You're in the Navy Now

Is there anyone out there who needs to buy new clothing in navy blue? Let me tell you… January is the month to get your navy on!!

Who knew that navy is the color of choice in the winter months? In my store, it’s referred to as the “resort collection.” The Retail World Gods seem to think that everyone goes on cruises and travels to luxe beaches in the winter.

Besides some of my lucky colleagues who are on a five-day adventure in Cabo San Lucas this week (no, that’s NOT a jealous tone you’re detecting!!), I don’t know a soul who takes the month of January off from work to travel and wear her navy, sailor-type outfits.

Everywhere I look in my store, there is navy. Frankly, I don’t own a single item in this color. It’s not that I don’t like navy blue, but it’s like a first cousin to the color black, and I’d just rather stick with that and keep life simple.

The Russians

We’ve been really slow this entire week due to the crazy winter weather. The city got 12.5 inches of snow dumped on it and life in Retail World suffered… greatly.

The snow started this past Tuesday. I worked that evening and we didn’t even clear $500 for the entire day!! Thankfully, I was off on Wednesday (the day we got dumped on) and then I worked again last night (Thursday), when the snow had been plowed from the streets and folks were once again able to make their way around town.

When I came into the store last night, we had cleared about $700 for the day (such a dismal number!!). It was up to me and my co-worker to make-up the day’s losses.

Business was fairly slow, but we did have shoppers come in and look around. Most people tried on clothes, but didn’t buy anything. We have this phrase at the store – “Turn lookers into buyers” (cheesy, I know) – but really, that’s what my job is. I need to convince people that they really do need to buy a skirt/suit/blouse/belt/pants.

Around 7 p.m., three women came in. They were obviously friends and they were obviously not from America. As per normal protocol, I greeted them and asked if I could assist in any manner. One of the three spoke broken English and it was she with whom I communicated for next 30 minutes.

Russian Woman #1 tried on a beautiful, black, classic tailored suit and I could tell she was falling in love with it. How do I know when a client is falling in love with a garment? She'll come out of the dressing room wearing the item of choice to look for matching ensemble pieces. Russian Woman #1 came out of the dressing room wearing the suit and frantically looked for a blouse to go underneath the suit jacket.

Russian Woman #2 was in love with a different suit and she tried on both the missy and petite versions. This meant that she WAS going to buy this suit… come hell or high water, in whatever size she could squeeze into!! The interesting thing about Russian Woman #2 was that she came into the store wearing a soft pink, almost see-through sweater… with a black bra. Maybe that goes in Russia, but not in the United States!!

Russian Woman #3 (my interpreter) tried on several pairs of pants. What I love about Russian Woman #3 was that she put all of her clothes (“go-backs”) on the racks when she was finished trying them on. She didn’t end up buying anything, but she made my job a heck of a lot easier!!

The kicker was when I asked Russian Woman #3 if she and her friends were shopping for a special event or occasion. This was when she came close to me, put one hand by her mouth as if about to share a forbidden secret and purred into my anticipatory ear, “Rich Russians Shopping!!” I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows and laugh out loud!!

Sure enough, Russian Woman #1 bought an entire ensemble and spent around $350. Russian Woman #2 also bought a suit and a medium-weight coat. Her total came to $450 and she paid in cash. The Russians made our night and doubled our day’s net sales.

God Bless Rich Russian Shoppers!! :)

Benefits

I can’t tell you the number of times I have been asked if we have a bathroom. Yes, we do. Of course we do!! Do clients really expect that we work in a place of business for eight-plus hours and not have somewhere to relieve ourselves (both our minds and our bladders)? Only store employees have rights to the store bathroom, though. The nearest public restroom is just 50 feet away, and that appeases most people.

The other nice benefit we have is the use of a microwave in the back room. I only use it on occasion, when my shift is five or more hours. This entitles me to a 30-minute (unpaid) break, during which I usually eat. Do you know how ravenous you can get when standing on your feet for eight hours? Pretty darn hungry!! For those of you in my same situation (and I pray that none of you are), I’ve found that a container of yogurt with sweet granola mixed in hits the spot every time and satisfies me for hours. It’s also a very healthy choice!!

Another super benefit, of course, is The Discount. My menial, hourly salary wouldn’t be worth it otherwise. During a selected number of times each month, employees can receive 50 percent off full-priced items. We also receive 40 percent off all sale-priced items and we also receive 40 percent off at our “sister” stores. It’s quite a deal, considering some items we sell are priced over $250!!

Tricks of the Trade

Many of my close friends know the store at which I work part-time. We constantly send out coupons and e-mail promotions to get you to come into our store to purchase something.

One of the “tricks of the trade” is that we’ll honor your coupon, even if you’ve left it at home. So, the next time you frequent my store (or any of its “sister” stores), just tell them you forgot your coupon at home, and they should honor the discount, no questions asked.

It’s a good way to save you money, and a great way for us to keep your business!!

Straightening – My Newly-Acquired Skill

For all of you nit-picky shoppers out there, the best time to see a store at its straightest is first thing in the morning, in the first hour of business. Remember I described in an earlier post that the two folks who close are responsible for making sure the store is straightened before leaving?

