Interview!

Dear Readers,



Today I interviewed my manager to ask him what he considered retail problems. I did this to get a better perspective but also because he has more experience. The interview went like this:

Me: Hi Lucas (my manager), thank you for agreeing to my interview
Lucas: no problem Janelle


Me: okay so what would you say is the worst retail problem you have dealt with during your time in retail?
Lucas: First I would say angry customers. That's always the worst. Especially as a manager you are being closely observed and you have to handle the situation with professionalism in order to set an example.

Me: can you describe a specific situation , if that is okay?
Lucas: Sure. It was my first week as manager and I had a very angry woman attempting to return a bag which of course she had lost the receipt for. It is our policy you must provide a receipt in order to return merchandise but she insisted to speak with the manager. I was already warned by my associate that she was angry and so I was not surprised that she yelled at me to return the bag. It was like I was her servant she was ordering me to do this. Sure I could've gotten upset and asserted myself but I tried to find a solution instead. Luckily she had bought the bag with a credit card and so we were able to find the transaction in the system. After helping her of course she apologized for her behavior and I insisted it was no problem.

Me: wow I'm not sure I could've handled it so well.
Lucas: The key is not to make it personal. You have to take a step back and take your feelings out of the equation.
Me:  That is pretty good . what is the best advice you would give to other retailers?
Lucas: other than that I would say just take it one day at a time and always try to stay positive.


Me: okay well thank you for agreeing to my interview and helping to share some knowledge with my readers.
Lucas: anytime

Appearance vs. Reality

Dear Readers,

Have you ever gone into a store and really glanced at the appearance of the store ? When I say this I mean looked beyond the merchandise to see if the store is clean or messy? I feel like after working in retail I developed somewhat of a sixth sense. I don't just look at the clothes on the rack. Now when I enter a store I look at the clothes on the floor and the clothes off the hangers.

This brings a mixture of emotions. Sometimes I feel bad for the employees especially if it's really messy. I wonder to myself if people know the employees have to fix that entire mess before going home. On other occasions I find myself subconsciously fixing clothes back on the hangers until I snap back to life and remind myself that I don't work there.

To my fellow retail employees, I'm not sure if you too have developed this sense. But I must apologize for the oblivious customer I was before. Now I do not go into a store with any intention of messing it up. I am more conscious of how I shop meaning I clean up after myself. If I drop a shirt I pick it up.

I feel like this should be a rule or something. Not to be too drastic, but i mean that all shoppers should become more conscious of how they shop. It is completely unnecessary to shop and leave a mess especially after a busy day. If people more aware of the mess they leave , then it would be a much better shopping experience for all.

Time Management

Random post:

Dear Readers,

Normally I focus on retail problems hence the title of the blog but today I decided to look at a different type of problem , time management. This is something we all experience and some still have yet to master. For some reason time always seems to run out and as a procrastinator you may tend to put things off and find yourself out of time.

It is hard enough to learn how to manage your time but imagine having to work while trying to master this art. Work is a set time and so it is up to you to use the time outside of work wisely. Especially if you also have to go to school. Now the load is twice as hard. On top of trying to manage your time you have to work, and go to school at set times plus find the time to do homework and stay on top of studying. It sounds like a lot and most definitely is.

I am aware of this first hand. I worked retail late nights and went to school during the day while trying to find the time to study and do homework. Sure I understand there are people who are doing way more and still manage their time better, but don't dismiss the fact that working and going to school is hard.

Customer Service 101

Hello Readers, 

Today lets talk about how to provide good customer service. This is like a survival manual on how to survive retail. 

First: Always remember to have a smile on your face

-This is key for customer service because that smile welcomes the customer, it is like greeting the customer with a big warm hug.

Second: Always remember to greet the customer

-Sure sometimes the customer may walk up to the register without saying anything but it is your responsibility to greet the customer. A simple hello or How are you might lighten up the mood and help the customer to have a much better experience

Third: If you so happen to not be in the register, but instead you are walking the floor, always remember to assist customers

-If you see a customer in need of help, maybe he or she may not want to ask for assistance, but it is up to you as the associate to reach out to the customer to see what is it that he or she may need. This leads to a much satisfactory experience for the customer. 

Loss Prevention Continued

In a prior post I had taken a deeper look into Loss Prevention, a destructive problem in retail because the store has to figure out how to compensate for those loss of merchandise. 

According to Wikipedia , 

Retail loss prevention is a set of practices employed by retail companies to preserve profit. Profit preservation is any business activity specifically designed to reduce preventable losses. A preventable loss is any business cost caused by deliberate or inadvertent human actions, colloquially known as "shrinkage”.

