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

[pearlbubbles]

Originally Posted by Chicago88

Whats funny is those are the types I tend to appreciate most. They're individuals and they usually have manners. Those and just genuinely nice people.

I love the characters too. Many of them turn into repeat customers and it's always fun to hear any new stories they have when they come in the next time.

[DreamfulSpirit]

I have worked doing retail customer service; when I was in high school, I worked at the mall's customer service desk, then in college I was customer service for a Dillard's here in Cary.

First...I'm going by the store's policy for returns so you can get pissed at me all you want, but unless I get permission from the manager, I'm not budging. It's not me, its the store.

Second...be nice to those who are gift wrapping for you, particularly when you're paying for it to be wrapped. To be honest, I was snickering in the back because you're too lazy to wrap your own gifts.

[Gusteau]

Retail definitely taught me to be a friendlier person. I worked at a Gap on Long Island during the holidays for two years - your won't meet ruder people.

Like GammaPhi88, I had a Dwight Schrute boss - two, actually. Most of our managers were really cool, but our store manager and one of the other managers lived and breathed Gap. It was grating.

On the other hand, I'll complain all day about the sickening "corporateness" of working for Gao, but I can't deny that the employee discount was fantastic.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by Gusteau

Retail definitely taught me to be a friendlier person. I worked at a Gap on Long Island during the holidays for two years - your won't meet ruder people.

Like GammaPhi88, I had a Dwight Schrute boss - two, actually. Most of our managers were really cool, but our store manager and one of the other managers lived and breathed Gap. It was grating.

On the other hand, I'll complain all day about the sickening "corporateness" of working for Gao, but I can't deny that the employee discount was fantastic.

I was driven crazy by the "corporateness" at Justice, too. (Owned by The Limited...basically a Limited Too for even younger girls with slightly cheaper items and a lot more Hannah Montana and High School Musical).

I learned every song stupid Miley Cyrus ever sang (at that time...pre skank phase) and every HSM song. I hate musicals. They'd tell us at the beginning of the day (I always opened) what items to push and it was almost always in one of those two categories, which meant to sell well I had to be able to talk about them. Gag.

I DID get into one fantastic conversation with a 6 year old about Harry Potter one day, though. I'm really not that great with kids, but this one liked me for some reason and followed me around talking about Harry Potter. Her grandfather was shopping for her and her sister and was very nice, offering to make her sit with him and let me work but this was the one time I didn't mind babysitting, so I let her tag along and we talked HP while I folded clothes. (I also thanked the grandad for being so nice and responsible since most of the Hoover moms...which made up the majority of our shoppers...let their children throw things, grab stuff off of the tables and leave it, etc. while mom word vomits into her cell about how her tacky three inch nails weren't done exactly to her specifications...shudder.)

[Chicago88]

SantaClaus, your signature creeps me out.

[LucyKKG]

Have you guys seen notalwaysright.com? It's about how the customer is NOT always right. Some pretty funny stories of dumb people.

[Psi U MC Vito]

I love that site!

[cheerfulgreek]

I just always have thought it was wrong for a lot of the retail stores to make as much money as they make, pay minimum wage, and then expect more than the maximum out of their employees. I dunno. It's just that what I'm saying kind of ties into what Ch2tf was saying. Like, when I go grocery shopping, I see them bending over backwards for some of these places, but yet they're not even getting paid enough money to make a decent living. Then, it kills me when I see these companies making up silly job title names. And this has nothing against people working retail, it's all against some of the retail companies. Some were even open on Thanksgiving. For crying out loud, give them the day off. This is why I never worked retail, and thank God I never had to, and hopefully I never will. If I did, I really wouldn't care if I had to leave without a notice. I remember I posted that I didn't think there was an excuse for people to be unemployed. I thought why can't they just get a job and a fast food place until they can get back on their feet. It really shocked me when I was told on that same thread about how McDonalds and other fast food restaurants don't want to hire people with advanced degrees because they know they're probably unemployed and will leave when they find something else. Seriously??? And I'm not even going to get started on Walmart.

For those of you who work retail, I have a lot of respect for you, because I don't see how you do it. What they pay vs what they have some of you doing, is borderline slave labor. Seriously.

[RaggedyAnn]

I'll be honest, I worked retail management, because it paid more than what my degree jobs paid. I would have needed a Masters Degree to make the same amount in my field.

[DSTRen13]

When I worked retail, over a third of the employees there had a bachelor's in psychology but couldn't afford to go to grad school. Not much you can do with just the bachelor's.

[Chicago88]

Theres alot you can do with just a bachelors, it might not pay as much as an MBA.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by Chicago88

Theres alot you can do with just a bachelors, it might not pay as much as an MBA.

Not with a degree in psychology (as advanced degrees [not likely an MBA] and licenses are necessary before you can practice).

[xomanadaxo]

I'm not sure if movie theaters count as retail, but after working there, I will NEVER leave food on the floor of a movie theater. Yes, it's my job to clean the theaters, but I will never understand people who put their (mostly full) popcorn bags on the floor, rather than carrying them out with them to the trashcan outside the theater. Dropped popcorn and other items is understandable. It's a movie theater, it's dark, you want to watch the movie. I don't like searching around under the seats for my empty box of Milk Duds, either.
But to leave ALL of your food on the floor after you leave will never make sense to me.

[Northern Belle]

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

to used the dividers at the checkout lane...the cashier DO NOT know where one customer's stuff ends and the next customer's items begins...

I was a cashier at Target and that was my BIGGEST pet peeve.

[Chicago88]

Originally Posted by Northern Belle

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

to used the dividers at the checkout lane...the cashier DO NOT know where one customer's stuff ends and the next customer's items begins...

I was a cashier at Target and that was my BIGGEST pet peeve.

!!!! @ the bold

I was at Target YESTERDAY, I was in the express lane. I had A shirt (single, just one lol). The lady infront of me had 36 items (Yes I counted). So I didnt put my single shirt up there because there was no room. And I kid you not as soon as the conveyer (spell check) moved up an inch the woman behind me started throwing her 22 items up on the thing. She used a divider. Well I just held on to my shirt and when I got up to the cashier, She asked me if that was all mine and I said no just the shirt. She gave me a rude "okay and.." and a look. I looked at her and said well if would have had room behind AND infront of me i would have put my ONE shirt in THE EXPRESS LANE conveyer...

oops.