retaliationisnow asked:
Its personal opinion i know, and im not saying that they dont suck, but what are the main points about retail that are bad and what are the general reasons why a retail atmoshere is quite dishearting.
Its personal opinion i know, and im not saying that they dont suck, but what are the main points about retail that are bad and what are the general reasons why a retail atmoshere is quite dishearting.
February 6th, 2010 at 14:24
You are required to take whatever sh*t customers give you, warranted or not. You are almost constantly accused of stealing. You are asked to do way more than one person could possibly do.
Once, I had a boss make me call a customer telling her that we lost her check and that the customer had to come in and write a new one. The boss asked me to do this b/c she thought it would make me confess to stealing the check. 20 minutes later when she found the check in the receipts that she hadn’t checked thoroughly enough, she was the one that called the customer again to say SHE had fixed it all
That is just one minor example of how retail jobs ***** you over.
There are plenty more. Little to no chance for advancement, low pay, generally short hours (full time is rarely available in retail), no set schedules, crappy or no benefits, etc, etc.
February 9th, 2010 at 18:21
I have worked in a few different retail environment and some of them reeeeeeeeeeeally **** and some of them may not be the most fulfilling job in the world but are fun and enjoyable.
The big difference between the two is management and co-workers. But mostly management. If you have policies in effect that a) p1ss off the customer and b) have no REAL reason then it is just going to have an unpleasant work environment. Or just policies that are annoying to the staff. Plus some companies and some managers see staff as assets and some see staff as disposable.
Also to a degree stores that do a lower volume of customers are more enjoyable that high-volume stores. Like working in an boutique store vs working at Costco just checking things through.
February 12th, 2010 at 18:17
full timers have to typically work 3 nights a week including alternate Fri or sat nights. - you’ll rarely get a saturday off, never mind a full weekend. you’re on your feet all the time - during Xmas, you may have to start at 8 in the morning or be there until 11:00 at night (if you’re mgmt - probably have to work more than 40 hrs/week with no overtime or comp time off- If you’re by yourself in a small store - you can’t go out and sit down and eat your dinner - you have to eat at the counter (not a great image) or keep ducking in the back to grab a bite - hot food will get cold before you finish it - plus retail doesn’t pay well typically or have great benefits
February 13th, 2010 at 17:27
If you are a people person, great. If not - stay away from retail. Plus you need to have the ability to not take anything personally. If things don’t roll off you like water off a ducks back, then retail is not for you. It is lots of hours with not much pay. Profit margins are slim in retail, so that is the way it is always going to be.
It can be good if you are selling something you believe in and if you aren’t dealing with lots of complaints or anything like that.
February 15th, 2010 at 10:00
I think there are two important factors when you are working in retail:
1. The store’s attitude toward its customers and employees.
2. How much pleasure (or not) you get from working with customers.
I had a very good experience working in retail when I was in college. I know people who have made a career of it and love it. Know the store first. If they respect you and treat customer’s well you will be in a great place.
The ever-changing work schedule is a downside, as far as I’m concerned.
Merle