Millions of retail workers go to their jobs day after day with very little payoff. Yeah, we get paid, but we often don't get paid as much as we deserve. I'm here to tell all the cashiers, sales associates, and food service employees the things they really need to hear.
It's not your fault.
We get blamed for things we can't control time and time again. The register froze up? The receipt didn't print properly? The coupon your customer wants to use is expired? That's okay, it isn't your fault. Of course, you probably know that, but the truth is that you don't get to hear it enough. Policies are policies, and accidents happen; you shouldn't get blamed for the stuff that is out of your control.
As a sales associate, I've gotten blamed for everything you can think of. I can't give a military discount on most days. "That's disrespectful of you." My company's system went down, and we couldn't accept credit card transactions for a whole day. "You really need to update your system." Even after I explained that I had no control over the system, I was still told that I needed to do something about it. I'm sure we've all been there at one point, but that's okay. Why? It's not your fault.
You're doing a great job.
Being a retail or service worker is often a thankless job. We live in a world of instant gratification, and if we're not quick enough, we're scolded. We get told to do better, be faster, work harder by our superiors. Maybe sometimes we're having a rough day, but no one asks how we're doing. It's okay, because you're doing your best. And your best is great.
I get told by customers a whole lot that I shouldn't be the only cashier at the register. If it were my choice, I wouldn't be the only cashier, but I'm doing my very best. There are those times that I'm told, "You're doing a great job" by customers who see me get attitude from other customers. Those are the people who I remember, and those are the people who make a huge difference. Don't worry; what ever job you do, I'm sure you're doing great.
Your work isn't unappreciated.
Sure, you might not be working a 9 to 5 office job, but you still deserve respect. You're offering a service that many people need. Without servers, we wouldn't have restaurants. Without sales associates, we wouldn't have retail stores. Without managers, stores wouldn't be able to be as clean, put-together and functional.
If someone needs advice picking out shoes for an outfit, you're there. If someone needs a date to go smoothly, you're there. You work a thankless job, and you work a job many expect you to be working well at. Let's face it; without you, the job wouldn't get done. We need people like you in our society, and we need to appreciate you more than we do.
Your higher-ups need you.
Sometimes, you think you're not being thanked the way you should. You work long hours, you get the job done every time and you show up even on your days off when they need you. Without you, your higher-ups would be lost. If something needs to be done, you do it, and you don't need a "thank you" to know that your work is what keeps this place that you know so well together.
What ever service you offer, and what ever job you get done, you should know that you're what keeps the business going when your higher-ups are doing what they need to be doing.
Sometimes, you just make mistakes. That's okay.
Whether you plugged in an order wrong, forgot a customer's coupon, or you just weren't paying attention when your customer was checking, it's all okay. You're not perfect, and you don't get to hear that enough. Mistakes happen, and everyone should be understanding of that. Has anyone ever not messed something up before? Yeah, didn't think so.
There's been a few times during my retail years that I messed up. I forgot to take tags off of a customer's merchandise, and they come back a day later fuming. I've accidentally spilled something all over my manager's computer and fried her keyboard. She was a great sport about it, but the guilt was obviously still there. But you know what? I'm not perfect, and neither are you. No one who gives you a hard time about messing up is perfect either. You're doing your best, and that's all that matters.
Customer complaints aren't the end of the world.
I'd be lying if I said I've never gotten a customer complaint. These things happen; maybe you gave a little attitude and they were quick to pick up on it, or maybe what you said came out wrong. Maybe people just didn't like the way you looked - as a person who's tattooed, pierced, and colors her hair crazy colors, I've gotten a lot of comments. If your company is okay with it, who cares?
I get a little loud sometimes, and people take it as something it's not. I'm a loud person who comes from a loud, Puerto Rican family. I get told after transactions by my managers that I should watch the volume of my voice. I totally get it - being loud towards customer is never okay. As long as you improve yourself, as I've been doing recently, you're okay.
It's okay to rant.
Maybe you need to go in the back and blow off some steam. Maybe you save it for later and lay it all on your roommate as soon as you get home. Either way, it's perfectly fine to rant.
Some people may say, "It's your job to deal with the rudeness." And to an extent, they're right. It's your job to deal with situations as politely and efficiently as possible so everyone can walk away satisfied. But does that mean you can't complain about it later? Absolutely not. Let it out, retail workers. Lay it all out. Tell your friends, family and coworkers about your frustrations. It's perfectly fine to do so.
You are not a maid.
As a retail worker, you're going to have to deal with your fair share of messes. Whether it's refolding an entire table that you had just cleaned up, picking up shoe boxes someone left on the ground, or picking up after your table whose baby so kindly smeared food everywhere, it's perfectly fine to feel frustrated. Your customers often don't mean to get you angry.
I've cleaned up so many messes, I can hardly count. Picking them up time after time gets a little aggravating, and it's perfectly fine to feel frustrated. If it weren't for you, your store or restaurant would be impossibly messy. People wouldn't be able to shop if it weren't for you. It's important to know that yes, you do have to clean, but you're no one's personal maid.
Work is where you make your best friends.
No matter all the stuff you see or go through, your coworkers have your back. If you're having a rough day, they'll listen. If you just had a rude customer and you're on the verge of tears, your coworkers will cheer you right up.
Your coworkers will become your work family. They'll stay in your life out of work, and it makes working so much more enjoyable. I've made some of my closest friends at work. We've hung out, had movie nights, gone out for drinks, and so on. They've made my years in retail so much better.
No matter where you work or what you do, if you're in the retail industry, you've seen a lot of stuff. You're appreciated, loved, cared for and definitely backed up. Without you, our world wouldn't be the same. So little people realize how important retail workers are until they've been there. Every chance I get, I stand up for other retail workers. I tell them "thank you," "have a great day," and so on. I hope you all do the same from now on. Support your local retail workers; they've got long shifts with little payoff.
