Retail

inforfun

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

An utterly preposterous idea. What would it prove - that some people aren't very pleasant? Most retail work is low skill and low stress, with low wages as a result. It isn't open heart surgery we're on about here. A positive attitude towards your work will result in you feeling happier. If retail is that arduous a role then some of the posters here should consider a change of career.

It would prove that it really doesnt help you when you are acting like a pompous twat when in a shop trying to get something done as a customer.

macyard

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

An utterly preposterous idea. What would it prove - that some people aren't very pleasant? Most retail work is low skill and low stress, with low wages as a result. It isn't open heart surgery we're on about here. A positive attitude towards your work will result in you feeling happier. If retail is that arduous a role then some of the posters here should consider a change of career.

With min wage dole is a great change of career for people working retail no hassle little change of income.

I think what has changed the most in retail was in the 80's 90's it was seen as a good jobs staff got ok pay and where knowledgeable about the product.

Now if tpyou go into a shop they know zero about the product, if I go into a shop to buy a 300 product and the staff doesn't no a thing about it I will think little of them, I don't want hello at the door either

jimgoose

I am pleasant and courteous to retail staff, except for the odd occasion when some asshole manager gets both barrels.

I never had to work in retail, and would thoroughly hate it because it would bore the life out of me and I would probably murder a customer on the first day. So I have empathy with people who do.

jungleman

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

An utterly preposterous idea. What would it prove - that some people aren't very pleasant? Most retail work is low skill and low stress, with low wages as a result. It isn't open heart surgery we're on about here. A positive attitude towards your work will result in you feeling happier. If retail is that arduous a role then some of the posters here should consider a change of career.

Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to take all of this on board. Why haven't I thought of having a positive attitude before?? I'm such a dummy!! I take it your career is that of some kind of life coach? Where you trawl through threads, dishing out "advice" to people who work in areas you admittedly have not? I for one am so glad that you have opened my eyes to how I should approach my work. Hopefully I can remember all of your great tips; although because I work in such a low skill job and am obviously a gigantic moron, I might have trouble fitting everything in my stupid brain.

4zn76tysfajdxp

jungleman wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to take all of this on board. Why haven't I thought of having a positive attitude before?? I'm such a dummy!! I take it your career is that of some kind of life coach? Where you trawl through threads, dishing out "advice" to people who work in areas you admittedly have not? I for one am so glad that you have opened my eyes to how I should approach my work. Hopefully I can remember all of your great tips; although because I work in such a low skill job and am obviously a gigantic moron, I might have trouble fitting everything in my stupid brain.

Wow, what an outburst. But I'm sure it's the customers who are the problem, right?

jungleman

Myla Faithful Earth wrote: »

Wow, what an outburst. But I'm sure it's the customers who are the problem, right?

No the problem is when a person is being condescending and plain antagonistic.

Aongus Von Bismarck

jungleman wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to take all of this on board. Why haven't I thought of having a positive attitude before?? I'm such a dummy!! I take it your career is that of some kind of life coach? Where you trawl through threads, dishing out "advice" to people who work in areas you admittedly have not? I for one am so glad that you have opened my eyes to how I should approach my work. Hopefully I can remember all of your great tips; although because I work in such a low skill job and am obviously a gigantic moron, I might have trouble fitting everything in my stupid brain.

You're displaying exactly the characteristics I am talking about that make retail such an un-fulfilling career choice for you. Perhaps you should consider a change in career.

NSAman

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

You're displaying exactly the characteristics I am talking about that make retail such an un-fulfilling career choice for you. Perhaps you should consider a change in career.

Perhaps he should take up your career path. Are there any openings in the human waste disposal stirring pits?

mikom

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

A positive attitude towards your work will result in you feeling happier.

Arbeit macht frei

jungleman

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

You're displaying exactly the characteristics I am talking about that make retail such an un-fulfilling career choice for you. Perhaps you should consider a change in career.

Perhaps you should mind your own business.

Aongus Von Bismarck

mikom wrote: »

Arbeit macht frei

Disgusting comment.

suicide_circus

jungleman wrote: »

No the problem is when a person is being condescending and plain antagonistic.

There is a name for that type of Internet behaviour

mikom

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Disgusting comment.

Did I cause you to drop your monocle on the floor of your BMW/bedsit?

Peist2007

But i dont want to work in retail and never have. So i wouldnt be in favour of giving up 2 years of my life working in retail just to prove some sort of point to those that do.

Pumpkinseeds

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I've never worked in retail myself before, but my observations from interacting with some of the best and some of the downright worst would be as follows:

Take pride in your job. Just because other people view it as a lowly job doesn't mean you can't take pride in your work. Put in the best you can and I'm sure it will be more rewarding.

The next point is linked. Take pride in your appearance. You are the arrowhead of your organisation. You're the one representing your company on the coal face so for heaven's sake dress neatly, iron your shirt/uniform and keep your hair neat, tidy and clean. Nothing worse than engaging with someone who looks like they rolled out of bed and straight into work.




Be polite and courteous to customers. You need to make sure that they feel like you are doing your absolute best to ensure their needs are looked after. Happy customers spend more. Unhappy ones won't return and without customers you're out of a job!

Finally, the most important one....SMILE!! Nothing more annoying than having some with a big scowly head handing over your coffee. A smile costs nothing.

People who work in retail despise attitudes such as yours, come the revolution you'll be one of the first against the wall.

suicide_circus

mikom wrote: »

Did I cause you to drop your monocle on the floor of your BMW/bedsit?

