We've all experienced the chaos that is walking into a wild department store. People are everywhere. Tables are covered in mountains of unfolded garments of clothing. The line for the dressing room is winding around the entire store. For the average shopper, this is their worst nightmare and many see it as an "unshoppable" environment. For the employees, this is your typical weekend. Although for me, working retail was the perfect first job and taught me numerous things about hard work ethic, there are a couple things that I wish I knew before jumping in the retail industry.
If anything, my job has proved to me that you definitely need to be a calm and collected type of person to thrive in the retail business. There are some days that are incredibly laid back and you get to spend your shift looking through the new inventory or reorganizing the lipsticks at the register but there are also those days where you have to do everything in your power to remain calm and not lose your sanity. Black Friday is the prime example of how working retail tests your patience. The store is packed and destroyed and you’re doing everything you can to simply make sure the place is still standing by the time your shift is over without having a mental breakdown. You’ll be expected to refold that table that you’ve already folded ten to twenty times, assist those entitled costumers who truly believe that it’s your job to be their personal shopping assistant, and spend hours on your feet, all with a smile on your face.
Working retail also tests your willpower and self-control, especially if you're putting in hours at one of your favorite stores -- it is nearly impossible to leave work with a paycheck. Sure, having a killer discount is a major perk of any retail job but at the same time you need to make sure that all the money you’re earning isn’t going straight back into the company you work for. You’re constantly surrounded by things you insist that you “need”, redressing mannequins in the newest and coolest outfits, and you get the first chance to find all of the hidden gems tucked away in the store so you’re always having to reassure yourself of why you got a job to begin with, which shouldn’t include taking the entire store home with you.
I think the biggest thing that I wish I knew about working retail before I began was it’s going to completely change the way you shop from then forward. You’re going to be a lot nicer to the store’s associates, you’re going to think twice before ripping apart the nicely organized table of clothes or destroying a dressing room, you’ll know better than to show up to a store 5 minutes before they close, and the people you shop with are going to get an earful if they act like a rude customer that you occasionally come across at work.
Working retail is quite the experience. You’ll meet people who will get on your last nerve and make you debate quitting every single day. However, retail has taught me a lot about the kind of worker I am and has given me experience that I’ll take and use in my future career. And for that, I wouldn’t change for anything.
