No matter what you may be doing right now almost everyone has had a retail job once, my managers sent this question out as a memo. they want 10 answers for 10 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your First Day On The Sales Floor, I don't know if I can think of that many any help with this would be appreciated.

How to tie a noose.

How to flirt :)

Flirting is helpful, I'll save the noose suggestion for next years Black Friday.

1. Is there really any extra stock in the back or not so I can inform the customer?

2.1 If they have a coupon that says “Good for One Purchase”, do you expect me to actually keep the coupon, or continue to use it?

2.2 If I keep a coupon because it says that it's good on only one purchase, will you back me up or tell the customer they can keep using it?

3. Who are the assisting managers and who should I call first for help?

4. Am I or am I not going to be the only person working my section and what are the policies on breaks?

5. Am I responsible for keeping the area clean and helping customers, or will there be someone there to do the clean up while I assist customers?

6. If the customer has items from another section where the associates get commission, do you want me to ring up everything under their code or my own? If I ring them up under their number, how do I get credit for my sales report?

7. If we do not carry the items requested, do you want us to redirect people to other stores that are not our own in order to help them?

8. What is the response time estimated for manager help when needed?

9. Do you want me to help the customer in neighboring areas if they need my help or do you want me to suggest they wait for an associate in that section?

10. If we are to limit our over time, how do we handle waiting for customers in our area who refuse to leave after hours and end up cashing out the registers late?

Very helpful Croi Dhubh, thank you very much.

I'vn never even had a job:P

I would like to say never work a day in your life, but unless your parents intend to support you with a healthy allowance on the side for the rest of your days theres not much choice.

I wish I never had to work a day in my life… That would be great…

But then I'd die within a month.

Well I may complain about work but I'm a work-a-holic, I need my work-a-hol.

What kind of retail job is it?

I did retail at a 2nd hand store and my background experience of computer knowledge helped me answer the technical questions of some customers who wanted to buy those 2nd hand computers that still run on windows 3.x

During my 1st day though, I was asked right away by a customer where to find men's clothes. I told him I dunno since its my 1st day on the job. thats 1 thing you need to know. WHERE ARE the stuff located. Also knowledge on the store's policies is a good thing to know.

I sell chocolates VERY EXPENSIVE chocolates and the customers are VERY PICKIE.

authorfly
Very helpful Croi Dhubh, thank you very much.

No problem. When I worked retail, those were some of the biggest issues I had,especially for my first Black Friday.

I hear you on the working thing…I can stand no more than two days off because I start to drive myself crazy

Oh man - I don't know if I could come up with ten…

*I worked at a grocery store all through high school and a bit between semesters in college - I wish someone had told me where everything was, ESPECIALLY where all the weird things are that no one can find (like toothpicks) but everyone asks for =)

*I would have loved it if someone had told me how to work the cash register before I had to use it, haha.

*Like Croi said, finding out about coupon and sales policies is really handy - as well as return policies and any possible exception to the rule.

*Lastly, if someone had given me a list of people I should ask about certain things or for a specific kind of help, that would have been nice. Examples off the top of my head: who was multi-lingual, who knew about wine, who knew what positions were open, how often do we get delivery trucks, etc.

If ever I get laid off, maybe I'd apply as an auto parts or computer store clerk. I know my cars and computers pretty well (enough to be a clerk. not a technician. lol). lol

I spent 6 months working at a teleservices company before having a nervous breakdown and just quitting altogether. Things I wish I knew before I started working:

1). How do you cut off an old lady who's telling you her life story when she's SUPPOSED to be ordering a massage chair.

2.1). A). When's the next con-artist who's products we sell coming in to visit? B). Where's the nearest hardware store.

3). Do you honestly expect me to finish a Malboro ‘100 within a 10-minute span without suffocating myself?

4). Has science made any recent progress on making it physically possible to reach through the phone and choke the mean, senile, geriatric b*tch on the other end of the line who deliberatley took and hour and a half on what’s normally a 15-minute call, insult you on every question you ask, then hangs up on you when you finally ask for her permission to finalize the sale?

5). Why do people over 90 even NEED new credit cards?

