Work in the Retail World

[Zophar (insert new name)]

I have given much consideration into the restaurant business and I have decided I might fare better in doing retail, especially in the stock person sector.

I would like to ask the community about their previous experiences good or bad:

I would like to have intel about average salaries, wages, or commissions

Intel on average hours worked.

Companies that have pros and cons in their employments.

I hope this works out

[suzumebachi]

Zophar's Gumbo Domain?

My previous experiences are pretty much a detailed example of how NOT to do business. Rife with failure! I eat profit out of tin cans while financial Baby Jesus cries.

[Bluebomber4evr]

Retail is okay I guess. They work you to death around Christmas time, though. I got tired of it after 4 years.

[DrEw.]

It's what you'd expect, but it's still 1000x better than working in a restaurant. If a customer's being a dick you can just say you don't have whatever they want.

[Zophar (insert new name)]

I plan on chucking this shitty restaurant gig, and then at the start of the summer I would try to work in clothing retail.

I might try to find work in stores that specializes in trendy apparel, so I might expect to deal with customers wanting to buy clothes three sizes too small.

If that fails then I will try my luck out at electronics or games stores.

[Bluebomber4evr]

It's what you'd expect, but it's still 1000x better than working in a restaurant. If a customer's being a dick you can just say you don't have whatever they want.

Nah, you get a whole different kind of dick working retail: the returns dick.

"I want to return this clothing that I wore and spilled coffee on"

"no"

"i have a receipt"

"no"

"i want to speak to a manager"

*manager comes over*

"i want to return this"

"it has a stain, we can't take it back"

*30 minutes of public screaming and yelling ensue*

"fine we'll take it back"

You can replace "clothing" and "stain" with any other kind of merchandise and ways that people ruin them, but the scenario is the same, and it gets old fast. Why even have return policies if you're just going to cave and let them return it? You'd save yourself 30 minutes of yelling and screaming. Friggin' stupid.

Oh, and you don't get any tips working in retail like you do in a restaurant.

[Fire in the Hole]

Clothing retail is by far some of the worst retail work out there. Even cashiering at a clothing store is at least three times worse than cashiering at most stores that feature other things (even if it still carries clothing--just not primarily, over everything else).

Electronics stores are grand workplaces if you can deal with idiots well. Just expect to have to explain everything in simplest terms and you'll be fine. I don't know many specifics about any particular chains, but I've heard a few pretty terrible things about Circuit City (namely, expectation to work many hours--a friend going in part-time during the school year sought to work 12 hours max, but was pressured into 20 a week), and last I heard there were a few quirks about Best Buy, although somewhat balanced by a few things you could get away with. Depends on if you're principled or not.

I've worked at Target for a while now, mostly in the electronics department, and it's a pretty good gig. Performance expectations can be high at times, especially during Christmas and other big holiday seasons (as already mentioned), but most of the time there are ways to ease the load and no one really minds. All in all it's a pretty easy job, cashier or sales floor (I've done both at times, and on sales floor you'll often back up cashiering anyway). The best parts are the starting pay is great for a big-name chain--$8.00/hr most places, if not universally (can't remember if there are exceptions), and you'll find they're extremely flexible about working hours. I've cut down this semester to only Tuesday nights and Saturdays, and when I told them I didn't mind working even less if they needed to distribute hours elsewhere, I got dropped every other to every third Tuesday as well, which is nice for me. Then there are almost always opportunities to pick up extra hours on a moment's notice if you want them, just put in the word).

The only other thing I can tell you is whatever you do, do not work at EB/Gamestop. Especially as a newbie, the amount of crap you'd have to put up with versus the shitty pay is not worth it. I made more (a whole dollar/hr) and had an easier time starting at Target than the girl I know who's worked at EB for a year and a half.

[ILLiterate]

Yeah lots of idiots at EB, I can't tell you how many times my friends get "Well if you don't have a *insert system here* why do you have the box in the window?" The fights each last like 10 minutes.

[PassivePretentiousness]

if you have any social skills whatsoever (or cooking abilities), you're going to make more money with the tips at a restuarant than stocking shelves at a store.

[blueblazer1224]

I worked as a helper clerk (aka stock-boy) at a grocery store for about 3 years. You don't get tips and pay isn't that great but its a very stable industry so your hours won't fluctuate much (which can be good or bad) and as long as you do your job you can pretty much count on being able to keep your job for quite a while.

There are times when you have to work with people who slack off, which isn't very fun. I know it may seem lame but the best thing to do is show the managers that you CARE how successful the store is, they'll notice and really appreciate it.

A perk about working in some grocery stores is that merchandisers will leave cool "toys" along with some of the large product displays they set up. At my grocery store we had an auction where we could bid on these items after the display was taken down. I'm sure you've seen these in some grocery stores, some of them can be really cool. Also, on Thanksgiving every employee was offered a free turkey if they bought $20 worth of stuff there during November .

