Retail Hell: What It’s Really Like to Work Retail

J Crew lavender knit dress | Rocksbox statement earrings | Jack Rogers Hampton sandals in platinum

I kept a little secret from you guys this summer. While I was working at my internship, I was also working a retail job part time!

This is what I would wear to work! A cute dress with a denim jacket or sweater thrown over my shoulders with a statement piece of jewelry. If you haven't noticed, I love this dress! I have it in every color because look how flattering it is! It can be dressed up or down and it is perfect for a retail job. 

I love these earrings from Rocksbox. They are so pretty and are definitely a conversation starter! You can get one month free of Rocksbox if you use the code tallandpreppyxoxo at checkout!

It was a really great experience and I learned a lot about myself and about society in general.

My bosses were great, as were my coworkers.

Customers on the other hand were a toss-up.

I had some customers that were so sweet and so appreciative of my help that they warmed my heart. Others were the exact opposite and were so rude that I had steam coming out of my ears.

I am going to tell you about some customers I had and show you what it’s really like to be a sales associate.

Before I spill some tea on customers, let’s go over some dressing room and store etiquette.

NEVER EVER leave your tried-on clothes on the floor in the dressing room! It’s gross because someone else is going to buy those clothes and it is fair for the sales associate to have to clean up after you.

Do you leave your clothes on the floor at home? I don’t think so, so don’t do it at the store.

Politely hang up your clothes in the dressing room after you are done trying them on or put them on the rack right outside the dressing room door.

It’s common curtesy.

Don’t stay after close or come in five minutes before close, its rude and sales associates have lives too!

Don’t ask several sales associates for help! You only need one to help you!

And now onto the juicy stories I’m sure you are all waiting for.

This one man was so rude to me I was fuming. He wanted me to find a size in the sale rack. How the sale rack works is if we have a size it is there on the rack. We don’t hold stock of sale items. He asked me to look it up on the computer, which I said wasn’t how it worked because if a size is there it’s there. I asked if he had looked through the shirts yet to find the size. He then asked me if he could ask me a question. I said yes as I was looking for the shirt for him. He then asked me if he was in a “self-help store?” I said, “excuse me” and he said, “so what’s the point of a sales associate if I have to do everything myself?” I handed him the shirt and walked away.

I was fuming.

A week later I had another crazy client who made me grab her shirts and sweaters for 3 hours. She would put the same items on and I would tell her it looked good and then she would take the sweaters off and put it back on. 3 hours of nonsense for her to only buy one sweater and argue with the manager for 30 minutes at the cash register about the price.

But then I had really nice customers. This one lady was so self-conscious of her body after turning 66 that she told me she needed pants but didn’t want to try any on. So, with a small nudge I pushed her to do it and we were successful! She found some pants she loved! I showed her how if she dresses in items that extenuate her waist, which is her smallest part, she will look thin! I told her I learned everything I knew about fashion from my mom and Stacy and Clinton on What Not to Wear! She loved the outfit that I was able to pick out for her and she was so appreciative! It was so nice helping her and it warmed my heart how appreciative she was!

Another funny thing was that at work I would constantly get complements. I was always told I was an Ann Hathaway look alike. I also got major complements on my eyelashes all day at work from strangers.

Those were the craziest people and experiences I had this summer working retail!

Overall, I really liked my job and would recommend others to work retail! 

I learned a lot about other people and how the world is!