You’ll hear anyone who has ever spent a substantial amount of time in the restaurant business or retail say, “Everyone should have this job at some point in their life.” It’s true. Working for a large clothing company for over two years has taught me several things that I can use in the “real-world.”
Day in and out I am surrounded with customers who need me to find an item that may not even exist or create a discount they decide works best for them. When I say customers are crazy, they are. If you think this may be you, it probably is. Don’t be offended as I have realized that before I worked in retail I was these people as well.
Sales associates are hired to keep a store clean, find an item on the floor or in the stockroom in another size or color, and make sure customers leave the store having bought something. That’s it. We are not hired to create the discounts or promotions, sew the clothing together to form new items, or even feed you. When you walk into a store, the items and discounts displayed are all previously decided upon tasks taken care of by the big man in the shiny office building in an undisclosed location that are emailed to store managers at the beginning of every sales day.
From this, I have learned that the world does not revolve around me. There are actually other people in the world who have things to accomplish and limitations as well.
Managers are in charge of a lot. They have to maintain store operations, keep sales up, manage employees, make sure customers are being helped and make sure merchandise is being sold and not stolen from the sales floor. I’ve worked under some managers who can’t tell their left from their right but also under managers who have their business down to a “t” except when it comes to speaking to people. Here is the next lesson I have learned: the way you talk to people does affect the response you will receive. The idiom “kill them with kindness” serves a real purpose. You can effectively deliver a message when it is given in a polite tone, preceded with a please, and followed by a thank you. We all understand managers have a business to run but your employees will want to work with you if you treat them respectfully and in turn will treat customers the same.
The third lesson that I have found is that money may or may not be the worst thing in the world. Money is what makes the world spin. Stores are given budgets to meet each day: one for their hours, and one that projects what they should make to cover operating costs. The budget for hours comes first; the operating cost budget is second. If you’re a customer who steals you may think that one small item won’t hurt but it does because you are definitely not the only one. When the store loses money, so do employees lose hours. Items may become more expensive and discounts limited but it’s helping college students like me have some spending money. A manager may be happy they can supply the employees hours but they also have to then work toward the operating costs of the company adding a whole new goal to reach.
A final thing that has been brought to my attention is that people are never satisfied but you will always feel the need to fix their problems. On a good day we have 40% off the entire store and sometimes it’s still not enough of a discount for customers. There have been countless moments when customers come into the store to shop and expect us to mark down every item they find. Any interaction with a customer is guaranteed to be followed with a half hour of headache inducing conversation to explain store policies and that, no, I cannot throw in a bottle of free perfume with your purchase because you are unhappy that we don’t sell flip-flops in December.
At some point in your life you might want to own your own business and you might not understand all the ideas that go into running it but these are some lessons that may help. If you can, get yourself a job in retail. It’s a crazy environment and you meet new people every day but even days when I wonder why I ever got myself into this part-time job I can still find positives. I have to thank my retail experiences for showing me some vital life lessons and am definitely looking forward to the rest that come.