I had disagreed with this description in a sense and added my own interpretation so that the quote would state,

Since retail loss prevention is geared towards the elimination of preventable loss^[2] and the bulk of preventable loss in retail is caused by deliberate human activity, traditional approaches to retail loss prevention have been through visible security measures matched with technology such as CCTV and electronic sensor barriers. Most companies take this traditional approach by either having their own in-house loss prevention team or using external security agencies. Companies have also developed newer and more efficient ways to prevent loss of their merchandise. In some cases the loss prevention officers will walk the floor dressed like a regular shopper in order to observe those who may seem suspicious. This new method gives the loss prevention team the opportunity to catch the thief red handed. it offers the element of surprise. 

I believed the quote needed more embellishment because it was lacking in certain areas such as the fact that there are plain clothes loss prevention officers actually walking the floor. Instead of walking the floor with a badge like 

This fact is unknown to the regular shopper and the common thief. I actually went back and visited the Wikipedia page which I edited and to my surprise my changes were gone. Maybe there is a Wiki team which works to remove the edits of the regular reader like myself.

Saturdays or Mondays?

Today i decided to revisit a previous post, Retail problem #2 popped in my head which is working on Saturdays. My first posting described the horrible emotion which comes along with waking up on a Saturday because I mean who wants to work on a Saturday? 

But i started to look at this from another side and decided to comment on it. There are other jobs outside of retail such as the corporate world which provides the luxury of having weekends off. From the outside this seems spectacular especially to a retail worker, but in all reality this may not be the better option. The grass may not be greener on the other side. I mean would you rather work all week and have two days off or have a rest in between those working days?

I guess this is up to your own preference, to each their own. But looking at the other side, I’m thinking that maybe having a Monday or Wednesday off might be a nice luxury as well. Saturdays are still horrible in retail just because of how packed the store becomes and the amount of the stress that arises as the lines get longer. 

So what is the solution to all this? If i had to make a choice, in a perfect world I would be able to have Mondays and Saturdays off but this is not a perfect world. 

Minimum Wage?

  Wages have become another problem in retail but it is the big elephant in the room. Not many like to talk about it and if they do it is in hushed words. Those that do talk about it more aggressively are normally the bolder workers who have been with the company for an extended period of time. 

 The problem with wages in retail is that workers do not seem to be paid well.

Especially since they are expected to work hard just like another job. This problem  is not unique to retail though. Other institutions also struggle with under paid workers. Lately though there have been an increase in wages among retail outlets. For instance Target has been recorded to have recently increased the wages for its workers. 

 According to the article,Target Increases Minimum Wage , it has been reported that Target increased the wages of its workers to $10 an hour. The article also states that Target chose to make this decision after the Fight for Fifteen movement was gaining traction among retail workers. This movement demands the minimum wage to be increased to $15 an hour. Clearly this was too expensive of an increase for Target and they settled with just an extra $1 an hour. 

 I think shame on you Target and shame on you retail stores who are still underpaying their workers despite the fact that these businesses are successful and can afford to pay their workers much better. 

Baking meets Retail

Although I normally focus on problems in retail, today I decided to look into another topic which is baking. I know it is in no relation to what I normally post but after I read a post from a fellow blogger which I follow ,  I found this post to be so well written and interesting I had to share it and comment. 

The blog is sugarkisses1.blogspot.com and the post is titled Sweet Little Earths. This post caught my eye because at first I thought what a weird title. But actually going into and reading the post was like being transported into a different world, the world of baking. 

I am not a baker myself but I do have a huge sweet tooth, probably too big. If you really know me, on countless occasions you will see me eating a cookie or a cupcake. Anything sweet will become my best friend. But back to the post. In this posting, the author describes a new trend in baking called geode inclusions which is made from rock candy. From the pictures it looks spectacular. But this is actually something I’ve never heard of before. The blogger provides details of how to actually make rock candy and from the description it seems like it can be made in multiple fashions. The first is described as very time consuming and involves a long process of actually growing the rock candy crystals from scratch. The other ways are much easier options such as simply breaking up hard candy. Although I may never try this myself just because baking is not my specialty I will definitely introduce this concept to my friends who have more of a knack for things like this. 

If you would like to read the post more, here is the link: Sugarkisses

Sensors!

SENSORS! Everyone knows about them but not many understand the true nature of these objects. Although they are meant to protect our merchandise somehow they tend to do other things. Stores place these objects on their clothes or other items to prevent stealing. But sometimes they can end up hurting the wrong people. For instance they poke us. Us meaning retail workers.

