{"id":1191,"date":"2015-08-27T08:44:31","date_gmt":"2015-08-27T15:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/?p=1191"},"modified":"2015-08-27T08:44:31","modified_gmt":"2015-08-27T15:44:31","slug":"this-guy-nailed-it-about-working-in-retail-must-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/re-tales.net\/?p=1191","title":{"rendered":"This Guy Nailed It About Working In Retail!! Must Read."},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a0 This article is from Alan Henry at Lifehacker and it’s one of the best I’ve ever read about working in retail. \u00a0I highlighted some of the best parts for you, he especially nailed it about customer entitlement \u00a0(“I’m the customer, so I’m automatically right and can treat you like crap”) and the part about how everyone is the hero of their own story, which is true not just in retail but life in general. \u00a0There are 2 sides to every story, everybody thinks they are in the right but it’s more important to understand WHY when you are trying to resolve an argument.<\/div>\n
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\"Working<\/p>\n

People say that \u201ceveryone should work retail or service at least once in their lives.\u201d I couldn\u2019t agree more. Like many people, some of my first jobs were retail service gigs. One in a department store, another in a bookstore. I\u2019ve long since moved on, but I learned a lot about the nature of people\u2014and how that battle between selfishness and empathy is something we all struggle with, every day.<\/em><\/p>\n

A long time ago, I was a cashier at a local big box store that made its employees wear red vests. It was awful. Eventually I moved on to a bookstore in a local mall, with an awesome group of people. I still regard it as one of the best jobs I\u2019ve ever had. Then I moved on to a different kind of service: IT support. I could write an article just on that. Working retail teaches you a lot about people\u2014and not just that they can be terrible. You learn a lot about keeping your composure, the privilege that money and status afford, where your personal boundaries are, and how to cope with serious, under-your-skin stress. Plus, it all applies well later on down the road, even if you never work service again.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Most Self-Important People Are Also the Weakest<\/em><\/h3>\n

One thing I learned working retail that\u2019s held true everywhere is that the people who act the most self-important are the people who really deserve the least respect. You know these people, they shout \u201cI\u2019ll never shop\/come back here again\u201d with the kind of blind conviction that makes you wonder if they actually believe that \u201closing a customer\u201d actually matters in this day and age, much less to someone working a cash register at a big box store or waiting tables.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

I mean, we all know \u201cI\u2019ll never shop here again\u201d is bullshit. The people who said it to me were usually back first thing in the morning the next day. Even the people who say it have to know that on some level it\u2019s bullshit\u2014but without that weapon in their arsenal they have to admit that they\u2019re no special snowflake, their money is no greener than anyone else\u2019s, and they\u2019re out to spend while the poor person suffering their insulting banter is getting paid to do it.<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the clincher though. When you\u2019re face to face with that realization, you understand yourself, and others, better than ever. None of us are so important that our consumerist needs override basic human decency, and knowing that makes you a stronger person\u2014much stronger than someone relying on a \u201ccustomer\/servant\u201d dynamic to feel important. It\u2019s not so much that you\u2019re not important, but that no one is so important they get to walk on someone else.<\/span> Retail taught me this lesson loud and clear, very early on.<\/em><\/p>\n

Self Care Is Critical, Because No One Else Really Cares About You<\/em><\/h3>\n

Speaking of jerks, the biggest thing that working any service-related job taught me was that I needed to take care of myself. Seriously: self care is critical not just at work, but throughout life. If you\u2019re in an environment where someone else gives a crap about your mental health or emotional stability, you\u2019re pretty lucky.<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say people are heartless (although some certainly can be), it\u2019s just that everyone\u2019s so busy looking out for themselves that it\u2019s tough to extend mental energy to others\u2014especially people they aren\u2019t close with.<\/span> If you work on a team where everyone looks out for each other<\/a>, grabs drinks after work, or listens to each other vent, that\u2019s great. Be happy when you find coworkers like that. But keep in mind that the limits of everyone else\u2019s kindness is generally the amount of energy they can spare. Everyone has it tough, including you, and everyone\u2019s trying their damndest to cope. Don\u2019t expect someone to help you. You should learn to handle your own stress, in your own way.http:\/\/lifehacker.com\/how-to-survive…<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve talked about how to deal with stress<\/a>, but working service makes you pick up those tricks early. You learn to remove yourself from a situation before you say something you\u2019ll regret. You learn no one cares if you took your lunch, if you\u2019ve been working back to back shifts, or you\u2019re missing a family event or a funeral or a wedding to work overtime. You learn even the best bosses will put you to work anyway if you don\u2019t say something. You learn no one cares that customer was a racist jerk to you, even if they saw it, unless you make it clear you were displeased about it. You learn to suck it up and keep going, because the world keeps moving and no one\u2019s interested in stopping to help you up.http:\/\/lifehacker.com\/5836879\/what-s…<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, it sucks. But you also learn to rely on your own strength, press on, and then retreat to your own safe spaces later to recuperate. If you don\u2019t have those safe spaces, you find them. Any job can teach you these lessons, but something like retail can teach you pretty quickly\u2014and pretty young. Which is something I\u2019m thankful for.<\/em><\/p>\n

