Another Satisfied…Employee?: The Skills That Retail Taught Me
Just over five years ago, I left my job as a housewares associate at a major national retailer. Entering the retail world was never a conscious career decision. During the Great Recession, when jobs were hard to find, I found myself scrambling to make ends meet. Going to an hourly, entry level job felt like a failure, especially having just come from a salaried position. But once I moved past the feelings of defeat, I decided to live in the moment and make the best of the predicament. Now, with a few years of separation, I have come to appreciate lessons learned from that time, even though that certainly wasn’t my first take.
The world of retail can be cutthroat. For many that worked in my location, retail wasn’t a temporary solution like it was for me. Retail was their life, and they took it seriously. My particular position wasn’t on commission, but we did have sales goals to keep us attentive, responsible, and to build morale at the daily store-wide meeting. Not to be fatalistic, but the work environment was to the point that a turn of the back would sometimes mean not meeting the sales goal for the day. I had to be resourceful to meet those goals and to have an advantage over other coworkers-not in a mean way but simply to fulfill job expectations. Given the aggressiveness of this work environment, I had to adjust my work style to be more competitive in the workplace. So, here are the skills that strengthened me as a professional (and as a better individual for that matter).
Promote Your Skills & Carve Your Niche
To ensure I was successful in my position, it was not so much about doing the job but doing it in a way that stamped my signature on jobs completed. I needed to be the face of the retailer to a satisfied customer purchase. To get there, I had to bring part of myself into the work, so that service would truly be personalized. There was a lot of repetitive tasks to the job. I was expected to walk the floor of fluorescent lights, never leave the register on big sale days, and give a spiel on the same product over and over again. To break from this repetition I had to showcase my x factors, those unique gifts that made me stand out from other associates. It was not enough to be an associate, but I had to be a stellar associate willing to separate myself from the group through initiative.
In the retail world, sometimes emphasizing my personal skills unfolded in unexpected ways. I had two particularly aggressive coworkers who relentlessly sought sales and hoarded customers at all cost. It so happened that there was a sizeable Spanish-speaking customer base at the store, but these coworkers were not bilingual and their assistance with that clientele was quite limited. I was able to utilize my limited Spanish skills to help those customers. Something was better than nothing, and even that small connection made all the difference in developing a niche. Even outside of retail, I’ve found the benefit in continuing to focus on my gifts, flaunting them when necessary to ensure I’ve left my mark on everything, from daily tasks to changes of procedures. For as baseball hall-of-famer Dizzy Dean once said, “It ain’t braggin’ if you can back it up.” I apply this mantra, not out of arrogance but as a way of highlighting my own abilities as a professional, to affirm to employers that I was the correct hire.
Knowledge is Power
One particular skill I was able to highlight in retail was my photographic memory. Whenever I went into the backroom, I took a mental note of the more obscure products that had no natural place in the front (older, discontinued, or seasonal items) . Whenever I had a free minute to walk the floor, I noticed what was on the clearance rack, which was often unorganized. While this seems like peripheral knowledge, this ethos of consistently noting the inventory yielded sales in the long-term. One day, I had a customer looking for a potato ricer. She asked on a whim, but I had enough knowledge of the “forgotten” products to know that there were two on the clearance rack. She got what she wanted at a highly discounted price to validate her whim. It was just that little bit of knowledge, one effort further on my part, that led to customer satisfaction.
I find that taking mental inventory of my surroundings has been helpful not only in the professional sphere but also in everyday life. In noticing nuances in my surroundings, whether at work or on the street, both good and bad, I’m able to foster conversation topics, hone friendships, and use little details as a source for networking. People appreciate hearing conversations they can relate to, and find that local interests makes for great camaraderie but also can be a form of education for both us as we learn from one another.
Working Slow, Working Thoroughly
This was a tougher lesson. While the other lessons taught me to adjust my skills overtly, having to be more patient and thorough was an internal change. As a customer, I tend to be the type who knows exactly what he wants, might do a little research beforehand, and tries to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible. Coming to the world of retail, however, I had to learn to work with a wide variety of customers and their own unique buying styles. Adapting on the fly required attentiveness and the willingness to ask questions to to gauge patron’s needs
I had one family who, before coming to see me, conducted extensive research on every item on their list, checking prices and reviews online. Now, were I in their shoes, I would have been done and halfway home by the time we spoke, but I took their quirks in stride and responded to them with patience. I asked about the items in which they were interested, answered their many questions about coupons and getting the best deal, and explained in detail the quickest way to receive items unavailable at our location. While such a drawn out method was foreign to my shopping habit, I could see that the process gave them peace of mind. It was this thoroughness that earned them my trust. I recognized, too, that these efforts with the family (and customers like them) yielded greater sales. I became this family’s “Go-to Salesperson,” where they would personally ask for me at every visit.
Now that I work for the public sector, the incentive to adapt is no longer monetary but is for the sake of helping clients feel as welcomed as possible. Going that extra mile, stretching me out of my comfort zone also leads to a more positive view of both myself and, more importantly, our department. While it could be argued that being so thorough is not cost effective, I believe that the peace of mind I brought and continue to bring is worthwhile for the customer’s validation. In turn, such a great customer experience is infectious even to employees and will lead to an overall betterment of an organization or institution. For in being adaptable, an employee is serving as an example which both challenges fellow employees to adjust and fosters collaboration through empathy.
On the rare occasions that I go shopping at the mall, I’m especially patient, knowing what the employees are going through and what management generally expects of them. And as the retail world becomes increasingly digital this means even more competition for those customers that still desire the personal shopping experience. Watching them work, I appreciate the level of labor and thought process it takes to eke out those few sales, and that it really is a matter of livelihood.
While I never intend to return to retail again, I am grateful for the time nonetheless, in spite of the less than desirable circumstances. While I entered in begrudgingly, I left a better professional. I developed skills that I still use to this day, without having to ask such pressing questions as what size bag they would like for their bedding set…