6). Why do people under 18 even try to apply for credit cards? (I had a 12-, a 13- and a 16- year old try to apply for Visa's while I was working there).

7). What's the point of giving employee discounts when everything and anything we sell I'm not going to want/need/be able to afford for the next 30 years?

8). What's the legal BAC (Body Alcohol Content) level that a caller can have when they call you?

9). Why are the callers from Canada so much more well-mannered than anyone I get from the continental U.S.?

10). What do you do when the person on the other end of the line tries to sell YOU something? (Actually happened to me once).

–Don't sell the hammer to the crazy woman who says she needs to lock her son in the basement.
–Some customers refuse to wear bras.
–Some customers take offense to sarcasm.
–Sometimes the three above are the same customer.
***Flirting is good.
–Don't be creepy with the customer's children, like flirt with them for example.
–Old people only pay in change because apparently 3 quarters and 5 dimes make their purse unbearably heavy that the checks, mace, keys with pictures of every single one of their grandchildren attached, wallet and at least 40 coupons have nothing to do with. Ever.
–There are some customers who ask everyone in the store the same question about an item that you don't have, and throw a bitchfit publicly about “well I NEED THIS. WHY DON'T YOU HAVE THIS BABABABABABBABABABABABABABABBABABABABBABABABMURSHDLFABLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH. The best thing is to ignore them after pretending to ask the manager if you can order it for them.
–Sometimes the same customers will still complain about, ”TODAY. I need it TODAY. I can't wait for you to order it.“
–Don't respond to that as, ”well then you might want to get it somewhere else, then" because you better know where ‘somewhere else’ is.

And the most important rule of all:
–Pretty much, your job(whatever that may be) is pretty sweet, or would be, if it weren't for all the customers.

Here is a story my father tells me about his brief days as a Kentucky Fried Chicken cook, one day while preparing the frozen chicken he came across an unnaturally colored blue one. He asked his manager what procedure he should take with it, and his manager replied make that one deep fried (eeewwwwwwww!). In response to Greaney I hope you knew the grill was hot before hand and touching it only reinforced that as a fact in your mind afterwards, if not I hope your burn is better. In response to Dave7 I don't smoke but I hope you get a satisfying cigarette break these days, there is a reason people don't have cigarette smoking contests after all. Lastly in response to mechanical_lullaby did you sell the crazy lady the hammer? If her son is lucky she was nothing but talk, and I think allot of jobs would be more tolerable if you could remove the public interaction part. Unless of course you have terrible coworkers in that case I would recommend screaming.

I think the most important question in my old jobs was ‘Do I have to work with customers?’

I worked at a butchers and a videostore. The butchers was coo, because I was in the back murdering stuff, but the videostore had me dealing with the customers. Now I love movies, and I'll be happy to give you advice on what to rent, but endless streams of people asking me ‘You got that one with that guy that does that thing?’ gets old. Old and annoying. I'm not good with customers.

authorfly
Unless of course you have terrible coworkers in that case I would recommend screaming.

Or utilising the aforementioned noose.

Another thing that's good to know is how to deal with angry customers, I've seen a lot of people get fired or injured because they were acting like dicks at a customer whose fuse was clearly almost blown. The best thing to do is to remain calm, usually the customer will also calm down, either because they feel stupid or because they're actually getting calmer. If they don't, remain calm anyway, because then no one can accuse you of provoking them.

Rutger
I think the most important question in my old jobs was ‘Do I have to work with customers?’

I worked at a butchers and a videostore. The butchers was coo, because I was in the back murdering stuff, but the videostore had me dealing with the customers. Now I love movies, and I'll be happy to give you advice on what to rent, but endless streams of people asking me ‘You got that one with that guy that does that thing?’ gets old. Old and annoying. I'm not good with customers.

My favorite movie has that guy doing that thing. It was out last year. What was the name of that one?

Also is Snakes on a Train the one with Samuel L. Jackson everyone on the internet makes jokes about? It sure looks like it.

after reading this thread i'm quite happy to say my education leads to a job where i won't be dealing with customers…. i'll be in the back fidling with their stuff on the computer… but i won't actually have to talk to them… and if i get laid off for some reason… well hey welfare and Artist selling stuff-like things

10 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your First Day On The Sales Floor.

