The TRUTH about retail

Working in retail at this stage in my life has actually been a huge learning process, and has been quite humbling as well. I work with many wonderful people who work hard and are just trying to make a living. That said, it has been extremely eye-opening in regards to human nature. Here are a few surprising things I have learned.

1. People buy the same CRAP over and over and over again. The same ugly ties, shirts, socks that all end up at the thrift store fly off the shelves like they are freaking platinum.

2. The holidays apparently make people crazy and more and more like mindless zombies every day. Why would a store stock a cheap as hell wooden pig puzzle (yes, pig puzzle)the retails for $20? Because people are desperate to shop for gifts, will see a sale..."Oh my God! This pig puzzle is on sale for only $10!!!" and they will buy it. Everytime.

3. People buy what the store tells them to buy. If something is not selling very well, a store can put it near the checkout in a halfway cool looking display and people will ooh and aah and buy them all out. If shirts are not selling so well, taking them off the floor for a week and putting them back out is enough to make them sell like hotcakes. Or just removing all but a few items does the same trick.

4. Nothing is new and exciting. I work in a store that I shopped in as teenager. I saw the exact same shirt (in new colors) that I bought ten years ago. Yes, I mean EXACTLY the same shirt. I went to another store after realizing this and saw a purple knitted shirt that I had bought in red 7 years ago.

5. Most likely a store knows when a person is stealing something. The store security cameras can practically see the pores on your skin. If the in-store police officer is on duty, he or she would absolutely LOVE to catch you at it and they often do. And the store clerks notice when people rip off tags and stuff them somewhere.

6. It is not only teenagers that steal. This is a common and unfair misconception. Yes, the juniors section is a pretty big hot spot, but many adults steal too. And theft has no gender or style boundaries. The shoplifters I have seen do not fit the cliche bill. They are usually dressed nicely and look like they could easily afford the stupid shit they are stealing.

7. A store is an incredible experiment in sociology. Most customers are very nice and respectful, but sadly, some treat retail workers like unpaid servants. Yes, we would be happy to help you, but we do not deserve the huge piles of clothes turned inside out and left in knots in the dressing room, the coffee cups shoved under benches and other similar messes. For 7-8 bucks an hour, keep in mind: retail workers are not maids, we deserve a smile and a smidge of respect. Just as it says A LOT about you how you treat your server at a restaurant, it also says a lot about you how you act when you walk in a store. Have a heart, have some class and you can make our days tremendously more meaningful.

8. Products are being made as cheaply as absolutely possible. Everyone is trying to save money, including the product manufacturers. That shirt you have had your eye on for weeks (the one that is so expensive you have to wait for it to go on sale), is made with the cheapest zipper possible, the cheapest fabric possible and, if you look at the seams, is put together pretty shabbily too. I am not just talking about less expensive stores, but nice department stores too. I am a long time sewing enthusiast, and it makes me mad to see people spending their hard earned money on a shirt that will look misshapen and faded in a few months.

9. Retail workers are like a great underpaid family. Though the pay is not enough to support yourself much less a family, the people bond over what they do on a daily basis. They laugh when customer is funny, they help each other out when one needs it and they all work together to get the job done. At the end of a long, inglorious day, retail workers may be exhausted, but they can still share a laugh and wave each other good bye in the parking lot, and all to do it again the next day.

Everyone is working hard right now. Everyone deserves a little respect, regardless of their job.

But I can get through it all...

Money is tight. I owe some, for sure. I am in a pretty boring town with nice people but no dear friends. I am trying to figure out how to make things work.

But all of that is okay. Wonderful, in fact. Because I have the most magnificent thing in the whole world waiting patiently for me across the ocean.

I can't think of one thing better, nor can I think of any bad thing that overshadows loving and being loved. It is all so worth it. Even after a long, hard day, I am happy when I lay down to go to sleep. That feels so good.

One of my favorite love songs...right here

Working 1 hour barely buys me a gallon of milk and a box of cereal to eat with it.

Okay. This is a bit embarrassing to admit because I am almost done with my M.A., but it is true: I did not know if I should laugh or cry at the supermarket the other day when I realized that I had to work for a whole hour to buy body wash and a tiny container of tuna. So I put the body wash back. And I was mad when I got home because I realized that in the 2 and a half years that I have been out of the U.S., the tuna can has gotten significantly smaller AND more expensive. Yet I am still making the exact same wage as I did 7 years ago working at a fabric store. Only now I am in debt for grad school. Awesome.

Am I the only one who thinks there is something wrong with this picture?

I was out and about today and I had a short, pleasant conversation with a young store clerk. He had a sling on his arm, but he was still working cheerfully. I asked him about it, and he disclosed that he had been injured in a football game and had to have surgery in just a few days. I said that I hope his insurance was covering it. He said that his insurance coughs up 80% and he has to cover the rest, which is over $1000. In a very lighthearted manner, he said he has been working 3 jobs just so he can pay for it. This nice kid couldn't have been more than 20.

Gas and food prices have gone up. Rent has gone up. There are less jobs and wages have stayed exactly the same. Why isn't anyone talking about this?