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Bags

 Something I will never understand is the angry response I would get from asking a customer if they would like a bag. If you were to approach me at the counter; I would ask you if you found everything, scan your items, scan your coupons (if any), give you the total, and exchange goods and services for money. Somewhere in there, I would also ask if you would like a bag. I am not refusing to give you a bag. I am not determining whether or not you need one. I am not going to withhold one because I think doing so will save the rainforests and stop forest fires and global warming will go away. It's a pretty simple question. "Would you like a bag." That's all that means. I don't care if you need it or not. I don't care if you refuse it. I don't care if you put it on your head and start singing Bad Romance backwards while covered in varying types of cheeses. All I expect in return is either "Yes" or "No, thank you." Maybe "Would you like ...
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Bosses

Notice that the title is plural. And that is because in retail you will have multiple bosses. It goes without saying that in just about every industry and company out there, there is a hierarchy in management/corporate. But in this post I will be focusing on the hierarchy within a single store. When I started in retail this is what the hierarchy, the chain of command as I like to call it,  looked like: -Manager -Assistant Manager -Supervisor (Photo, Beauty, Shift) -Head Cashier -Beauty Associate -Cashier Here's what it looked when I left after 9 years: -Manager -Store Operations Manager (responsibilities of an Asset. Manager with a significant pay cut) -Supervisor -Cashier What makes a good leader? Let's start with what makes a bad one. Managers One example I could come up with is a manager I had around the time we were hit with a big blizzard. She told a co-worker that she was transferred to another location. But when my co-worker went to that other location, the Manager told ...
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Customers

  In retail you'll encounter two types of customers. Ones who come in, conduct their business in a respectful manner and leave. Everyone else. As I mentioned in the previous entry, they train you on how to be cashier but they don't train you on how to deal with customers (maybe they do now, but they didn't back when I started.) And to say that I was unprepared for the different types of people I would encounter as a retail worker, would actually be pretty accurate. Rude Customer This is a given. If you have been alive for just under two decades and not isolated from the rest of civilization, then you know that people can be rude. You might have been guilty of this yourself, I know I have. This is one of the reasons why I never wanted to work in retail. When I was a kid, my dad had given me and my sister and brother money to buy bubble gum that was on sale. And while we waited in line, the customer ahead of us was chatting with the cashier. My father grew impatient and curse...
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Orientation

  Orientation-- at least for me-- lasted only two days. Day 1: We watched two videos. The first was a brief history about the store and who founded the store and where the name of the store comes from. This is the part where they puff their chest and show what a great company they are. The second video regarded loss prevention. After working in retail for years, I should point out that such videos are only partially true. What the video got right? Teenagers steal Co-workers might steal What the video got wrong? Men in suits are not going to steal bags of candy Co-workers are not likely to adjust the price for an item for friends or family. What the video forgot to include? Shoplifters usually look like shoplifters Shoplifters usually behave like shoplifters They're usually not pleasant people who are easily deterred by friendly customer service. They will be aggressive and mean and if they have to be, they will be violent. It's one of many things they don't teach you during...
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