing. No, I don't need a credit card for every store that I shop at, but the sales people are required to ask. At VS, we had to open up 2 credit cards every for hours. If you didn't make the requirements, you'd get some sort of punishment. For example, the people who closed who had the least amount of credit cards for the day had to take out the trash, which sometimes was a HUGE chore, especially if we got lots of inventory that day.

I also NEVER take out my anger on the salespeople when there's something not in stock. It's not their fault!!! I had a few people yell at me on CHRISTMAS EVE MORNING about being out of stock on a few things, and not having any more gift card holders. MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE YOUR SHOPPING 3 WEEKS AGO!!! And if I ever try to return something but don't have the receipt or something, I will promise not to yell at the salesperson for only allowing me to have store credit for the sales price. I know they did not make up that policy themselves just to piss me off.

However, I do have to say that I have found one place where the customer is not always right: bra sizes.

Ladies, if you've gained weight, ACCEPT IT. Size is just a number that will help you find something that looks flattering on your body. I can't fathom why women are so stuck on being a certain bra size that they would rather wear that size that is too tight, uncomfortable, and makes them pop out everywhere, than wear one that is the right size at makes them look good! I don't know how many times I've measured someone, told them their size, and then they give me a dirty look and tell me I'm wrong. Excuse me, I have the measuring tape in my hands, I would know.* I had one woman who insisted she was a 34D. I measured her and she was in fact a 38C. She looked at me like I was nuts and refused to believe me. I gave her 38C bras to try on in addition to the 34Ds she grabbed. She called me to her fitting room when she had the 38C to check the sizing. As I knew it would, it looked like a perfect fit for her. However, she insisted it was "too big" and bought her 34Ds anyways. That's fine, you can walk around with back fat sticking out from under your bra because you're insisting on wearing the wrong size, just so you can say you wear a 34D. Have fun looking horrible.

*From experience, the measuring tape system is not a perfect system. With all clothes, you really just have to try them on. However, it certainly does get you very close to your size, so don't tell me you're a 34D when I just measured you and got a 38C!!!!!!!!

[IrishLake]

lp88, that cracks me up. I was like that when I was younger. At one point, I was a 34D... then a 36DD around the time I got married. I adjusted accordingly. But I was so confused when I kept buying 36DDs as the years went by and they weren't fitting right! Finally went to Macys and had a little old lady measure me. Afterwards she reminded me that after having a baby, your ribcage expands. She suggested getting measured once a year. So now, that's what I do.

[SWTXBelle]

lp88 - gotta tell you, Gypsyboots and I stopped even asking VS clerks for help when one measured my 36 C cup daughter and told her she was an A cup.

I am an A cup.
I know an A cup.
Gypsyboots is no A cup.

So she just handles her bra fittings herself now.

[lovespink88]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

lp88, that cracks me up. I was like that when I was younger. At one point, I was a 34D... then a 36DD around the time I got married. I adjusted accordingly. But I was so confused when I kept buying 36DDs as the years went by and they weren't fitting right! Finally went to Macys and had a little old lady measure me. Afterwards she reminded me that after having a baby, your ribcage expands. She suggested getting measured once a year. So now, that's what I do.

Haha, yep, definitely a good idea to get measured at least once a year (at VS, we were told it's 6 months, but I personally think that's excessive.) I mean, even a small weight gain/loss that isn't too noticeable otherwise can make a big difference in your bra size. I learned that first hand too, lol

[SWTXBelle]

One of the biggest lessons I learned is that for many people, gift giving is a chore. YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT, SCROOGE.

- If you are shopping for a wedding present, it means someone you care for is starting an exciting new chapter in life. You should be filled with joy and enthusiasm. If you can't muster at least a good grace about it, order on-line.

- If you are shopping for Christmas/holiday presents, you presumably have both some money AND friends and/or family. Lucky, lucky you! What a gift to be able to share with others. Attitude is everything. If you are going to go around the mall with a black cloud over your head, stealing everyone else's joy, do us all a favor and stay home. DON'T take out your frustrations on the clerks, who are overworked, underpaid, and just trying to do their jobs.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

I also use my phone quite a bit, but again, it comes off as rude IMO if you can't spare a minute or two to acknowledge the person who is assisting you.

And, like I said before, a lot of the people who were "OMG I MUST FINISH THIS CONVO" were slower and thought there were problems with the transactions. Those things could have been eliminated with a simple "Hey, I'm checking out. Let me call you right back."

I agree with you. But then I was raised to acknowledge people. I hate it when people do things like stay on the phone or continue a conversation when the waiter/sales clerk is trying to get an order or check them out. It's basically saying "You are beneath me and I therefore do not have to acknowledge you". Definitely rude. And they do always seem to be the most confused at check out, simply because they aren't listening.

