• Our software update is now concluded. You will need to reset your password to log in. In order to do this, you will have to click "Log in" in the top right corner and then "Forgot your password?".
  • Forum moderator applications are now open! Click here for details.
  • Welcome to PokéCommunity! Register now and join one of the best fan communities on the 'net to talk Pokémon and more! We are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.

Retail Workers Union

5,983
Posts
15
Years
I've worked retail selling cellphones and plans for a summer and a semester. I stopped this semester, but I started feeling that it wasn't for me. I enjoyed speaking to customers and I completely loved the people I worked with. Without any doubt, I would describe it as a great first job experience. But I just don't like the idea of selling something in return for money.

I'm a university student right now, and I'm beginning to think that my entire life will be dedicated to science - which worries me, because retail is such a huge sector and so many people, people I know and people in general, get work there and I don't want to reject something that a majority of people find works for them. I feel that I am kind of conscientiously opposed to the sales ethos, to put it one way. I'm a very cautious shopper myself, and I always want to highlight not only all the pros but all the cons of the product, then explore the product competition and then even a product that may not be a direct competition but might be a solution in another way. I'm also sickeningly frugal to the point of letting my girlfriend pay for our outings sometimes (I don't carry much but $20's and pocket change) >.<. I feel that I'm just unable to embrace selling something in a way that the company, or any company, would want you to sell it - that is, portraying it in the best possible way, plus up-selling.

I find that I'm always tempted to portray the product at its worst just to explore the entire experience of owning that product. I'm a scientist and I wanna get the clearest picture of things. And while I /can/ sell and it doesn't bother me as I'm doing it, I just feel that it goes against the grain of my personality. I do enjoy the "starting conversations with the customer" bit and that works really well, but I would much rather sell ideas than sell products.

I don't mind interviews, I don't mind learning the ropes, and I certainly don't mind getting along with customers. I am just super suspicious about anything that involves the transfer of money. And while I got paid and won't complain about that, I was irked by the idea of commission.

I feel abnormal and inadequate that selling just does not sit right with me. And I also feel that I am closing off a huge reservoir of opportunity and a safety net if my career goals do not work out. Is this a part of me worth embracing, or is the trade-off too impractical and worth getting over?

tl;dr - I don't think I have the personality to sell something for money, at least not to do it for the long run. How should I embrace/work my way around this?
 

Yusshin

♪ Yggdrasil ♪
2,414
Posts
14
Years
Hey, I'll join. I've worked as a cashier in retail since May 2012. This could be a good way to rant about how awful grocery store clients can be :P
 

vaporeon7

My life would suck without you
5,143
Posts
13
Years
I saw this and thought if this club.
73138_482653265115387_275595105_n.jpg
 

Shining Raichu

Expect me like you expect Jesus.
8,959
Posts
13
Years
Welcome Yusshin! Start *****ing to your heart's content! :P

I've worked retail selling cellphones and plans for a summer and a semester. I stopped this semester, but I started feeling that it wasn't for me. I enjoyed speaking to customers and I completely loved the people I worked with. Without any doubt, I would describe it as a great first job experience. But I just don't like the idea of selling something in return for money.

I'm a university student right now, and I'm beginning to think that my entire life will be dedicated to science - which worries me, because retail is such a huge sector and so many people, people I know and people in general, get work there and I don't want to reject something that a majority of people find works for them. I feel that I am kind of conscientiously opposed to the sales ethos, to put it one way. I'm a very cautious shopper myself, and I always want to highlight not only all the pros but all the cons of the product, then explore the product competition and then even a product that may not be a direct competition but might be a solution in another way. I'm also sickeningly frugal to the point of letting my girlfriend pay for our outings sometimes (I don't carry much but $20's and pocket change) >.<. I feel that I'm just unable to embrace selling something in a way that the company, or any company, would want you to sell it - that is, portraying it in the best possible way, plus up-selling.

I find that I'm always tempted to portray the product at its worst just to explore the entire experience of owning that product. I'm a scientist and I wanna get the clearest picture of things. And while I /can/ sell and it doesn't bother me as I'm doing it, I just feel that it goes against the grain of my personality. I do enjoy the "starting conversations with the customer" bit and that works really well, but I would much rather sell ideas than sell products.

I don't mind interviews, I don't mind learning the ropes, and I certainly don't mind getting along with customers. I am just super suspicious about anything that involves the transfer of money. And while I got paid and won't complain about that, I was irked by the idea of commission.

I feel abnormal and inadequate that selling just does not sit right with me. And I also feel that I am closing off a huge reservoir of opportunity and a safety net if my career goals do not work out. Is this a part of me worth embracing, or is the trade-off too impractical and worth getting over?

tl;dr - I don't think I have the personality to sell something for money, at least not to do it for the long run. How should I embrace/work my way around this?

My advice would be to get a job that doesn't involve you directly selling a product. Selling cellphone plans involves you actually having to actively work to sell something to a customer. If you get something in regular retail, like working in a supermarket or a department store just stocking or on the cash registers, it might sit a little bit easier with you and it's an easier job all around as well.

If you still hate doing that, my only advice is to suck it up because the world survives on the exchange of money for services and you need to put yourself through school somehow :P

vaporeon7 said:
I saw this and thought if this club.
73138_482653265115387_275595105_n.jpg

OH MY GOD YES. It's so frustrating. At Liquorland your password needs to involve both letters and numbers and has to be between 6-8 characters long. What I always do is do two letters followed by 0000, because the keyboards have a '00' key, which means I only need to hit four different keys every time I need to use my password.

I started at a new store recently so I could start my password cycle back from the beginning. I started at aa0000, but I'm already up to cc0000 :(
 

Bounsweet

Fruit Pokémon
2,103
Posts
16
Years
  • Seen Sep 17, 2018
I want all of you wonderfully patient retail employees' opinion on something. This is going to be hard because I'm REALLY steamed right now.

Tonight was inventory, no big deal. All we have to do is count stuff out and weigh things. The store closes at 9 pm and by the time we finish, it's usually only about 10 or 10:30 in extreme situations, and then everything is 100% done. Not tonight. We didn't leave until 11 pm and he wasn't even close to being done.

Our manager had to call in the other manager from a nearby store to show him how to do inventory. He's been there for nearly 3 months, and he still can't even close out the register for the day by himself. He was impatient and rude with everyone today, finding at least one thing to complain to everyone individually about. He informed us that when we request days off, we aren't guaranteed to have them off and if we miss a day that's requested off that he schedules us for last minute, we face being reprimanded.

Me and the other employees weighed 20+ lbs of products and counted hundreds of products all day today. He sat on his behind at the register on the phone all day long. He got really mad at the fact we weren't done by the time the store closed at 9, and gave everyone bullcrap. He called my pregnant co-worker a "fudging" retard (he was a lot more colorful with the words, if you get my drift) and he compared her to two other girls who just left within the past month calling them "fudging" retards in the process. So he insulted three employees all in one go. Everyone is sick of him, myself as well.

So... I'm debating if I should just wait it out because inventory IS only once a month or if I should start looking for another job, given his behavior... :/ My favorite co-worker is leaving in 2 weeks and he says he's going to call corporate to report the manager for all the crap he's done (touching food that we sell with his bare hands, making children cry, endangering customers by mixing peanut-containing products with non-peanut and sugar with sugarfree) but he won't call the office until after his two weeks are up. I really want to text him tomorrow and ask him for corporate's number because I want to call them myself ASAP.

Should I just wait and see how things turn out or should I start looking for another job or just quit as soon as I can?
 
Back
Top