[JackR]

Ah, retail work. I work in a grocery store; Rainbow Foods if the name is familiar. We're owned by Roundy's and might be getting bought by SuperValue.

I hate my job. I've been working as "Maintenance" for 8.5 months now. That means I spend most of the day standing in the same exact spot bagging groceries. I was supposed to be trained as a cashier 8 months ago. This of course begs the question, why am I still there.

Simply put, the work sucks, but the pay is decent. My hours do keep getting cut to make up for it, but I get raises all the time. I started at $6.45 (min here is $6.15). After 200 hours, $0.10 raise. After 500, $0.20 raise again. 750; $0.30, etc etc. If I ever to get trained as a cashier (and really, it's not that hard to work a computer), that's another $0.90 raise. Plus, as long as the manager isn't looking, I can take tips. Some nights I get nothing, some nights I can make an extra $10 in just a four hour shift.

While I don't at all enjoy working in retail, it is a job and it does pay well enough to get me by. If you don't like the idea of working front end, you're not going to want to work grocery at all. All our stock guys end up getting called to cashier every time we get a rush. They all absolutely despise having to cashier, but our boss refuses to move anyone else up to cashier.

[The Coop]

It depends on the type of retail working really. Some places like Wal-Mart and Target generally give you a whole different experience from someplace like Electronics Boutique or another chain of stores. I have friends that work in both types of retail, and frankly, working for a place like EB is not that great unless you know the people working there. I say this because EB (well, Gamestop really) has quotas that have to be met. You have to sell a certain number of preorders, a certain number of subscriptions, a certain number of UPTs (units per transaction), a certain number of "game of the month" titles, a certain number of used games, blah blah blah every week. If you don't meet your numbers, you can be written up. Get written up three times, and your ass is fired... all because you didn't sell enough used games, or get enough people to buy their "discount" cards. And here's the kicker... if you meet every quota, guess what? You get nothing. Not even a "good job". Do well, and you hear nothing. Falter a little in one area, you get your job threatened (be it by your store manager, or a regional one). The company gets the cash from your quotas, and you get to keep your job and not be in trouble as a thank you. Nice huh? Not exactly a good way to make for a great working atmosphere... especially when you're reminded of low numbers every day (again, unless you're friends with the people you work with).

Thankfully, I've never had to work in a quota-centric retail job. Retail, yes, but not a quota-based one.

Now obviously, Gamestop/EB aren't the only types of retail store that has quotas to meet. There are plenty of them around. Some quota-centric store chains do offer you incentives to meet the quotas (bonuses, extra discounts if you by from the store, etc.), but compared to places that don't require such things, it's not hard to imagine why some people prefer non-quota retail over quota-centric retail.

So in your hunt for a retail job, take note of whether or not weekly/monthly quotas are a part of the deal you're trying to be hired into. Do some research if you can, and don't be afraid to ask about them in your interviews. Try not let them think you find quotas horrid (be it vocally, or through body language), as not every place is as big a stickler on them as others (some may just encourage you to try harder, without actually threatening your job). But as the old commercials used to say, "The More You Know"...

[DrEw.]

Nah, you get a whole different kind of dick working retail: the returns dick.

"I want to return this clothing that I wore and spilled coffee on"

"no"

"i have a receipt"

"no"

"i want to speak to a manager"

*manager comes over*

"i want to return this"

"it has a stain, we can't take it back"

*30 minutes of public screaming and yelling ensue*

"fine we'll take it back"

You can replace "clothing" and "stain" with any other kind of merchandise and ways that people ruin them, but the scenario is the same, and it gets old fast. Why even have return policies if you're just going to cave and let them return it? You'd save yourself 30 minutes of yelling and screaming. Friggin' stupid.

Oh, and you don't get any tips working in retail like you do in a restaurant.

Well, I work at The Source by CC so we do lots of returns, but my manager actually has the worst customer service skills I've ever seen. Whenever somebody comes in complaining all crazylike he just tells them what the have coming to them and gives them the regional manager's number so they can file their complaint. He's awesome.

And actually, I've found that people are generally really nice anyway. There were a couple of times when I royally screwed stuff up when I was starting out and I was certain that I was going to get my face ripped of by the customer and they were always at least polite.

[OverCoat]

GET A GOOD PAIR OF SHOES

I work retail at Goodwill [a thrift store] right now. It's basically a mad rush to put priced+donated junk onto the shelves and take the old stuff out. It's always interesting though, and we get a few crazy customers now and then, like that guy with a cap and heavy coat that just mumble and swear to himself, looks at toys for a few minutes then leaves. I love our regulars

I get paid minimum wage, but Washington's minimum is pretty damn good if I do say so myself [at least while living with my parents]

[linkspast]

I work retail at Goodwill [a thrift store] right now.

