Working In Retail

[Tristicus]

Not entirely true.

My wife has been in retail for 25+ years. Most retail will pay more than minimum wage and managers can make $50K+, while District or Regional Managers can make well past $100K.

Hours can be long, especially for managers and forget about getting time off from beginning of November through second week of January.

Part-time employees are usually on their feet all day and have to listen to complaints all day. On top of that, most retail companies now have customer information lines which do nothing but provide another means for customers to complain. These setups usually impact bonus and compensation.

Additionally, audits are frequent, including inventory audits, loss prevention audits and secret shoppers. All employees are impacted by these audits.

Training is company dependent, but most of the companies my wife has worked at, most of the major retailers you all know, have extensive training, including week-long jaunts to some location, as well as periodic in-store training. In-store meetings are not held during the regular work-day, but usually on Sunday mornings or evening for 2-3 hours.

Now that I've written this and thought about it, you are way off.

Seriously, our GM makes fucking bank. He has a house an hour away (drives from daily with one of his two cars, older Lexus and truck), has a house at the beach, etc.) - he got all that shit when he was like 24 or something because he had stock in the company and helped start the "install stuff in home" or something of the sort...he is always busy at our store, but he isn't there a lot of the time either except toward holidays and big sales days.

Yes, part time sucks, especially when you have to sit there and listen to idiotic customers and get bitched at if you don't get the highest service plan we offer that costs more than your item. Then making all the employees stay to check stock, bitching at them when someone steals headphones or a DVD, all on minimum wage.

There is rarely room for advancement unless you suck enough cock to get there.

GLORIOUS RETAIL.

 

[Exterous]

Retail is a very big world with very different experiences.

IMO Big Box retail and Small Box retail are the easiest way to separate them (There will be exceptions but I think its a good generalization)

With Big Box the low end works sucks. Generally poor pay, long hours and it takes a certain type of person to do it. I can't because I try to fix Stupid. It you can accept Stupid and move on with your life you'll do better.

(The co-worker environment was like nothing I have experienced in the Corporate world. Shenanigans (many destructive) were common place and the conversations behind the scenes would make your average cororate HR person pass out with infraction overload)

Don't forget the long holiday hours and (unless you are lucky) you'll be working quite a few weekends

Commission at Big Box is iffy. Companies may start out fairly well with commission but the commission structure always seems to be changing in ways to minimize payroll (screw salespeople)

While the low level sucks - Mid to High level (Think store manager/ specialty positions and above) tends to pay very well esp considering there are generally no college educational requirements. Assistant Managers where I worked started at $45,000 (many made $60k+) but the Store Director made $80k+ depending on retail experience

The downside is that Managers tend to move around a lot, the hours don't improve (usually get worse) and you really have to dive into the company dog and pony show. The job can be stressful if you don't meet sales numbers. Some stores are in areas that do well and don't require as much stress simply due to location

Small Box stores tend to be treat/respect their employees more but it can be harder to advance and the stability may not be there (obvisously this is not to say Big Box is always stable)

Sidenote: People suck. You may think you know that already but you really don't unless you have worked a holiday season at a major retailer

 

[Saint Nick]

Sidenote: People suck. You may think you know that already but you really don't unless you have worked a holiday season at a major retailer

Heh, I worked Black Friday at Best Buy when I worked at Geek Squad and that shit sucked.

 

[mnewsham]

Not entirely true.

My wife has been in retail for 25+ years. Most retail will pay more than minimum wage and managers can make $50K+, while District or Regional Managers can make well past $100K.

Hours can be long, especially for managers and forget about getting time off from beginning of November through second week of January.

Part-time employees are usually on their feet all day and have to listen to complaints all day. On top of that, most retail companies now have customer information lines which do nothing but provide another means for customers to complain. These setups usually impact bonus and compensation.

Additionally, audits are frequent, including inventory audits, loss prevention audits and secret shoppers. All employees are impacted by these audits.

Training is company dependent, but most of the companies my wife has worked at, most of the major retailers you all know, have extensive training, including week-long jaunts to some location, as well as periodic in-store training. In-store meetings are not held during the regular work-day, but usually on Sunday mornings or evening for 2-3 hours.

Now that I've written this and thought about it, you are way off.

See to me that isn't retail, that's managing, at a retail location. Retail to me means you are physically selling or are a cashier. Of course management positions pay more and require more training. To me a secretary at a law firm doesn't work in "law" and a manager at a store is not doing much retail work (though some do more then others)