1. smile
1.a)if you don't really give 2 shits about your job and are victim to the corporate machine…skip the rest and go to 10…however, if you feel the odds of a good future with your current company are playing in your favor…read on.
2. you are not important, the customer is.(it doesn't matter what sort of day you are haveing…you must act like everything is A-O.K….it is about their shopping experience)
2.a) avoid the guy at work who HhHHAtes his Job…work doesn't have to suck any more than it allready does…this guy will just bring you down.
3. ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND…Your Boss doesn't pay you, the Customer pays you.
4.adjust yourself to your customers personality.
5. Know your Product…believe in your product…use your product…be a fanatic ab out your product use this knowledge to give Helpful answers to customers so that they may make their purchases.
6. remember that friends are friends …and the people at work are acquaintences.
7.Remember…In God we Trust, all others pay cash.
7.a) After a while on the sales floor…you have to understand who is buying and who is just burning daylight. Give more help to the people who are buying…and just because the old guy looks like a bum…don't be thinkin' he don't have no cash…Never judge a book by its cover.
7.b) Don't Trust Your CO-WORKERS…see 6.
8. if you get mugged…co operate…open the drawer and don't look at the robber.
(if you have a shotgun…blow the fucker away when he makes a run for it.)
9. Call your shop on your cell phone…turn off all the sound on your cell phone.
At some point, when you have forest gump telling you about the 60s and you don't want to hear any more…call your self…the shop phone rings and you say…“I'm Sorry, I really have to take this call.”
Always do this After they are done purchaseing.

10. this is the secret weapon…

This even goes for you slack jacks who DON'T work with the Public.


Thank You for your time…Happy Holidays.

Mwa ha ha hhaha!

“Why do some customers act so mean and/or stupid?”

The answer is that they do not think of you as a person, just something that will either help them get what they want, or keep them from getting what they want. You can ALWAYS tell customers that have never worked retail, they have no idea the work involved. But that's really anywhere. Like when people disrespect waitresses, or bus drivers, whatever.

You're only saving grace is a customer that comes along occasionally and makes your day. Those customers are few and far between though, which is what makes it special.

My experience?

K-Mart - 3 Years
Wal-Mart - 6 Years
Home Depot - 4 years

It all sucked.

SpANG
“Why do some customers act so mean and/or stupid?”

The answer is that they do not think of you as a person,

I agree, and alot of times, I remind myself—
I am Just liveing in their world.

and I remind myself—They are the one with the problem, not me.
and I let it go.


—at the age of 8, I had allready had a small income from buying and selling pixie sticks to other children on the school Yard…I grew up in Family Bizness and I had a Coffee House at 19…until the age of 26.
From that point I became back involved in the Family Bizness where I manage…everything.
I have worked various odd jobs thru out the years as well.
mostly, I am a Capitalist Pig.
God Bless America…Oink Oink.
;)

lol, you guys would proably love reading those sites:

http://www.iworkwithfools.com/

http://www.customerssuck.com/

awesomely hilarious. kinda scary that such idiots exist out there though. O_O

Those ARE hilarious. I'm not good with customers, either, and I had a tendency to take control of just about every situation to bring the power back to me…which is why I'm going to be a cop now, hahah.

The only thing that I've liked doing other than that is being the V.P. of Advertising for my family business. I only deal with other advertising people, which is a lot of fun

you get treated like crap when you are in retail.
but it does push you to get a college education like i did.

now i get respect from people and am a nurse supervisor :)

kyupol
During my 1st day though, I was asked right away by a customer where to find men's clothes. I told him I dunno since its my 1st day on the job. thats 1 thing you need to know.

authorfly
I sell chocolates VERY EXPENSIVE chocolates

In that case the men's clothes are just to the left of the Belgian raspberry twirls. Aisle 6.

I remember back to my coffee house days I got a Phone call…
the place was called Coffee on Crawford…

I answer the Phone…Coffee on Crawford.

“Da Yinz sell Cawfee?”
A rough womans voice did Inquire
I did respond as follows…
“ mostly we deal in prostitution and gun Running, the Coffee is just a front.”

The lady said nothing.