Confessions from a Retail Employee
Have you ever wondered what the life of a retail employee is really like? What are they whispering about you when you walk in? Are they allowed to give you a store discount? Do they actually look in the back room when you ask them to?
Disclaimer: While I do have 3+ years of experience working in retail, I should mention that my personal experiences are not reflective of every store. The location I work in is a fairly small, upkept boutique. So don’t think Forever 21, think more like Anthropology, but I’m sure at larger retailers there’s even more tea to unpack than in the small confines of my boutique.
But with that being said, I’m here to reveal the juiciest secrets about the ins and outs of working as a sales associate and some tips and tricks to optimize your next shopping experience.
When it’s slow, working retail is really, really boring. So yes, we are people watching.
My boutique is tiny—around 400 square feet with minimal room to walk around. Oftentimes I’m behind the cash wrap fiddling with my split-ends and being inundated by the same Ariana Grande song on repeat. I mean, there’s only so much refolding the same shirt a girl can do before she loses her sanity.
So, on the more desolate days, when a customer does come through the door, I’m on high-alert. I listen in on phone calls, comment on how cute I think their outfit is in my head and eavesdrop on their conversations with friends. I can hear when they make fun of a piece of clothing we carry or get into a fight with their mom in the dressing room. It’s all in good fun, and I’m in no position to pass judgement, but before you blab on about how great last night was with your SO and air out your dirty laundry, just keep in mind that eyes and ears are everywhere.
2. When it’s not slow, don’t come NEAR us.
It’s pretty obvious when I’m busy as a sales lead. If I’m scrambling between cashing out a $300 sale, starting a fitting room for a mom and her three young children and answering the phone all at the same time, finding that mini skirt you just have to have isn’t at the top of my priority list.
But when the store is empty, I love to help! Some of my most wholesome work experiences have involved helping a somewhat insecure high school girl find the perfect top to make her feel confident in her senior pictures and aiding a grieving daughter pair a black jumpsuit with the most darling pair of earrings so she could muster up the strength to attend her father’s funeral. Connecting with guests is one of my favorite parts of the job, so don’t be shy to ask for advice—just not when they’re in the middle of eight other tasks.
3. The hours are really, really sucky.
Especially during holidays. Like I’m talking, don't speak to me during the span of time from early November to New Year’s. I was never forced to work Thanksgiving, but you can bet I opened my store at 5 a.m. the day after to prepare for the storm of Black Friday shopping ahead of me. And what most people don’t know is that when the mall closes and the customers leave, the employees don’t. I’ve stayed hours past my shift tidying up the dressing rooms, counting the registers, vacuuming, dusting and straightening the store.
And that’s not to mention when we have markdowns. These are the quarterly events where I show up to my boutique at 4 a.m. with unkempt hair tossed in a messy bun, raggedy Victoria’s Secret PINK sweatpants, rocking fuzzy socks and Birkenstocks without a stitch of makeup. Clutching a steaming hot Dunks coffee and using a hand-held scanner, I begrudgingly scan every. Single. Item. In the store.
And for a boutique primarily centered around jewelry and accessories, you can imagine the THOUSANDS of necklaces I scan to see if corporate headquarters decided to reduce the price. Our scanners make a stark beeping noise when they detect a markdown, and I can say for sure that noise still haunts me. Markdowns only happen four times a year, but when they do, let me tell you, it’s not pretty.
4. Stealing is a thing, and we know you’re doing it.
Buuuuuut, there’s nothing we can do about it. Look, if you’re walking into the dressing room with a few clothing items, a choker and darting eyes to scan if we’re watching you—we notice. And we know you’re about to shove that necklace straight into your purse. Though calling security—at least at my location—was strictly not allowed, even if we knew without a doubt what you were up to.
While technically we can’t call the police, that’s never stopped my coworkers or I from picking up our store phone and “calling” security (i.e. fake dialing a phone number, saying there’s a “situation” at our boutique, making direct eye contact with the perp and describing to the fake recipient of the phone call exactly what the culprit is wearing and other general demographic information). Usually at this point they’re so terrified they’re already on their way out the door. This tactic is mostly effective at getting them the hell out of the boutique but not so much in preventing stealing from happening.
And that’s not to mention the empty hangers and torn off tags I pick up off the floor at the end of my shifts. When you steal, it’s a reflection of the employees working at that time, so just don’t do it.
5. The coworker tea is PIPING.
The things I’ve heard… Oh God, the things I’ve heard. At my boutique, I’ve found myself as somewhat of the liaison between my manager, assistant manager and the sales associates. Whether it’s b*tching about how this employee can’t stand that one, or this one got fired for theft on multiple occasions, I’ve heard it all. And while that’s all good and fun, the real gossip is hearing about people’s personal lives.
I’ve had one coworker share the unfortunate circumstances of her husband up and ghosting her after twelve years without notice, and then I subsequently heard about her errotic love story with a man 40 years younger than her shortly after. I’ve had one manager reveal how, at 18 years old, she found herself entangled with a 32-year-old married man in Boston (with children) and how she navigated that situation.
6. There are mall tunnels. And they’re pretty sick.
The employee entrance I use is a pathway of infrastructure inside the mall that leads to every individual store. We can get to any location from these tunnels, and I get to use them even when I’m not working. It’s like an all-access backstage pass, and my friends definitely give me some mall employee clout when I show them for the first time.
7. Let me tell you about discounts.
The discounts are probably the biggest perk of working in the mall, and I’m not just talking about the deals I get from my boutique. If I’m shopping around the mall in my freetime, I can go to any store and ask if they accept a mall employee discount. More often than not, they do. It’s usually only 10% off, but it comes in handy when I’m really craving a DQ Blizzard and just don’t feel like paying that extra 50 cents.
As far as a discount in my own store, I get a standard 30% off everything, which definitely isn’t great compared to other stores, but it’s still something. The best (and worst) part about being a mall employee is that I’m constantly surrounded by deals. Because I worked almost every single day, I knew exactly when items in my store would be the lowest price before we mark them out of stock and send them back to the warehouse, and I could always pop my head out of my store and check to see the latest prices of the 3-wick Bath & Body Works candles. Being in the know about the latest deals is always a plus, though I’m sure my bank account wouldn’t agree.
Lastly, you didn’t hear this from me, but if you ask for a discount, I’ll usually give one to you. If you’re super nice to me, I’m able to “rearrange” some prices for you, so it’s never a bad idea to strike up a conversation with mall employees when you get the chance.
8. Finally, on that note… Be nice to us!!!
I know you get annoyed when I ask for your email and phone number, but it’s my job. Trust me, I don’t want to ask for them any more than you want to give them. But I cannot stress this enough: A great customer can make my entire shift, but one bad egg can ruin my whole week. We’re here to help you. So please, cut us some slack.