Now maybe I am wrong, But where I live all the people that work at good will are... well.... Retards.

[OverCoat]

Now maybe I am wrong, But where I live all the people that work at good will are... well.... Retards.

OMG U FOUND ME OUT

Nah, all my coworkers are level-headed people. We do get the mentally handicapped as volunteers, but only occasionally.

[Wandering Budoka]

I used to work at Target. I pretty much ran the garden shop most of the time, by myself, lol. I really like it pretty much because I like plants. I had to be a cashier too though and deal with all that comes with it, didn't care for that. The pay was min. wage, but I was happy with it at the time, but not happy enough to quit one day because I wanted to spend the day with my fiance. I wouldn't give up what I'm doing now for any position in retail though.

[linkspast]

I just started at winco. what I can say so far is If you can deal with people and humble your self you should not have to many problems.

[weggy]

I work as a firedog at Circuit City, I cant vouch for the other CCity stores, but I love it. Great place to work - its a really great company. It seems the firedogs have a lot more freedom than the others, in terms of setting schedules for themselves to get the job done, and managing the PC repair side of the business. Best Buy sucks.

Anywho, I get paid $11/hr, and some really great benefits. The twice a year raises are really nice too. Being a PC Tech is great - you dont have to deal with customers nearly as often, except for those tards who who ask you to help them because "everyone else looked busy"

You need to be MCDST certified however. If youre not and you know what youre doing though, theyll train you. Theyre pretty good in general about training their techs. Im working on my 3rd cert through them. Not that I really think I need them, but if theyre picking up the tab for it and letting me do it on company time, why the hell not.

I wouldnt count on many tips, of course. Sometimes a cool customer slips me a $5 every month or so. Its better when I get to do in-homes, I usually get tipped about 50% of the time in the neighborhood of $10-$20. Those are more rare, however.

/really not paid to say all this

//I just think its a great company, and I like my job.

EDIT: Getting back to what the Coop said about quotas, you are held to acheive a certain % of your sales with Installations (PC/TV) and City Advantage (extended warranty). Ive never seen anyone fired for it, just having to do individual training with leaders and the department managers until they get better. Usually its just having the confidence to offer it enthusiastically, and people snatch it up. There was one guy who lacked the drive, I suppose, and they let him transfer to warehouse. Again, ive never seen ANYONE fired for poor sales results.

[Zophar (insert new name)]

The few retail stores I have checked out in Provo and Salt Lake were Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Hollister, Gamestop and EB Games.

Abercrombie caters to rich kids for which I still could not find info the salaries and commission for. From what I have heard about this store, is that some people sometimes browse through the store and later complain about the prices of the merchandise

Hollister is like Abercrombie, but they are more focused on surf and beach inspired apparel that are cheaper that Abercrombie.

American Eagle has some limited openings but might be better as one of their stores is closer to the freeway. Their merchandise are targeted towards the high school and college crowd.

Gamestop & EB Games sound like they are not worth my time.

Even then I still have no ideas about how they pay such as salaries, wages, or commissions or even the quotas

[Dervish]

I've worked retail for quite a few years now; some of the more notable locations that may be relevant being Gamestop, Target, and Best Buy.

First off, to the person who mentioned the shoes - YES. Get. Good. Shoes. Get used to standing and standing and standing.

If you're looking for a job that doesn't require any thought and just earns you a paycheck, I recommend Target or a store of that ilk. My personal preference was being a cart attendant, because you got to go outside and wander around the store, and you really didn't have to deal with customers at all. Cashier gets really mind-numbing, REALLY quickly. Sales floor can be okay, but frustrating when dealing with customers (and customers' messes).

Working at Gamestop was probably my most fun retail job because I actually had an interest in what I was doing and meeting the meager quotas we had was not a problem for me. Because I cared about the job, I rose to the manager's position. It was fun for a while, but it was a lot *more* fun being assistant manager. You didn't have to deal with district people. Only problem working there was the pay SUCKED. However, the benefits were pretty cool. Good discount, first crack at used games, a good game "borrowing" policy (don't know if they still have that), fun people to work with, the benefit of working in a small, intimate location, and if you have a cool manager you get all sorts of free goodies passed along to you. Pre-order material you don't unload before the game comes out (or even just stuff you take), as well as goodies the manager gets and then has the choice to pass along to his employees. They have managers conferences every year where each store manager gets hundreds of dollars of free games, systems and accessories that are theirs to do with as they will. Thankfully I was in a store where the manager was cool and passed the goodies down to his employees. I know this is not always the case. But the pay ... hoo boy. $9-$10 as an assistant manager, no benefits. That number could go up or down depending, but either way it takes a while to even get up to that level (unless you have an in already).

