I'm starting to think I hate retail

Its been too long! That is too long working in retail. I have now been at my 3rd bookstore job (and second company in that sense) for over 2 yrs. Making this job almost as long as Lego Store.

I worked these lengthens and this jobs.

1. Toys International (3 months)
2. Barnes & Noble (3 yrs 11 months)
3.Lego Store (2 yrs 3 months)
4. Legoland Retail (3 months)
5. Barnes & Noble the second (7 months)
6. Borders Books (2 yrs 20 days)
7. Childrens Place (5 months)

9 yrs 8 months. My gosh thats almost 10 yrs worth of retail. Do you wonder why I am now SICK of it? Why am I sick of it?

First of all are the stupid customers. I mean it. They are stupid. You cant tell me they arent. Now dont get too offensive if you have used anything I am about to say on some poor retail person but if you have then shame shame on you! I too shop. I go in stores and buy things, I go and buy fast food and sit in restaurants. Sometimes I rent a movie or go to the theater. So while people behave like this I do not if I do rarely do I try to act like a dummy like they do.

But yet they come and with their questions they ask me and I want to slap the next person who asks me this question related to calendars cause I am back at the kiosk again! "Are they ALL 50% off?" Hang on. Stop its not right! They are ALL half off.

We put up these clear signs that read "ALL CALENDARS 50% OFF" They arent hidden. They are EVERYWHERE! Incase you missed that EVERYWHERE! We have one on each set of the 4 outer racks, they are 1 on each shelf that faces outside (thats 8 total for each side 2 sides of them). They are also inside too far as I know. They are pretty much everywhere but hanging from the freaking computer screen.

Yet I get this question EVERY day! "Are they ALL on sale?" No they arent miss/ma'am/sir. They are except the one you are holding.

Yes this includes planners, box calendars (after all it says calendar), planners are desk calendars (least you think they arent), and the list goes on and on...

However dont you dare think to ask if the stickers, games, bears, balls, are half off. I think they say the wraps are half off.

But clear as day though the sign reads EVERYTHING I want to scream.

Now I hate retail. Its not the nice regular people. Those are great. Its not the handling cash I am very good at it. Its just that retail isnt good to me! Its not.

Look at it this way...I have been at this job for over 2 yrs, I wont get a raise a second one if that till mid next year maybe. I hope I'm not with the company. Why do they think I want to live off that? I am responsible, I come to work and I dont call out. I am not short on drawers, nice and smile I am helpful. But they wont trust me to open, nor to close. They hold back raises and act like I dont deserve them.

Its no wonder I have never moved up in a company...they dont think I got the right stuff. So I know for a fact adding up numbers too high to think of. I am not made for retail for good. And that means that retail isnt good for me!

Why do people do retail? Its easy! They want an EASY job! Run a register, talk to people, help people, clean, stand on your feet all day and look happy. Not everyone follows the happy rule but I worked over 2 yrs at a place by Disneyland (Lego Store) and we had to smile ALL the time so I know that horrible thing called happy and all that junk. It causes you to be happy if you want to or not.

Whats not to love about retail? When its slow your hours suck you have to work several jobs to survive. Yeah sounds fun right? No! Its not!

I dont know however why you have to have experience to get a job or I had to for my first one...what do you need to know? Register CHECK customer service CHECK (I had that at the theater I helped get their food and drinks, cleaned up their bathrooms and theaters and took their tickets all with a SMILE and that wasnt retail).

Now not everyone is made for retail. Yet I am great at it. I have ADD I hate being borded and yet here I am. A "people person" yeah i heard that one for real once. People like me. And sometimes they dont. My lovely personality clashes like violent waves in the ocean to people. So I cant say that i am always liked.

In fact every job I have had minus like 1 has included someone a lead, supervisor or manager who didnt like me. Well Lego everyone liked me but i didnt always get along with some of them...but we did get along most of the time. So I guess 2?

Retail has hidden rules they dont tell you about:
1. Always taking applications=we arent hiring but feel free to turn something in, waste your time and with a slime shot we might hire someone we might call you(I did get my 2nd retail job at Barnes & Noble when they werent hiring but only taking so I cant say it dont work!)
2. If you are going for a clothing store job they want you to look "pretty" and "fashionable" I havent gotten one clothing job and I think its cause I am not skinny and never a big girly fashionable person (cause I never had money nor cared to be if I had it).
3. Retail is more then a cashregister its really more than just that. Its helping people, and thats what retail is. Selling products, helping people find those products, ringing them up, and cleaning up after them. Retail is truly a CUSTOMER SERVICE JOB without the snaze of a little desk where people talk on the phone all day.
4. With that in mind feel free to apply after any retail job for any job that requires customer service experience because you stink in it when you work retail. It is all you do. You are and work for the CUSTOMER. Just recall that. If you dont keep them happy you dont make business, which means no hours, and no paychecks. Customers drive retail jobs whether up or down. The economy can be crappy now but its all about what people want to buy. They want cheap stuff, nice people (who put up with their especially holiday crappy moods), and they want it all right then!
5. Dont forget PATIENCE. You must have it. People will not always talk clear, come up with super stupid questions, ponder why things are in where you work (like you know!), and will expect you to know it all have it all no matter what. They always want you to know more about stuff then they do. Even if you dont you should. So beware you must have patience and also be okay with being critized from the moment you walk in.

So you want to be in retail? Good! Go for it. But dont blame me when you question where the last 10 yrs of your life went but spent going nowhere, being walked on and in the end wondering why you started this in the first place!

Retail at its best and worst is me! :/