He's vigorously polishing his 5" series as we speak

mikom

suicide_circus wrote: »

He's vigorously polishing his 5" series as we speak

He's polishing something alright....

The Backwards Man

Working in a hospice is a tough life

Working as an engineer for the ESB is a tough life

Working as an oil refinery tank cleaner is a tough life

Listening to retail workers is a tough life.

danslevent

I find retail okay but kind of boring and so repetitive.

I hate having pressure to make targets. Once we made over 4,000 over targets and only got a 25 euro reward. Where is the motivation for that?

jungleman

In a lot of cases, retail workers are just basically exploited. TNCs make huge profits, very little of which are passed onto shop floor employees. Walmart in America is the perfect example - in 2009 they had global sales of $374bn. Yet they mostly hire on a short term, low hour basis which means employees aren't entitled to any benefits like health insurance, or have any real job security. Employees "lucky" enough to be on a long term contract earn $8.81 per hour; employees on short flexi-time contracts can earn less. The CEO of Tesco made £1.17 million in 2011. This is the same Tesco who were exploiting the Jobbridge initiative here.

Retail employees work hard to make huge profits for global companies, and most don't earn over €20,000 per annum. In a lot of ways, being a retail employee is just crap.

suicide_circus

danslevent wrote: »

I find retail okay but kind of boring and so repetitive.

I hate having pressure to make targets. Once we made over 4,000 over targets and only got a 25 euro reward. Where is the motivation for that?

We made several million over our 2014 target and got no reward - it's not all bonuses in management I can tell you

Aongus Von Bismarck

mikom wrote: »

Did I cause you to drop your monocle on the floor of your BMW/bedsit?

suicide_circus wrote: »

He's vigorously polishing his 5" series as we speak

mikom wrote: »

He's polishing something alright....

What age are you two? Very immature humour.

wexandproud

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I've never worked in retail myself before, but my observations from interacting with some of the best and some of the downright worst would be as follows:

Take pride in your job. Just because other people view it as a lowly job doesn't mean you can't take pride in your work. Put in the best you can and I'm sure it will be more rewarding.

The next point is linked. Take pride in your appearance. You are the arrowhead of your organisation. You're the one representing your company on the coal face so for heaven's sake dress neatly, iron your shirt/uniform and keep your hair neat, tidy and clean. Nothing worse than engaging with someone who looks like they rolled out of bed and straight into work.

Be polite and courteous to customers. You need to make sure that they feel like you are doing your absolute best to ensure their needs are looked after. Happy customers spend more. Unhappy ones won't return and without customers you're out of a job!

Finally, the most important one....SMILE!! Nothing more annoying than having some with a big scowly head handing over your coffee. A smile costs nothing.

makes perfect sense to me.. i have been going into the same place most days for about 10 years and got to know staff fairly well. Some of the staff were always clean and tidy and most days in good form , most of these ones have moved to better positions in different places . One of them was particularly efficient always pottering around doing some little thing . a friend of mine was looking for staff so i told him about this lad , he spent a few weeks going in and out watching him and the offered him a job , no interview , just liked what he saw , another one now managing a small shop , owner just leaves her at it, both of them very happy.
the other staff who were just trudging through , and you could see it in there appearance, they are still there .

mikom

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

What age are you two? Very immature humour.

We can't all be 2nd rate Ross O' Carroll Krügers...... plenty of them already.

I've never met so many power hungry, manipulative, lying cnuts than when I worked in retail. It breeds a special kind of management that is unsurpassed when it comes to being complete dicks. They are encouraged to bully their staff at times. Then when that isn't enough, some area manager with a superiority complex will come in to top off with more bullying, patronising and a sprinkling of condescension.

I'll never go back.

clk1990

Soul destroying affair for myself tbh.

Two main reasons:

1. I work on my own. Store is quiet so there's no need for more than one member of staff to be working. (Que regular conversations with myself.....). I enjoy my own company but not nearly 50 hours of it.

2. Arsehole customers!!! My "favourite" is when a customer tries to return an item they've used quite a bit for months on end and decide they want to return it because they've changed their mind! (I actually got so fed up on one occasion I asked would they buy a cheese sandwich from a shop and halfway through eating it bring it back because they changed their mind, they wanted ham instead. They didnt answer).

The customer is not always right.....

I need to change profession...

galwaytt

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

An utterly preposterous idea. What would it prove - that some people aren't very pleasant? Most retail work is low skill and low stress, with low wages as a result. It isn't open heart surgery we're on about here. A positive attitude towards your work will result in you feeling happier. If retail is that arduous a role then some of the posters here should consider a change of career.

25 years + in sales tells me you're an example of the inspiration for this thread...

Golaco

clk1990 wrote: »

Soul destroying affair for myself tbh.

Two main reasons:

1. I work on my own. Store is quiet so there's no need for more than one member of staff to be working. (Que regular conversations with myself.....). I enjoy my own company but not nearly 50 hours of it.

2. Arsehole customers!!! My "favourite" is when a customer tries to return an item they've used quite a bit for months on end and decide they want to return it because they've changed their mind! (I actually got so fed up on one occasion I asked would they buy a cheese sandwich from a shop and halfway through eating it bring it back because they changed their mind, they wanted ham instead. They didnt answer).

The customer is not always right.....

I need to change profession...

Tough job! Arsehole customers are a constant. At least if you had a colleague to vent to once they've gone it might help. I think I'd go mad