I've had three jobs my entire life, and all of them were retail jobs. Though my job titles have changed, I have basically done the same exact thing for all three companies: communicating with customers, putting things away, restocking merchandise and hiding in the stock room so I can cry while I am on the clock.
While I do consider myself a somewhat dramatic individual, I promise there is no exaggeration in what I am about to tell you. Working in retail sucks. If you have never had a customer service based or retail job, you're probably like, "shut up, how bad could it really be." Well, let me tell you.
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The Sales Associate position really puts the S, L, E, in S L A V E. Constantly being bossed around and running back and forth for complete strangers is absolutely ridiculous. Whenever I am working in the cool, crisp air conditioning, I can't help but think about the people who have no food or water in other countries, and how I am doing nothing to help them. There are people that are living in poverty and dying in the streets of America, yet here I am, trying to get this middle-aged woman to buy a poorly made t-shirt for $70.
But the main problem with being a sales associate doesn't lie within the hands of the rude customers, but in the hands of my mean and nasty managers. They are so rude to me. Like, I'm not there to do your dirty work. I HATE when my managers make me do useless crap like clean the mirrors, fold clothes and greet customers. You know how you hate it when you walk into a store and you're immediately bombarded with information about promotions and sales? Well, back off buddy, because we hate saying it more than you hate hearing it. The greetings you hear are literally barked at us 30 seconds into our shifts. I feel like a robot repeating these things all of the time. Our managers are critical and scrutinizing. I have literally gotten yelled at for not being happy enough. Like, seriously, you know nothing about me and you can't force me to be happy. You're a manager at a mall, get a REAL job!
And if this hasn't convinced you then this next part will: imagine having to wear clothes that you don't feel comfortable in. Every. Day. I know. I know what you're thinking. "Wow, Marielle, working in retail really IS difficult and challenging and I should have more sympathy for you and all your fellow sales associates out there." Well, thank you, I knew that you would come around.
I want to make it very clear that everything I said was satirical and only a lighthearted joke. Although working in retail is undoubtedly a very challenging and often exhausting job, there are a lot of other things going on in the world that are a lot bigger than our, dare I say, first world problems. I have never been the kind of person that believes in diminishing other people's hardships by saying that other people have it worse. I honestly do not believe that is how you get through to someone or find solutions. Problems are not comparable, and none of us will never truly know what is going on in someone else's life. We are shown a few parts of the people we know, but it's what we don't see, that truly matters.
What I am trying to say is be grateful for what you have. Complaining is normal. It's human nature to complain, but constantly feeling sorry for yourself and being upset with your surroundings is never going to help you be happier. I often think to myself during my shifts that what I am doing here is pointless. I am in a mall folding a stack of shirts, and going back to fold that same stack of shirts five minutes later because some lady with a stroller and a Michael Kors handbag came over and messed it up. If you are like me, and often feel down and wish you could be doing something more important, then go out and do it! Even if it's as simple as volunteering at an animal shelter, or doing some other kind of community service, it's going to help out a lot more than you think. What you do to help the world around you is extremely important. Just because you happen to be one small person helping out one huge problem doesn't mean that your assistance is invalid.
Lastly I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes. This quote has resonated with me for years now, and I hope it can do the same for you.
"The things we think we're missing."
-Balance & Composure