On more than one occasion I have personally been poked by a sensor and it is a very hurtful experience. No one talks about how sharp they are. They only seem to mention that sensors function solely for helping the store. But if that needle happens to poke you, the pain feels like a bee sting times ten. The sensors must be removed from the clothing properly in order to prevent this outcome.
Yet despite how technology advances and the new machines which have been developed to assist in the removal of sensors, workers still find themselves stopping to say Ouch! countless times a day.

Pain does not only occur when taking off the sensors. Applying sensors can also be an ouch moment. For instance some stores instruct their workers what is the right way to put the sensors on. Sensors normally have ink enclosed in them so that they cannot be tampered with. If they are tampered with the ink will burst and destroy the merchandise, therefore defeating the purpose of trying to steal in the first place.


The basic point of this retail problem is that even though they are small, don't mess with sensors. Big things really do come in small packages in this case. Although they are small, they pack a huge punch in the form of the ink that bursts and can destroy the clothes or the sting that occurs if a retail worker mistakenly pokes him or herself with the sensor

Retail Problem #4

One of the biggest problems in retail is loss prevention. Despite the effort of the companies to prevent customers from stealing their merchandise, every day companies still suffer from the loss of their goods. This leads to heavy loss for the company itself and will later impact other aspects of the store. If a store continues to have a high percentage of loss, then it is clear that certain measures need to be taken in order for this to stop.

What are some of the measures? Well some stores have turned to technology, applying cameras around every corner with an extensive staff observing the footage. What exactly is loss prevention though? According to Wikipedia,

Retail loss prevention is a set of practices employed by retail companies to preserve profit. Profit preservation is any business activity specifically designed to reduce preventable losses. A preventable loss is any business cost caused by deliberate or inadvertent human actions, colloquially known as "shrinkage".

The article goes on to state that,

Since retail loss prevention is geared towards the elimination of preventable loss^[2] and the bulk of preventable loss in retail is caused by deliberate human activity, traditional approaches to retail loss prevention have been through visible security measures matched with technology such as CCTV and electronic sensor barriers. 

Based on these quotes, Wikipedia makes a good attempt to describe retail problem #4 but there is still room for improvement. For instance the second quote describes ways in which stores implement loss prevention such as through technology like cameras and sensor barriers. But there are also more effective ways of loss prevention which Wikipedia left out. Technology is not the only trick in the book used to catch thieves. Another method is using plain-clothed Loss Prevention Officers  to walk the sales floor and actually observe the thieves. I believe this is a very effective method. If the Loss Prevention Officer appears like a regular shopper, he or she is able to go undercover and catch the thief red handed. Therefore I think the quote should state,

Since retail loss prevention is geared towards the elimination of preventable loss^[2] and the bulk of preventable loss in retail is caused by deliberate human activity, traditional approaches to retail loss prevention have been through visible security measures matched with technology such as CCTV and electronic sensor barriers. Most companies take this traditional approach by either having their own in-house loss prevention team or using external security agencies. Companies have also developed newer and more efficient ways to prevent loss of their merchandise. In some cases the loss prevention officers will walk the floor dressed like a regular shopper in order to observe those who may seem suspicious. This new method gives the loss prevention team the opportunity to catch the thief red handed. it offers the element of surprise. 

When a retail worker goes shopping...

Although most of my posts go off into tangents about the problems in retail, today I decided to mix it up and do something different. Today I decided to review my personal shopping experience in a retail store. This time I was on the other side of the counter meaning instead I was the customer rather than the one providing the service.

On my day off I decided to do a little shopping. I had some items I wanted to pick up especially since we are in the midst of a changing season and decided to visit another store which I do not work at. I decided to do this to see their customer service in comparison to how i would normally provide service. 

I am not sure if it is because I work in customer service but I am definitely more critical of bad customer service now than prior to when I first started working in retail. it is sad to say but this experience that i had in the store (which shall remain unnamed) was one of the worst shopping experiences i have had. The first problem was the service provided by the staff. No one seemed to want to be at work that day and so anyone I asked a question would seem very annoyed at the fact that they were being bothered. I am a bit understanding about this because of course everyone has things going on in their lives and sometimes work just adds to the stress. But if the majority of the staff is rude then clearly that company has a bunch of bad apples that need to be removed.

The second problem which I faced was the disorganization of the store itself. Normally department stores have clear cut sections or departments such as kids, women, men and shoes. But in this particular store there was no separation. Everything was just a big mess and if you wanted to find something you needed patience and binoculars. 

