As I am sitting here writing this article it is the famous holiday known as Black Friday, and while I was up around 6:30 a.m it was not to go shopping. It was to go to work. I work in the amazing world of retail , and Black Friday leads into the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is the busiest time of the year for most shopping malls and shoppers and with that comes stressful shoppers. In retail while you may be thinking that the customer has gone off the deep end buying 16 bottles of hand lotion at the discounted price of $95 your face shows the emotion of joy and you somehow manage to say our body sprays are 5 for $30. Retail managers across the country are drilling into their workers the value of upsetting and making sure the customer has a great experience, but it is hard when you have multiple customers fighting for your attention asking question after question. So for all you future shoppers out their I have a few tips on how to make the workers life a little easier because imagine if you were in our position.
Tip 1. Read the Promos
Please, Please, Please read the promos and even the fine print. I know it is boring, a hassle, and frankly you may not have the time but it saves me the time from explaining why your order comes out to be $54.67 instead of $35.85. Now most stores have their associates tell you multiple times what the promos are and if you are confused just simply ask. Ask the people working the floor so once you go up to the register to buy you know how much you are getting and for what price. Because there is nothing worse than checking someone out and they need 2 more items to get the sale so they sprint around the store looking for what they need.
Tip 2. Put Stuff Back
When you go to pick up an item of clothing, perfume, or shoes put them back in their spot. When we close at night we have to clean up the store for the next day. When the store is a mess that can take an 30 minutes closing to an extra two hours closing. Now I am not asking for an exact replica of what it looked like before but if its in the same area where you got it that helps out a lot. Its just common curtesy when you pick something up and do not want it put it back where you got it. Not on the floor or on the other side of the room but in the correct drawer or rack.
Tip 3. Smile
Now I know this might be tough. Some people are warriors when they shop and they are on a mission and if something goes wrong they are not happy. But being rude to the worker is not going to make the situation any better. Actually being kind and understanding might actually work out in your benefit because the kinder you are the kinder we are for discounts or sales. Usually during the holidays our hours are long and filled with many different people and sometimes we forget to scan an item or forget a penny in your change but give us a friendly reminder and we are more than glad to help. There is no need to be a ray of sunshine all the time but just being respectful is enough. Retail is not the most glamorous of jobs and by being a happy customer it makes our days a little brighter.
Now those are just a few tips on how to be the perfect customer. I'm sure other people have other tips but those are just a few to make your shopping experience run smoother and the store's experience. Remember no one likes being out in the eye of the storm but we are all in it together so why not make the most of it.
