Most of us have worked retail before. Whether retail is your career, first job or just a part time gig to make extra cash, you know all the ins and outs of the business. Retail wasn’t my first job, so when I was 17 and ready to take on a second job, for reasons I still don’t know, I thought I would be ready for the rollercoaster that is retail. I was wrong. Here are a few things I didn’t know, or expect, before working retail.
Your manager will become your best friend.
My managers are some of the greatest people I’ve ever met and I still talk to them today, but in most cases this is just a figure of speech. Your manager will have your back no matter what because, even if the customer is always right, it is their job to keep you safe. Never be afraid to ask for help with a difficult situation. Your manager is there to help you.
You have to like EVERYONE.
… Or at least pretend to. Working in a clothing store for young girls, I thought I would be catering to young girls. I was wrong. I had to learn quickly that moms, dads, siblings, grandparents and the occasional neighborhood stray cat would all have opinions and needs that were just as important as those of the little girl in the fitting room.
Fitting rooms are scary.
When your fitting rooms are not locked doors that only staff can open… things can get hectic. Sometimes you don’t have time to clean fitting rooms before a customer hops in. That leads to a lot of chaos and even more go-backs.
Go-backs are good.
They might feel boring and tedious, but they help you learn your store and clean while you go. This is really helpful if you are new to a store, or if the store has been moved around recently.
Floor Sets are a thing… and they’re pretty fun.
The thought of moving an entire store around itself fixture by fixture is daunting at best, even more so when you realize you have one night to do it and you have a chem exam in the morning. Then somewhere between midnight and 3am, you realize the store looks amazing and you’ve lost your voice from singing Britney at the top of your lungs… and all is right in the world.
It’s nothing like you think it will be.
No matter what your expectations are, they’ll be wrong. Every store has its own personality, so don’t walk in thinking you know what will happen. Whether it be good or bad, retail will keep you on your toes.