These two problems combined made the shopping experience horrible and I ended up leaving the store empty handed. I was disappointed but this experience actually served as a wake up call. this made me realize how important good customer service is in order for a business to prosper.

Retail Problem #3

Although my posts may seem like rants sometimes , this one had to be made. One of the most FRUSTRATING things which i experienced was the question "Excuse me where is the bathroom?"  Although this is such an innocent question it can become a trigger after awhile.
Forget about retail for a hot second. Wherever you go in a public place with a restroom there is normally a bunch of SIGNS indicating where the closest restroom is. So why is retail any different.

When walking into a store normally there are signs posted saying RESTROOMS with an arrow pointing in the direction. These signs are normally CLEAR and BOLD with BRIGHT colors like red. This means that they CANNOT and SHOULD NOT be missed. Despite the effort of the store to alert the customers of where the bathrooms are, there are always those straggler customers who are maybe somewhat confused by the signs and need further help.

Of course this is not the hugest problem in the world and it could be a simple mistake when someone can't find the bathroom but this post serves to shed light on the fact that people need to observe their surrounding in a better manner. And one of the ways to do that is if you need to use the bathroom in a public place please first look for the signs because that is what they are there for.

Four Do Nots For Dress Code in Retail

Four Do Nots for the Dress Code

Working in retail can sometimes have a very casual dress code. While other times some companies have a stricter policy such as wear all black as if you are attending your funeral every day you enter the work place. But if you just so happen to work in a casual atmosphere here are four Do Nots which should be remembered.

        1.      Do not wear anything too revealing if you are a woman. Ladies whether or not you are allowed to wear casual clothes you are still at work and dressing like you are going to a party is just not suitable. Leave that for the turn up but for the turn down at work the outfit should atone to that mood.
        2.      Do not wear anything with offensive writing displayed which may offend the customers. For instance since its election year try to avoid political shirts saying things like vote for Trump unless you're trying to ruin the business and be out of a job. But also because work is just not the right place for a political debate. There is a time and place for everything.
        3.      If it is summer time and you are one of those people who get hot easily at least try to remember to put on some deodorant. This point cannot be stressed enough. Do not forget the deodorant! Body odor is such a horrible thing for some people but luckily this magical invention was created in order to stop this problem and it was named deodorant. I can't imagine why some people would forget this but please try not to!
        4.      Do not forget to wear under garments. Without getting too inappropriate for all those filthy minds out there, under garments is definite must in all seasons but especially in the summer time. This is for all my fellow females ,a bra is a must! Although this is obvious there are some of us out there who choose to do outlandish things and showing up to work without a bra is one of them, which is why it is on the list. Do not forget your bra!

Five Ways to Survive Monday Mornings in Retail

Aside from Monday mornings already being a drag, Monday mornings in retail are that times ten. Well that may be a bit of an extreme but it can get that bad. If you have the morning shift on a Monday you may be responsible for all the returns from the weekend especially if the weekend crew didn't have a chance to return all the merchandise. Monday's are normally slow and this downtime gives the store the opportunity to catch up on all the work the weekend crew fell behind on. If it just so happened that you worked the weekend as well, then this list is especially a guide for survival for someone like you.

• The first way to survive is Do not forget your morning cup of coffee. If coffee is not your beverage of choice then perhaps a cup of tea but at least have some fuel in your stomach because you are definitely going to need it.

• The second way is Do not forget the breakfast. I know this should be pretty obvious but some people are in the habit of rushing out and forgetting their breakfast. NO! Do not! That is probably the worst idea and will backfire. You have to make sure you have eaten something prior to coming in or else you will have no energy to do anything.

• The third way is to keep a positive attitude. I am definitely not a morning person and so this is easier said than done. But this is an important way to survive. Although the day may get frustrating and on top of that you are already tired and cranky, if you do not have a positive attitude it will be hard to accomplish anything. Without a positive attitude you may feel overwhelmed or just ready to give up and that vibe is unnecessary but also disastrous for everything you do not just retail.

• The fourth way is to ensure that you wear comfy shoes. Although you need comfy shoes regardless of whatever day you are scheduled in retail you really need comfy shoes on a Monday morning. Your day consists of standing on your feet for long hours, walking back and forth and bending down to pick up merchandise as well as running racks. You need those comfy shoes to just make these tasks as easy as possible so as not to overwork yourself.

• The fifth and final way is to at least try to enjoy yourself. That is the best advice I could give to my fellow retail workers. I know it may be slow and the store is a bit dead, but try to look on the positive side which is that you don't have to deal with long lines and the store being packed to capacity.

