I have led a really interesting life in the world of retail. Lets just say I did not work in retail more then three years but, I worked in it long enough to have learned a lot. You have to ask yourself several questions before you get into the world of retail. Can you handle customers/guests that come into the store and demand you take products back that you know in the store's policy you can't do? Are you ready for Christmas rush when it seems like there are never ending amounts of people? Can you handle grouchy people? Can you handle loud screaming kids?
This is just a portion of the stuff that you are going to encounter when you work retail. I have worked in two retail stores. In the summer of 1998 I began what I thought was going to be just a summer job at Target. This is a job that I worked at until 2000 and I loved very much. I loved it when it was busy. I loved it when it was the Christmas season. I didn't care too much for having to stay after the store closed to help put away reshop or stuff that the customers bring back as a return. I loved working at the service desk. You got to work or deal with all kinds of different customers. Some were sweet as pie and others you wanted to rip their heads off because they weren't getting the fact that you can't take the item back no matter how hard you try and even if you give them a 1-800 number for the company direct line they still continue to scream at you.
You have to have patience and know how to handle people like that calmly and with a clear head as to not get yourself into trouble. On any given day, anything could happen. I would have to clean bathrooms. Those were gross let me tell you. I think each employee at some point or another had to clean them out. I also answered phones for the whole store. That was one of the best jobs that I had. They couldn't see me and I couldn't see them and didn't know who was calling. I loved being able to answer most any question that they had. It made me feel important.
You have to make sure you keep the guests as they call them, safe while in your store. Making sure the aisles are free from clutter, and that kids are not standing up in carts while moving. I did not care too much for the fact that I didn't get the hours I was promised. I was part time at first because I was still in High School but once I went up to 40 hours per week they did not give me what I asked for. I only got 5 hours per week. No matter how much I loved that job it was just not going to cut it as far as hours and the pay wasn't the greatest but oh how I loved working there. If I could go back I would but I have kids now and I am very excited about getting the chance to stay home with them.
After quitting my job working for Target, I then wanted to try the Walmart side of things. I heard good things about it and so I applied. I was hired as a cashier which I was at target as well. I think I was hired at Walmart based on how many different things at Target I had learned to do. I did the same basic thing at Walmart that I did at Target which was cashier but only this time I got 40 hours per week. Now this I could handle. Then there was an opening in what was Walmarts eatery called the radio grill. I took it.
I didn't really care for that job because we never had enough workers to fill any given shift. Someone would always call in sick. You for this job had to know how to be independent when it came to just doing what needed to be done without being asked or told. There was a lot of times that there would be long lines of people and only me working there. I had to take money, cook and keep the place looking good. A hard task to do but I had to learn to over come it. I also was a people greeter or door greeter as they say. It was not the greatest thing to do for 8 hours but I did it happily. Saying hello to customers, getting carts ready for customers as they walk in, and making sure no one is shop lifting by reading sales slips on the big items kept thief's from getting away.
All in all retail isn't that bad if you don't mind some long hours, working alone, and dealing with cranky people from time to time. I do remember when I worked at target they gave me my hours. I told them when i could work and they put me down on the schedule for times that worked best for them not necessarily me. You have to be flexible as well. Just like any job there are always chances to get more money and working more shifts, or covering for someone is a great way to do it.