I had one lady tell me to stfu because I asked her whether her card was credit or debit (if we didn't key it in first they had to and the machine would freeze) because she was having a super important conversation on her cell phone about her hair dresser. I would've agreed with her as her horrible skunky streaks were tacky, but I'm willing to bet that wasn't the hairdresser's fault.

Re the "They probably never finished high school" attitude...I filled in for a friend recently at a mom and pop I used to work at and had some asshole pull that on me because I was trying to help him by looking online to locate an item I knew the store didn't carry and wouldn't but would be willing to order. I suppose myself and the internet weren't on his schedule for the day, so he demanded to know if I even finished high school. I informed him that yes, I did in 2005 and now have a bachelors degree and am working on my second. He just grumbled, but the store owner, who apparently went to high school with this dude, told me later THAT guy barely finished high school and only lasted a semester into college before flunking out. What a douche.

[lovespink88]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

lp88 - gotta tell you, Gypsyboots and I stopped even asking VS clerks for help when one measured my 36 C cup daughter and told her she was an A cup.

I am an A cup.
I know an A cup.
Gypsyboots is no A cup.

So she just handles her bra fittings herself now.

Well clearly that associate was just not as awesome as me when it comes to bra fittings

ETA: Hence why I also put my little disclaimer there--the measuring tape system is not perfect. I have no idea why the person who measured your daughter was so off. Could have been new? I would have asked for a second measure from someone else in the store. But my point was more that when I size you, see you try on that size and it looks PERFECT, then see you walk out wearing your old 34D and can see it squeezing you to death from under your shirt, I'm right.

[Tulip86]

Originally Posted by lovespink88

Well clearly that associate was just not as awesome as me when it comes to bra fittings

ETA: Hence why I also put my little disclaimer there--the measuring tape system is not perfect. I have no idea why the person who measured your daughter was so off. Could have been new? I would have asked for a second measure from someone else in the store. But my point was more that when I size you, see you try on that size and it looks PERFECT, then see you walk out wearing your old 34D and can see it squeezing you to death from under your shirt, I'm right.

I have to say, when I went to VS I got measured (US sizing is very different from what I was used to) and the girl who measured was 3 sizes off as well. I usually just grab a few different sizes and try them all on. (and yes, I do put them back where I got them!)

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by Tulip86

I have to say, when I went to VS I got measured (US sizing is very different from what I was used to) and the girl who measured was 3 sizes off as well. I usually just grab a few different sizes and try them all on. (and yes, I do put them back where I got them!)

I do the same, though I haven't been in a VS in a long time. I made myself downgrade my underwear to save money...though after seeing that new stars pattern (can't remember the name, but it's a bunch of stars) I might have to.

[lovespink88]

Originally Posted by Tulip86

I have to say, when I went to VS I got measured (US sizing is very different from what I was used to) and the girl who measured was 3 sizes off as well. I usually just grab a few different sizes and try them all on. (and yes, I do put them back where I got them!)

When you say off by 3 sizes what do you mean? Off by band size? Cup size? Mixture of both?

Also, many people don't realize that you have a "sister size" in bra size, meaning that you can probably fit comfortably in two different sizes. For example, if you are a 34B and wear your bra on the loosest hooks, you can probably fit in a 36A as well. (You go up in the band size, and drop a cup size). Likewise, if you are 34B and you wear your bra and the tightest hooks, you can probably wear a 32C (go down in band size and up in cup size). This doesn't work for everyone, but it works for many (at least many customers I have suggested it to!) So don't freak out if you normally wear a 34B but they measure you as a 36A. That's just your sister size! (I know that's not what happened in your case, but I know it happens with many people).

And I'm still standing by this:

Originally Posted by lovespink88

But my point was more that when I size you, see you try on that size and it looks PERFECT, then see you walk out wearing your old 34D and can see it squeezing you to death from under your shirt, I'm right.

ETA: Sorry for the bra hijack, everyone

[angels&angles]

Yeah, I'm usually 32 DD-F (ugh), and VS told me I was a B cup! I'm not a fan of VS because for a MAJOR bra store, they carry NO unusual sizes (nothing in 32 past C, nothing past DD period). I mean I know you can buy them online, but bras are pretty much one of the things that you HAVE to try on.

Not the salespeople's fault, though, except for the bad measuring.

[Tulip86]

Originally Posted by lovespink88

When you say off by 3 sizes what do you mean? Off by band size? Cup size? Mixture of both?

Also, many people don't realize that you have a "sister size" in bra size, meaning that you can probably fit comfortably in two different sizes. For example, if you are a 34B and wear your bra on the loosest hooks, you can probably fit in a 36A as well.

She was 3 cup sizes off and band size as well. I did know about the sister sizes, always try different cup and band sizes because different bras just sit different. I'm also not a fan of buying them over the internet. I have to try them on before buying.
Haven't been to VS in forever though.. I just go to H&M now, they fit very well, are cute and cheap



Major bra hijack BTW LOL.... poor men...