I know these are not the only ways to survive Monday mornings in retail but these are the ways which have worked for me so far. This list is open to suggestions as I too would like to know other ways to survive Monday mornings.

Retail Problem #2

There are problems within everything you may encounter , the important part is how you deal with these problems. The latest retail problem is working on the weekends or the weekend shift. Although some people wake up on the weekends feeling rejoiced and excited for all the free time they will have, the weekend for retail workers is somewhat of a drag. 

Saturday which is normally the busiest day of the week for retail is also the worst day to be scheduled. Why you may ask? Well this day comes with a pile of work and if you go into work intending to leave early , you might as well forget about that pipe dream. Aside from all the returns (returns are the clothes at the front end of the store which need to be placed back on to the sales floor) you have just waiting for you, if you are apart of the night shift in some companies you are also in charge of maintaining the sales floor. This means at the end of the night you are responsible of basically cleaning up the store, hanging all the clothes back on the hangers, taking clothes off the floor, placing the shoes back on the shelf and so forth. This can be a very tiring task and after doing this for hours all you want to do is go home and sleep. 

But Saturday can also be the best day to be scheduled. It is usually the day when all the staff is scheduled and you get the opportunity to see all your work friends. I say work friends because these are people you work alongside and although it may not go past the stage of being friendly at work you guys are still cool with one another. If it does happen to go past this stage then you go are obviously now friends. Working with your work friends makes work seem not like work. It is similar to working with your friends. The time goes by fast and before you know it you are actually having fun.

By the end of the night you are not even concerned with all the work you have to do because you get to stay with your fellow associates.

That is why it is important to look at problems from both sides , the positive and the negative.

Although Saturdays are busy and sometimes horrible, if you make the best out of it the day can actually turn out much better than you expected.

Retail protocols

       Working in retail comes with a variety of problems. But it is also a complicated system which some retailers are unaware of. For instance when working as a cashier certain companies have protocols and policies about how the cashier should ring up merchandise. For instance some cashiers are instructed to take the hangers off the clothes prior to scanning the price tag.


         There is also a set of rules for applying sensors. In some cases cashiers are instructed on how to attach sensors. Sensors have a section with ink which is meant to burst and destroy the merchandise if it is tampered with illegally. This is to stop stealing. Therefore cashiers must know how to handle sensors in order to not mess with the merchandise.


     These protocols can lead to retail problems. For instance although the system is made to prevent mistakes , it also makes the process a much longer one leading to longer lines and frustrated customers. 

Retail Problem #1

Welcome to a blog which looks into the life of a retail worker described from the perspective of a former retail worker now part time shopper.  Of course every job comes with its own set of problems, but retail is unique in its own way. I started working in retail when I was 21 and continued with the job for a year. Although it was a fun job it came with its setbacks. The purpose of this blog is not to bash working in retail but rather to educate fellow shoppers on how it feels to be on the other side of the register. I had taken up working in retail as a part time job just so I could have a little extra cash. But I would've never guessed back then how much that decision would impact me.

I still remember my first day. I came dressed to impress but I should've suited up more for the day I was about to have. Like a deer caught in headlights I was unprepared for the crash that would occur once I entered the retail world. Keeping a constant smile on my face and answering whatever question I was asked (no matter how dumb it would be) with that same smile were the essential parts of my job. From that first day I experienced some of the frustrations that comes along with retail. For instance,  as retail workers we are all asked to wear a name tag which is part of our uniform and which also indicates that you work there, yet many shoppers seem to be unaware of the purpose of this object. On my first day many people walked up to me asking me "do you work here?" I looked back at some of them with amazement. I thought to myself why would I be wearing a name tag if I didn't work here. Then I started to think maybe I'm wearing the name tag wrong, or maybe just maybe my name tag was invisible. Of course the last one is not plausible at all. But i thought there must be some explanation as to why people had to ask me such a ridiculous question. This is retail problem #1. I'm not sure but I believe that fellow retail workers will agree that this is a very frustrating part of the job. You believe people have common sense, but this problem shows that there might be some out there who are not the brightest crayons in the box. Maybe there is a secret club of people who go around to different retail stores wearing name tags but not actually working there, who knows. But until I encounter such a group of bizarre people, dear shoppers please understand that if I'm wearing a name tag, then clearly I must work here. Now in defense some may say, well maybe they didn't see the name tag. I would believe that if name tags blended in with shirts, but usually they don't. For example Forever 21 has bright yellow name tags while H&M has bright red. Either way they cannot be missed. Therefore it is up to the shopper to just simply use his or her eyes, those God-given tools which we all have. I mean that in the nicest way possible.