It’s no wonder this song wasn’t released in the US. Too many of her fans would’ve been offended. But I like this song by Shania Twain nevertheless. Or maybe b/c of it…
For three years, I’ve worked a part-time retail job. The store and brand aren’t all that important to this post but let’s just say it’s the outlet arm of a high-end women’s clothing store. (Mentioning high-end is important because some customers seem to expect above and beyond customer service for potentially spending hundreds of dollars on 4 items. But please remember, just because I work for a high-end brand, I don’t necessarily make – or care that you make – high-end money.)
Anyway, one day, a customer annoyed me. Okay, I know that can’t possibly be all that surprising but it was nevertheless the motivation for this post. Upon complaining to my co-workers, the three of us devised a list of retail annoyances. I thought we’d come up with ten or so and I’d provide witty explanations or examples. However, we came up with about 35. So here’s just a list of some of them. Keep in mind lists like these are the reasons that I think EVERYONE should work in food and our retail at some point in their youth. (Most of these points apply strictly to women but I’m sure for every one of those, men’s store associates could substitute something for the opposite sex.)
1.) Cell phones – Please suspend your conversation at the register (or at least pretend like you tried). Also, please don’t shout as you walk through the store. If you’re hearing or reception are that bad, you might need to go to the doctor or your provider’s store instead of mine.
2.) Disrespecting the clothes YOU just tried on. There’s absolutely no need or justifiable reason to ball clothes up in a corner of the fitting room bench or throw them on the floor. You came into our store partly b/c you liked the display. It seems the same people that ball clothes up and throw them on the floor expect us to find another size 4 that not dirty/creased. Hmmm, I wonder how they got that way.
3.) Hanging clothes inside out. I know I shouldn’t complain about you hanging them back up but seriously, inside out? You knew that was wrong. If you’re putting up the effort, at least do it in a way that makes us like you.
4.) Personal trash in a fitting room. Does a fitting room with $200+ items seem like an appropriate trash can? If so, you have bigger issues to discuss.
5.) (Probably one of my top pet peeves) Make-up and deodorant stains you caused. If I put a clean white shirt in your fitting room and retrieve a foundation-stained now to be considered “damaged” shirt, I blame you. Either not wear make-up when you shop or plan to be responsible for you stains. It’s not our fault you feel you need to hide your face. And don’t tell me your make-up is just a little color. We never find eyeshadow stains. And deodorant rubs off. Don’t stain it and then ask me to check for another medium b/c this one’s stained. I KNOW it was you.
6.) Kids running wild. We’re not a daycare. Period. I don’t care how cute they are (or you THINK they are). A knocked-over mannequin is a liability I don’t want to deal with.
7.) Questioning associates’ product knowledge. It’s our job to know our product. At my store, it’s also our job to know our fabrics, cuts, the way things fit, and the sizes. If I suggest something, don’t argue with me based on what you think your size SHOULD be. Feel free to make your own choices but don’t disagree until you’ve TRIED it on. Trust me, I don’t care what size you wear, just that it looks good on you. When you wear our product, you’re representing our brand, a walking billboard if you will. It’s in our best interest to send you out looking good. We want more business. When someone likes what you’re wearing, they don’t ask you what size. They want to know the brand.
8.) Disrupting display walls. Our store has cube walls where surplus items are folded and displayed. Trust me, if an item is in the wall, it’s also somewhere on the floor. There is absolutely NO REASON to unfold items in the wall, especially if they’re TAPED. People don’t seem to grasp that concept.
9.) Arguing policies. Unfortunately, at the individual store level, we don’t exactly have the ability to change corporate policies. If a special situation arises, a store manager might be able to make an executive decision but if it’s just b/c you changed your mind or didn’t pay attention to the policy posted at the counter, explained by the associate BEFORE they swiped your card AND printed on the receipt YOU signed, I’m sorry but you should just be SOL. No one forced you to buy our product thus agreeing to our policies.
10.) Unnecessarily disrupting racks. There is absolutely no need to pull out every fourth item so that a rack looks like an alternating deck of cards. There is no need to hang an item backward. You’re adult enough to recognize directionality. There is no need to knock an item onto the floor, look at it, and ignore it. You did it. I SAW you.
11.) Coming out in undergarments (or less) to ask a question or show me something. You are NOT AT HOME. Put some clothes on. I don’t care how good your body looks, how much money you’ve spent to make it look that way, or that you have a superb level of self-confidence. Don’t assume that my position in retail places me below, envious or subservient to you. I might just ignore you until you decide to respect my vision and put some clothes on.
12.) Complaining to an associate about just about anything. The prices: trust me, if they’re high, we probably don’t pay them either. The fits of the clothes: we don’t design them. Not everything fits us either. Your weight: we didn’t make you eat that extra cheeseburger or whole pie whatever the case might be…
13.) Entering a store within ten minutes of closing time. We may be all about customer service but we’ve also just stood for 8 hours on cement floors selling clothes we probably can’t afford. We want to go home. Don’t apologize and then proceed to move at a snail’s pace around the store, try on half of the product and not buy anything. Believe me when I say that we will hate you.
14.) Guilty holding. Yes, we know that you tried on 25 items you knew (and trust me, we knew you knew) you weren’t going to buy. But don’t feel the need to hold something just b/c you feel bad. It’s fine. We get it. Allow us to put that item back with your other 24 balled-up, deodorant stained items. There’s no need to get our hopes up that you might actually come back.
In addition, please remember that other industries are very similar to retail. In certain aspects, pharmacy and banking are right up our alley. My roommate is a bank teller and had these few thoughts to add.
-Don’t approach her station without your deposit/withdrawal slip filled out. If you have a bank account, you’re probably mature enough to realize that that’s your responsibility. But maybe not…
-Blaming tellers for your mistake. If you miss a number and they catch it, don’t yell at them. You should be so sensitive about your account(s) that you have that shit memorized.
-Don’t blame the bank for overdraft fees. Sure, some banks’ fees can be ridiculous but the concept is pretty simple. Don’t spend money you don’t have. Write things down.
I could continue but I’ll stop there. In closing, I would just like to leave you with a few thoughts.
1.) We have to greet you. Don’t ignore us or give us dirty looks. Trust me. Most of the time we’d rather not have to (especially if you look like a bitch).
2.) Our job is to assist you and maintain a store’s appearance, not to clean up after adults looking to possibly spend money.
3.) The customer is NOT always right but we have to do our best to accommodate you, NOT break rules for you.
4.) No one knows what size you are until something doesn’t fit. If you’re an 8, wear an 8 and you might look like a 6. If you’re an 8 and wear a 6, you’ll look like a 1o or 12. Cut the tags out if the sizes bother you so much. (Or god forbid, do something about it.)
Thanks for coming. You all have a good day,
Jo’van
The Truth: According to Jo'van 