Retail Courtesy

This is an entry about being courteous to those who work in retail. I've worked retail since I was old enough to get a job (minus the lifeguarding years ... yuck). Those of us who have worked retail can tell which customers have never had the pleasure of serving people in such a way (just the same as waiters can tell those who have never had to wait a table in their life). Here are some basic rules when you are shopping in retail stores, just to keep you well informed about OUR side of the story:

1. NEVER, I repeat, NEVER go into a store 5 minutes before it closes unless you plan to be out of there in exactly five minutes. Store hours are posted for a good reason. Even if the salesperson says that they don't mind staying ... they're a liar, they want to go home and sit down to massage their aching, swollen feet more than anything in the world. Be nice to the poor, underpaid soul. Unless you plan to buy the whole store to give them a big enough commission to purchase some decent "retail-worthy" shoes, don't make them stay open late just so you can say "No, I don't need any help, I'm just looking."

2. Be nice to the sales people. Most people don't realize that retail workers stay at work an average of 1.5 hours after the store closes. We have to clean up, organize the sales for the day, make the deposit, have store meetings, etc. etc. So, when the store hours say they close at 9:00pm, just make note that they probably won't get home until 11:00pm.

3. Be nice to the sales people (part B). When someone comes up and asks you something along the lines of "Can I help you with something?" Do not be offended! You do not need to answer "LEAVE ME ALONE YOU LEACH!" These people sincerely wish to help you. It is their job, it is what they are being paid $2.50 an hour for, if they didn't want to help you, they wouldn't ask. So, if you are not in need of help at that particular moment, a polite "Not right now, but tell me your name so I can ask you when I do need help," would suffice.

4. Don't act like the sales people are just trying to get your money. Granted, there are some poeople who are not honest. But most salespeople want to keep you as a customer, so they will be honest with you about the furniture, clothes, jewelry, etc. they're trying to sell you. For instance: if I sold one of my customers a really bad set of patio furniture (as I used to sell), yet I convinced them that it was a good product, I could expect they would either try to return the furniture or never come back to me for furniture again. Neither of which I want. So, the point is: trust the sales person, most of the time they acutally know what they're talking about. A good rule of thumb: Ask the salesperson what they would buy for themselves ... this will usually give them the impression that you trust their judgement and will help you to know what the good products are.

5. Just because you purchase something (no matter how much it cost) does not mean that the salespeople OWE you something. Do NOT ask them to do things they normally would not do such as personally deliver the products to their house, "throw in" an extra blouse, gift wrap each item individually, or customize the product in any way. They would do these things if it were part of their job BUT IT IS NOT! The overtime on $2.50 an hour just isn't worth it to them.

6. Returns. PAY ATTENTION TO THE RETURN POLICY. Don't clip of the tags, throw away the receipt, alter the product, or use the product in ANY WAY until you know FOR SURE that you plan to keep it. If you do play to return it, do so in a TIMELY fashion. If you decide to return it after the 30-day policy, you will be cursed with the "new girl" behind the register and it will take you atleast 30 minutes to return those socks.

7. Store policies. The sales person did not make these policies, she did not think them up when the company was formed. Therefore, do NOT complain about them to her. There's nothing she can do. She would alter them just for you just so you will get out of the store and leave her alone, but she can't, so quit griping at her.

These are just some basic rules to keep in mind. Next time you go shopping, please be nice to the sales people. They're people just like you and me.