I’ve worked tons of retail, a lot of different places. I like some of retail, working with customers, being busy.
As far as a job now, I know what I don’t want. I don’t want to work in an incentive based position. It’s similar to commission except you get more and better hours based on how much you sell. If you think the salesperson is a little aggressive, it’s because all of their sales (and returns) are being tracked. Some retail is commissioned, Nordstrom used to be but I’m not sure how it is now. But very little is commissioned
I’d rather not work for a retailer that has a very generous return policy. I worked for such a place years ago and I still remember the person who returned all of her used bathing suits because she could. It was gross, we had another customer who returned her child’s clothing after she outgrew it and bought new.
But that’s the problem with retail. 99% of your customers are great, it’s the 1% of truly awful customers that get to you.
I also worked for a place that had on call hours. You were scheduled and had to call 2 hours before your shift to see if they needed you. No pay if they didn’t. I couldn’t make plans on the off chance I was needed. No thank you.
As far as where I’d like to work now, I’d love the discount they get at lululemon. I’d consider working at my kinda local Talbots because the managers and clerks are really great. And whenever I’ve been in there, I’ve not seen any abhorrent behavior from the customers.
But I don’t think that there is anyplace that’s open M-F until 6, and let’s me take plenty of time off for more than not great wages. Most retail wants all of you, all of the time for very little money.
I already answered but I thought of two more - one highbrow and one lowbrow (well, it could be higher brow but I’d want to do the lowbrow end of it).
Lowbrow - paint department, at a hardware store. I think it would be fun to run the paint mixer :-). But I wouldn’t want to work somewhere where people really wanted my decorating advice because they’d be sorely disappointed, LOL. I just want to run the mixer.
Highbrow - winery tasting room. Kind of along the same lines as the other thing I said (tourism gift shop). I like the idea of schmoozing with tourists on vacation.
Now I’m wondering what kind of employee discounts some places like Lululemon and Athleta give…
I had a friend who worked the holiday season at Costco helping with “bagging” at the check out lines. She said it was exhausting and constant and really good exercise! I think I’d like that activity level for a part time position. If I have to be on my feet keep me busy and active!
I would work at a scrapbook store or quilting store. I love to work with things I’m passionate about.
Retail history:
College worked at Sears in Customer Service. Hard but good job.
Part time after college: worked at two different needlework stores and loved it! Only quit when store closed and then taught math at the junior college at night.
Its interesting how many jobs people have had I didn’t out down the non retail ones. Doesn’t seem like kids these days work like we did and we all turned out just fine.
I’ve never worked retail, but I think I’d like to work in a beer store. It’s what I know and love.?
I have a friend who married in her 40s and left her Wall Street job to move near her new H’s job and children. She wanted an unstressful P/T job and wondered aloud what she might like. One of her stepsons (about 8 at the time) piped up, “You’re good at drawing and you like wine!” and she ended up working at a wine store and doing their graphic design work on the side.
I’ve never worked brick-and-mortar retail and I would be absolutely terrible at it – but my daughter was absolutely delighted the summer after high school graduation when she was hired to work on the movie rentals section at Virgin Megastore. Dream job, she loved it-- and was offered a good promotion she had to turn down since she was heading off to college. Alas, Virgin Megastore is no more.
I’ve actually been doing online retail for the past couple of decades – I managed a website that sold stuff and went online about 2 months after Amazon was launched. So that’s nice & kind of fun — especially since it’s not my job to do the packing & shipping part.
I have no patience for the public anymore, so this is a hard one for me. Let’s pretend 100% of the customers were awesome and it’s just the type of retail I’d want to work in. I would work in a clothing boutique as the clothes can be unique!
I actually owned a shop like this 35 years ago with my mother. We only had it 5 years or so and had to close. Retail is very hard and we only broke even, and I needed a career that made some money. But it was fun going to market. It was not fun to be robbed, which I was once.
When we closed I took all the clothes I wanted and had a fantastic wardrobe for awhile. I still dream about the store every now and then.
@Knowsstuff You need to come work at the high school I work at and talk with the kids. The vast majority have jobs as soon as they are old enough to get them. They work retail, fast food, sit down restaurants, construction, caddying, and pretty much anything else you can think of - very much the same as when I was young. I “use” them to get inside info about local restaurants (good, bad, etc). Some of the behind the scenes info have kept me out of a few places. Some of the food reviews have gotten me to try new places.
My first job was working in an independently owned clothes store when I was 14. I hated putting away the clothes from the dressing room, particularly the old lady polyester pants. A few times I was sent into the dressing room to pick up the pins off the floor. What I wanted to do was what my friend did, handing out the number of clothes items. That seemed like the sophisticated job.
If I had to work retail now I’d pick the Hallmark store. I have a bizarre fascination with it. I love the smell, I love the mellow vibe. Plus I love Hallmark Christmas movies so I feel like I could embrace the brand.
I have never worked in a retail store. I did work in a library - it didn’t work out quite as planned. I think I would like working in a bookstore - similar to a library but without the politics.
D21 has been dying to work retail but can’t get hired. Not a lot close by us, but those that are want mostly 18 year olds because 16 and 17 year olds aren’t able to close the store and maKe the bank deposits. She’s hoping one of the 17 year olds turns 18 so she can get in to get the discount before school starts!
I worked in multiple car dealership service departments during high school and college. There aren’t many people really happy about taking their car in for service. At one high end car dealer, I literally told one customer who was yelling at me over the phone to “hold on so I can find someone else for you to yell at.” I was pretty mild mannered, so that was pretty far out there for me.
I worked at mid to somewhat higher end clothing shops when I was “saving money to buy a house.” Spent more than I ever made, but I was well dressed.
If I had to do retail now I’m thinking maybe Nordstrom, mostly for the discount (and it’s minutes from my house) in one of the departments that wouldn’t get too messy.
@conmama that is so cool you and your mom ran a clothing store! No wonder you seem to love style so much! It might not pay a lot but I’d bet you’d love doing that as just a staff person (vs owner) again!
Yes, it was political - small town stupid politics. Public libraries are funded by donations and money from the town. The library board members were all about getting donations and (this is an exact quote) “want to run the library more like a non-profit”. I wanted to find fun programs for the library to hold that people would enjoy, put up book displays that got people reading different stuff, help people find great books to read, etc. I was let go so they could save money, with the plan that volunteers would do my job. Fast forward 6 months later, nobody is doing my job, literally nothing has been done since I was fired. Luckily, it was not the library in my town, so I don’t have to ever go there.
Molbaks Or Swanson’s? Just for fun - to be surrounded by pretty plants without having to pay for them.