Everyone Is the Hero of Their Own Story<\/em><\/h3>\n

On a similar note, you figure out pretty quickly that few people see themselves in the wrong. Everyone is the protagonist in the drama of their individual life.<\/span> It makes sense, if you think about it: the only existence we really experience is our own, so the only feelings we really feel are ours. The only point of view we can really understand is ours.<\/span> That also means that we\u2019ll bend over backwards to make sure we rationalize our actions. When we behave a certain way, we usually forgive ourselves because there\u2019s some reason for it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Even when we\u2019re absolutely terrible to one another, we always, at least in our own mental narratives, have a reason for it. Maybe we were duped into being terrible, or we were in a bad place in our lives, or we thought what we were doing was okay at the time, or we were brought up poorly, or whatever.<\/span> That doesn\u2019t make those rationalizations bad, or our actions justified. But they\u2019re still rationalizations. Understanding that gives us context, and should remind us that others don\u2019t get that context\u2014they just get our actions.<\/em><\/p>\n

Remembering this helps us avoid dwelling on the bad behavior of others. It does, however, give you insight, so you can get over it quickly. Later down the line, this level of empathy reveals why people make poor decisions, or react badly to stressful situations. When you understand that coworker shuffles deadlines and keeps giving you work because their boss is a nightmare to deal with, it gives you the mental space to understand it\u2019s not personal, and address the real issue. If you know their boss is a awful, you can be upfront with them about it and maybe earn a little empathy of your own. If you remember they\u2019re acting as hero of their own story, bravely buckling down under pressure and making miracles happen, it can help you reframe your own actions (and your reactions to them) as a result. After all, you\u2019re the hero of your story, right?<\/em><\/p>\n

The \u201cService Mentality\u201d Is Real Anytime You Have a \u201cCustomer\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

The \u201cservice mentality\u201d describes the strange mindset people get into when they\u2019re a \u201ccustomer.\u201d This is when someone suddenly grows a hideous sense of entitlement, centered around this notion that because they\u2019re a \u201ccustomer\u201d that means they\u2019re not just \u201calways right,\u201d but an actual better, superior person to the people who serve them.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t really believe this before I worked service. I thought that this behavior had to be an outlier. Instead, I learned that more people believe it than don\u2019t (at least in some form), and that doesn\u2019t make them bad people, it just means we all lack empathy.<\/span> Think about it: you probably shudder at the notion that you\u2019re a \u201cbetter person\u201d than the one waiting your table, but you\u2019ll still get into heated debates about tipping<\/a>. You\u2019ve probably rolled your eyes more than once when you felt a cashier didn\u2019t show you the \u201crespect\u201d you deserve. We all head over to Kitchenette<\/a> every Monday to read Behind Closed Ovens<\/a>, and inevitably someone will defend even the worst people\u2014and not \u201cthat person must be really troubled and that\u2019s sad,\u201d but \u201cI think that was correct and appropriate.\u201dhttp:\/\/lifehacker.com\/should-tipping…<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Keeping this front and center in your head is the first step to dismantling it. This isn\u2019t limited to service jobs, either. Even in IT, I learned that because IT\u2019s \u201ccustomers\u201d are other departments in the company, the same mentality reared its head. Even when I was a project manager, I could see it in the stakeholders we had to report to. This mindset is rampant, and the best among us know when to tamp it down and treat everyone like fellow human beings.<\/em><\/p>\n

You\u2019re Never \u201cToo Good,\u201d and People Who Think They Are, Aren\u2019t<\/em><\/h3>\n

When things got rough at my first retail gig, I used to tell myself that I was \u201cdoing this now so I never had to do it again.\u201d As in, someday I\u2019d be better than all this, and I\u2019d look back and down on it as necessary character building. It got me through tough times, and I did wind up using retail to get a work history under me and move on<\/a> to other things. I was happy I\u2019d never have to pretend I gave a crap whether someone could find the comforters or that we were out of their favorite pen. It helped me get through a lot of those days, but looking back now, it was a lot of bullshit.http:\/\/lifehacker.com\/will-temp-and-…<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Part of it is because even today, I look back on some of the best jobs I had, and the years I worked in a bookstore were some of the best. It was no Black Books<\/a>, but I worked with great people, got to read a lot, and had my fair share of hilarious moments. That brings me to one of the biggest lessons I took away from working retail: You\u2019re never \u201ctoo good\u201d to do it again.<\/em><\/p>\n

There are good retail jobs and bad ones. There are always bad customers, but there are good ones too, and what defines the job is the work you do and the people you work with. But those things apply to any job. If you can land a good combination of those two things, even a \u201cmenial\u201d retail job can feel worthwhile. It may not make up for lousy pay and long hours, but at least it\u2019s something you won\u2019t hate doing. And you never know, should the bottom fall out, you would do well to not be so prideful you couldn\u2019t go back and look for it again.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 This article is from Alan Henry at Lifehacker and it’s one of the best I’ve ever read about working in retail. \u00a0I highlighted some of the best parts for you, he especially nailed it about customer entitlement \u00a0(“I’m the customer, so I’m automatically right and can treat you like crap”) and the part about Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-customer-stories","category-retail-companies","category-retail-employees"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1191"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1192,"href":"https:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191\/revisions\/1192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/re-tales.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}