Best Buy is my current job, and I just work full-time in the media department. Mostly in video games because of my experience, but also with CDs/DVDs. It's a good, easy job that as long as you are good at self-promotion and can sell people stuff, you'll do well at regardless. Most of the employees are really cool there, and because of BB's hiring policies it rewards people to get their friends to work there - the result is a close-knit group who generally are already friends. Whether you'll have fun or not greatly depends on whether your store is hitting budget or not; if you are, everything is cool. If you're not (our store has recently fallen into the 'not' category) then management will ride everyone's asses into the ground, preferring to fire half their employees and revert to strict "do this company behavior and nothing else or you're canned" attitudes. Thankfully I work in one of the non-high-volume departments, so management generally overlooks us. Getting a job at Best Buy if you don't know anybody in there already can be a challenge, since it takes roughly 3-4 weeks to go through the interview process. Also, the pay scale varies GREATLY from department to department. If you work in computers, home theater or appliances, you will get paid a very good wage (as long as you put a high $ value in your "minimum pay range" box on the application). If you work in any other department, you will get paid (and possibly treated like) shite. Just a warning. Regardless, put down a high but reasonable number in the "minimum pay range" box, as that's generally how your starting pay is determined. The managers just look at that box and go, "Okay, we'll pay you this." If somebody puts down they want to start at $10/hr in a department, they'll just pay them that ... too bad for the person in that same department who's been working there for 3 years only getting paid $9.15/hr after a few raises. Management just doesn't bother themselves with such trivial matters - that's also why they don't like people discussing their pay. Because it's completely unfair to many, many employees. On the good side of things, though, as long as you like your department it's a fun job selling to people, the discount is awesome, and the benefits are amazing for full-time employees and above. If you don't mind working early in the morning, try to be part of the merchandizing or back-room team. Fun job.

Also, if you're into computers and fixing them ... I do NOT recomment Best Buy's Geek Squad or Circuit City's Firedog. They pay you SHITE for what you're doing. Seriously, if you've got the desire to do any sort of IT stuff, get a couple certs and go find a REAL tech job, don't work for a big-box retailer. $11-$15/hr might seem like good pay, until you go out and find out what REAL IT people can make with a few certs and some rudimentary IT knowledge.

[!Nekko!]

Do delivery - Less people interaction, don't need to be a saint when talking to them, and decent tips. Just don't mess up their food. Tips probably vary depending on your location, but I've been surprised before. I delivered for a local Chinese Restaurant which required $20 minimums so I was on average getting $3-5 per delivery with the extra charge. I've seen $100 days with tips alone, but slow days with $20-30.

Theres a lot more risk, what with traffic accidents, speeding tickets, and the possible robbery. A lot of this stuff is pretty region dependent so delivery might not be the best job for you.

I used to work at a Toys R Us. I was fortunate to work with a lot of cool people and have cool management. It had its perks and its shitty customers. Pay was fairly minimal, but I just wanted my own money at that point.

I've never gotten certification done, but I would think a System/Network administrator with equiv cert could pull off atleast 40k+ (probably higher).

Also shoes.

[Zophar (insert new name)]

I have a couple pairs of leather shoes whose insoles that can support my feet for several hours on the job.

I would like to thank the community for their advice and if there are anymore, advices then contribute to this thread.

[Trenthian]

;246375']I have a couple pairs of leather shoes whose insoles that can support my feet for several hours on the job.

I would like to thank the community for their advice and if there are anymore' date=' advices then contribute to this thread.[/quote']

If I hadnt learned that I could get paid more for doing even less, I never would have left retail

and it would have drank my soul away.

You can sit in a comfy chair, hav cheap/free soda, and play video games ALL DAY, for more money than managing position at Best buy or Blockbuster video.

Become a game tester today!

of course game testing has its perks as well as its draw backs.

[Czar Diego]

Holy crap, do NOT work at a convenience store/gas station. especially one with Made-to-order food.

I work for Sheetz as a sales associate. That means I'm a cashier, Food cooker, Shelf stocker, coffee maker, and whatever else the manager wants you to do. Our hours are determined by how much profit your store generates, and since it's the "slow season," We've all been getting 1-2 days a week. We end up with only two or three people there per shift: One on register, one making food/coffee orders, and a manager. That becomes IMPOSSIBLE when there's a rush. People have ended up waiting 20 minutes or longer for food, because they think we're McDonalds and can handle huge volumes of people ordering food at once.

Customers are complete ASSHOLES. We just happen to be a pre-pay gas station, so customers have to pay before they pump. They also have to refuse to know anything about how to use a gas/kerosene pump.

It'd be a lot better if we could put signs up explaining stuff to customers so they can figure it out before cussing out the cashier/any and all other employees, but the manager's a huge asshole and only cares about his fat paycheck. It's just a huge headache.

This is becoming a rant, so I'll stop. Time for bed.