In honor of my last day at the warehouse, thought I’d share some lessons I learned while working in retail:

1. Whatever energy you come at retail workers with is the energy you’re going to receive back. If you want good service, be kind.

2. That being said, if a customer comes up to you and is already pissed, it has more to do with how their day is going/who they are as a person than it has to do with you.

3. Coworkers who can help you make the best of a bad situation are key. Example: coworkers who helped me laugh at racist or rude members in laugh or cry situations

4. People will do some...really odd things...and you just kinda have to laugh at it. Ex: taking off their pants to try on pants in the middle of the store, or pooping in the cooler

5. You really do not need to put up with people being aggressive toward you or hitting on you. Sometimes it’s best to just walk away. Having a manager that has your back is key in this situation + coworkers who can recognize that you need to be saved

6. When the job gets frustrating, it can be helpful to remind yourself that A. No one is going to die because you didn’t finish folding clothes/block down product properly and 2. The work will be there tomorrow & 3. How well you do this job has no reflection on your self worth

(Can you tell that I disassociate a lot when I go to work LOL )

7. Sometimes people just need someone else to listen. Everyone gets a little lonely. But also retail workers are not your therapists so...please get the help you need before unduly burdening a retail worker with your emotional baggage.

All in all I thought I’d feel very much like f*ck this place the day I’d leave but in truth I’m feeling very grateful for the opportunities I had, the lessons I learned, and the people I met. Working retail gave me a bottomless well of patience

People who work retail long term all have different stories. Anyone who judges someone for being a cashier or whatever has little empathy for their life story or circumstances.

While it ended up not being the place for me, I have upmost respect for my coworkers, who work really difficult and tiring jobs to help make customers’ lives easier.

Main takeaways: be kind/patient with others, learn to laugh in the face of bad situations, and recognize that your work does not equal your worth! ~fin~