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So I have been working retail since I was 19 years old, which is only four years. However it feels like an entire lifetime. It has taken so much hard work and energy I feel like I have been working retail my whole life! So much goes into it, and there are a lot of different people that you can come in contact with. It is often one of the most frustrating things to give good customer service and remain as respectful as possible when that is the furthest thing from your mind. You're tired and want to do the best you can for the store, but customers are difficult. The saying that "the customer is always right" is not something well received by some retail workers. There are times when customers are really rude and try to downplay and assassinate the character of people working in a store because they could not get their way. This is not the way to go about things. There are some things that bother everyone in retail and kind of translate across no matter what retail setting you are working in. So here are a few of those things. Hopefully it will reach some people and make them think twice next time they walk into a store.
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
When you walk into a store you always want to be greeted. If you are not greeted then you would feel ignored and disrespected. You don't want to be ignored ever when you enter a certain space. However if a retail worker or sales associate speaks to you, please speak back. Even if it's a simple "Hi" with a brief smile, that is often enough. Do not walk past the sales associate without acknowledging them as well because they are people too and deserved to be respected.
2. DRESSING ROOMS
Most clothing stores have dressing rooms for customers to try on the items in the store. Just a few things to consider when trying on anything to make the sales associate's job easier. Because remember, they are people too. And not respecting their work space is not giving full respect to them.
If something does not fit or work for you, let the sales associate know. Don't leave a jumbled pile of stuff in the dressing room. It's probably inside out, on the hanger wrong, and missing a tag or two. Let someone know. That is what we are there for.
Bring the stuff with you out of the dressing room. If the sales associate becomes too busy to ask to remove some things from your dressing room, bring them out little by little if you can. Simple courtesy for those working in retail.
3. WHILE IN THE STORE
If you see a sales associate straightening an area, don't mess it up right in front of them. This is one of the most annoying things that could be done besides the end of the day scenario (to be mentioned). If you pick up something that was in its place in a certain way, try your absolute hardest to put it back that way. If you can't, get a sales associate. They are there for a reason, it's part of their job. Sales associates work very hard at making sure the store retains a certain aesthetic look to draw customers in. You are not only making an associate's job harder but you are making the process more difficult for other customers to shop and view the items they want.
4. RETURNS AND EXCHANGES
There are return and exchange policies put in place for a reason. Every company wants to be as successful as they can and policies and protocols stated to achieve that. As a customer it should be a given that you respect that. You would not want someone coming into or being involved with your place of work and having you challenge what the company stands for. If the policy states "30 days period for returns or exchanges" then that is what it is. Usually anything past that 30 day period can be exchanged for something else in some retailers. Some, not all people, not all. If you come into a store and return something more than two months old, it is best that you keep it. Stores change their inventory and visuals monthly, and sometime weekly. The item you are bringing back may not even be available in the store anymore. And why wait two months or more to bring something back anyway? That is just silly in the eyes of sales associates. And do not get mad at them, take your unwarranted frustrations out on them, attack them, or throw a tantrum when all they are trying to do is follow policy and do their job. As a customer you entitled to receive excellent good customer service in this situation and any other in retail. You are not entitled to act any way you want and make someone feel less than you. Your attitude effects the sales associate's attitude. Make it a positive experience for everyone!
5. END OF THE DAY
DO NOT come into the store five minutes before close and NOT buy anything. That last hour is when the sales associates are winding down from the day. And that last half hour is definitely when the store is getting straightened and organized. The mall is still open for 30 more minutes, okay fine. But do not come into a store and touch EVERY item and mess things up and leave. And definitely DO NOT set foot in the store within the last five minutes. I just feel like the only reason you should be in a store five minutes before close is if you are at the counter making your purchase or a return or an exchange. Five minutes left? Really? Just go home people. GO HOME.
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