Working in Retail
July 8th 2008 11:00
I am going to start a little series of 'Working in...' in the next few posts, starting with Working in Retail. The aim is to share what it's like workng in different environments (having worked in many of them myself) to remind you grass is not always greener on the other side!
THE HOURS
Ok. When it comes to retail, the major difference to other jobs is its hours. Retail hours is significantly longer than normal standard office hours, and is not always gauranteed that you'll get your lunch, or leave work at the same time as yesterday.
THE WORK LOAD
Obviously the work load would differ between different types of retail. In a fashion store there would be different tasks or pressures compared to a supermarket or a travel agency. In general, I sum it up as follows: working in retail is like going out on a big night drinking. Throughout the day it's like a whirlwind of activities, with noises all around you, with one after another client to serve while having to answer any incoming calls and urgent emails. It's not until you shut that front door, turn over the 'Closed' sign do you get a chance to breathe and think to yourself: What just happened?
Most retail jobs won't get a good lunch break. Officially the lunch break is an hour, but most will only get 1/2 hour and most of the time you are interrupted.
PHYSICAL FITNESS
Unlike the corporate desk job I've just came from, this is probably a positive point about going back to a retail job. Retail jobs are actually quite physical, because you can't stay on the computer the whole time. You are walking around, showing clients different products or making coffee or chatting away with those who are just in the shop for the sake of it. You must always smile, and smiling can get a little tiring after a long day. You are always on the phone, and if you happen to be working in a busy shop, always yelling on top of each other's voice because it's simply just too noisy.
THE PAY
I'll admit, I've taken a downsize of 1/2 of my previous pay with this job. The pay in retail is not great and often are based on your sales performance. At least I know mine is. They give you a low base pay in the hope that you'll work hard to try to get more commission and sell more. However, in a retail that you are passionate about, you'll find this is probably easy because we all love talking about what we like and for me, as a travel bug, the travel agency is probably the ideal place for me to be.
THE PEOPLE
You can't get away with people, so to be in retail, you must be a people person, must love dealing and talking to people and must know how to smile all the time even if you are having a bad day. In the end, it's your customers that are going to help you get your commission, and it's them you should please.
So, Why Retail?
Those who love talking to people, and don't like sitting at a desk all day, should consider retail. There are also a big variety of choices in retail you can do from food, fashion, technology, travel, and books and you'll always find something that is suitable for your taste and passion. Retail work is physically hard but as long as you can chat to random people, have a good eye for details and have plenty of energy, you can do retail. With the right shop and the right people to work with, it can be very rewarding.
THE HOURS
Ok. When it comes to retail, the major difference to other jobs is its hours. Retail hours is significantly longer than normal standard office hours, and is not always gauranteed that you'll get your lunch, or leave work at the same time as yesterday.
Obviously the work load would differ between different types of retail. In a fashion store there would be different tasks or pressures compared to a supermarket or a travel agency. In general, I sum it up as follows: working in retail is like going out on a big night drinking. Throughout the day it's like a whirlwind of activities, with noises all around you, with one after another client to serve while having to answer any incoming calls and urgent emails. It's not until you shut that front door, turn over the 'Closed' sign do you get a chance to breathe and think to yourself: What just happened?
Most retail jobs won't get a good lunch break. Officially the lunch break is an hour, but most will only get 1/2 hour and most of the time you are interrupted.
PHYSICAL FITNESS
Unlike the corporate desk job I've just came from, this is probably a positive point about going back to a retail job. Retail jobs are actually quite physical, because you can't stay on the computer the whole time. You are walking around, showing clients different products or making coffee or chatting away with those who are just in the shop for the sake of it. You must always smile, and smiling can get a little tiring after a long day. You are always on the phone, and if you happen to be working in a busy shop, always yelling on top of each other's voice because it's simply just too noisy.
THE PAY
I'll admit, I've taken a downsize of 1/2 of my previous pay with this job. The pay in retail is not great and often are based on your sales performance. At least I know mine is. They give you a low base pay in the hope that you'll work hard to try to get more commission and sell more. However, in a retail that you are passionate about, you'll find this is probably easy because we all love talking about what we like and for me, as a travel bug, the travel agency is probably the ideal place for me to be.
THE PEOPLE
You can't get away with people, so to be in retail, you must be a people person, must love dealing and talking to people and must know how to smile all the time even if you are having a bad day. In the end, it's your customers that are going to help you get your commission, and it's them you should please.
So, Why Retail?
Those who love talking to people, and don't like sitting at a desk all day, should consider retail. There are also a big variety of choices in retail you can do from food, fashion, technology, travel, and books and you'll always find something that is suitable for your taste and passion. Retail work is physically hard but as long as you can chat to random people, have a good eye for details and have plenty of energy, you can do retail. With the right shop and the right people to work with, it can be very rewarding.
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