by David Dewitt

Created on: July 13, 2010

One of the necessary evils of the business world is retail sales. Each day people are buying something which means that there is always a need for retail businesses. Everyone who buys anything deals with retail in some form or another. While retail is changing in our highly technological world, there are still some basic facets that remain the same. The following are just a few of the reasons that people resent working for retail businesses.

Lousy pay

Most retail companies pay little more than minimum wage and there are few if any benefits. One of the main reasons that these stores pay little is because of the high turnover in employees. The longer a person remains with a company, the higher they can climb and the higher their salary rises. Pay or the lack of pay is one of the major drawbacks of working for retail companies.

Instability

The retail business is less than stable, especially in uncertain economic times. The retail business is often impacted by the bottom line. The store is either making a profit or it is losing money for the company. Retail chains are usually brutal when it comes to the bottom line and will close stores that cannot make profit.  

Lousy hours

Another issue that many retail employees have with the company is the hours. Most retail stores require their workers to staff the store over weekends and work during holidays. Retail work is often focused on specific times when people are most likely to shop.

Cranky customers

Dealing with people can always be difficult and especially when they are the paying customer. The old saying: the customer is always right often drives sales clerks mad. Dealing with customers who are less than cooperative can be more than a little stressful.

High staff turnover

High worker turnover becomes an issue in working for retail stores. The constant change in work environment can be frustrating to the employees. The moment that things become stable, someone leaves and creates more chaos. Staff turnover often makes employees realize that there are other places of employment and they begin searching. The reality is that changing workplace makes employees desire change for themselves.

Busy versus slow periods

No matter what the type of retail business; there will always be high and low times. There are times in retail work that are so busy that it is nearly impossible to keep up. There are also times when the business is so slow that time seems to stand still. Learning to deal with these issues is important for those who pursue a career in retail. Times like Christmas will be incredibly busy and other times will seem much less important.

These are just a handful of the many reasons that people do not like working for retail employers. The pay is less than fantastic, the hours are terrible and dealing with customers can be less than enjoyable. The reality is that the retail business is always looking for employees and will always be a part of society, as long as, malls and stores are in existence. 

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