I’m currently on my third year of working retail during the beloved holiday season. You could say I’ve encountered every kind of customer you can think of, grown some pretty thick skin and found some tips to help me get though it. So, my Christmas gift to you is six of those glorious tips, keeping reading to find them out!
1. Coffee = Your best friend
You’re stuck working another seven hour shift on a busy Saturday and you’re running on four hours of sleep, so what do you do? Sneak off to the back room, chug that venti coffee with three shots of espresso and you get back on the floor like you don’t want take a nap in the fitting rooms on that pile of clothes a customer left sitting there. So, drink a lot of coffee – that way you can seem like a semi-functioning human and keep that dazzling smile on your face until you can get in your car and cry the whole way home to Justin Bieber’s Christmas album.
2. Wear comfortable shoes
People may make fun of the Dr. Scholls insoles you stuck in your shoes, but you’ll be the only one laughing in the end when you don’t have to go home and stick your feet in a hot bath and watch every episode of Grey’s Anatomy in order to teach yourself how to properly amputate a foot. Go you!
3. Prepare for the folding Olympics
You just got done folding that one sweater table that took you half of your shift; you stand back and stare at your work of art. Then, all of a sudden the mom that swears she doesn’t need help finding a size comes charging over. She’s slowly ripping apart your perfect pile of fuzzy sweaters. You just have to stand aside and watch it happen; holding back your tears because she told you twice that she doesn’t need help. You just have to suck it up and maybe wait until the store closes to fold that popular table or else you’ll be refolding all day.
4. Don’t take it personal if your managers yell at you
Just like you, the holiday season is getting to them too and they’re stressed x10. They may choose you as their next victim and yell because the trash is over flowing and you didn’t take it out on time. Just take a deep breath and remember that you’re good at your job and they’re just super stressed.
5. Be patient with the rude customers
That coupon that expired 2 months ago? Yeah you can’t use that. But do you think the customer thinks that? Nope. They came into the store on a mission and they don’t plan on letting that two month old expired coupon stand in their way of getting $5 off. Take a couple breaths and then speak calmly to them. Go at it with a level head or else the only person getting in trouble is you. Don’t let that $5 off coupon be the thing that gets you fired and jobless during the holidays.
6. Pack a lunch or else you’ll never be seen at work again
The food court? Yeah that’s what we would call the “danger zone” in retail. You think you’ll spend your 30-minute break eating for most of it, right? Wrong. 90% of your break will be waiting for 25 minutes and all you ordered was fries from Chick-fil-A. It’s also like the Hunger Games out in the mall, and you may never make it back in time or at all because you got stuck behind the mom who’s pushing a stroller and watching her 3-year-old and you’re force to walk behind them the whole way. So break out your butterfly lunch box from middle school and become a sandwich making pro. Don’t forget your fruits and veggies.
Stay strong out there retail employees, the holidays will be over soon and then you get to look forward to after Christmas returns and back to school shopping! It truly never ends!