Well, I’ve discovered that this is a highly-acquired skill. The next time you wander into a clothing store, take notice of hanging items with straps, like camisoles or tank tops or dresses. Are the straps lined up perfectly? When you stand before the straps, does it appear to be one perfect line of straps in front of you? Next, look at the pants. Are they all uniform in the way they hang (or are folded) and are they sized appropriately? Or, is there a four mixed in with the 14s?

Then, observe the shirts. Are the sleeves completely parallel to one another and soothing to the eye? Do you see a “sea of sleeves?”

Finally, gaze at the folded items, like sweaters or t-shirts or cardigans. You may make fun of it, but those are folded with a folding board. I am now an expert at folding things with the folding board and have even considered buying my own board to use at home.

You’ve got to admit – even an ugly item looks better if it’s perfectly folded.

Theft

I have learned so much about retail theft that it both fascinates me and freaks me out at the same time.

Let me first admit something that many people don’t know. When I was in junior high, I shoplifted with a friend of mine. We stole some make-up from a large department store. We got caught, of course, and I landed in juvenile court. This action was so uncharacteristic for me, and I felt incredibly guilty for a very long time. Thankfully, I was in my early teens and nothing appeared on my permanent record.

My “punishment” was to talk to my peers about what I had done, and why I did it. And I never did it again. Ever. Lesson definitely learned.

Fast-forward 21 years to the present day. Technology has become so incredible that the clothes we sell in the store are now embedded with a sensor tag sewn inside the garment. When a client purchases something, we “de-sensor” it by swiping it over a magnetic-type surface at the register. This way, the client doesn’t set off the alarm when she leaves the store.


Here are a few things I’ve learned about theft in Retail World:

1.) It is still VERY easy to steal clothes.

2.) If you carry a bag lined with aluminum foil (again, who does that?!?) and place your stolen garments in the bag, it decodes the sensors.

3.) If you notice someone closely hunched over a stack of shirts/pants/sweaters, it is quite likely she is in the process of cutting/ripping off the sensors and placing the stolen merchandise in her getaway bag.


Quite often, we’ll find sensor tags lying on the floor, under a rack of clothes. Just last week, I found several ripped/cut sensor tags within a pile of folded jeans.

Here’s the craziest thing, though – WE DON’T PROSECUTE!! We can’t ever prove that a client stole the merchandise, even though we may catch them in the act.

It’s so disturbing to me, even though I was guilty of this same act when I was a kid. Now that I’m an adult, I expect other adults to not take items for which they have not paid. It’s not fair and it’s not right.

"Go-Backs"

Ever wonder what happens when you’re finished trying on clothes in the fitting room and how these garments make it back to the racks?

The exercise is called “go-backs.” The clothes have to Go Back.

Doing go-backs forces one to understand where clothes are placed in certain areas of the store. I have become so efficient at go-backs that I can clear an entire rack of clothes (30-40 garments) from the fitting room area in less than five minutes.

Nothing is better than when I start a shift and the go-backs have already been cleared by another associate. What’s stressful is when I can’t keep up with go-backs because the store is so incredibly busy (like on Saturdays). Clients are trying on a lot of garments, but not buying them. This creates a lot of go-backs.

Gentle readers, please help me to help you by placing your “unwanteds” on the rack that is located either inside or very near to the fitting room area. We then know these garments are go-backs and we will take the clothes back to their place of origin for the next client to try on. We will also hang them on the hanger in the appropriate manner (yes, we do have a certain way to hang pants!!).

This exercise also helps to clear the fitting rooms. When there is a line of hungry female shoppers who are getting ancy and giving you the Evil Eye, having open fitting rooms is key to everyone’s success. :)

I’m not asking you to hang up in perfection the shirts, pants, sweaters, etc. you tried on. Rather, just walking the two or three extra steps to the go-back rack is so appreciated by us in Retail World... you have no idea.

Closing Time

Not many people think about retail workers and what happens when the store closes its doors for the day. We don’t get to immediately go home. Oh no… there’s A LOT of work still left to do!!

There are always two people who close. This shift generally takes place from 5 to 10 p.m. Here’s how things operate:

5 to 8 p.m.
Sell, sell, sell!!

8 to 9 p.m.

Straighten the racks of clothes (more about this “skill” in an upcoming post) and, if time permits during this hour, bundle up the six containers of trash and take them to the back room. Also, put new trash bags in each of the six trash cans.

9 to 10 p.m.

Person A counts the money in the two cash registers, while Person B (me, the underling) vacuums the fitting rooms and “swiffers” the entire store. I must admit -- I've become a pro at swiffering (is that even a word?). I can catch dust bunnies like nobody's business!!

Person B then also re-counts the money from the registers that Person A has just counted. Emptying the trash also takes place during this hour, if it cannot be accomplished in the previous hour. Person A then performs a “walk-through” to make sure Person B has straightened the clothes in the appropriate manner (more about this “skill” in an upcoming post, also!!).

10 p.m.
Person A locks the store and Person B follows her out. Person A then checks the purse of Person B and vice-versa. This is a good way to prevent store theft. Person A and Person B then walk to their respective vehicles and drive home. Another day of retail adventures is over.

I will gloat here for just a moment to say that the earliest time I have gotten out is 9:15 p.m. (the store closes at 9 p.m.). That’s when Person A and Person B are really tired from working two jobs all day long and mutually agree to “kick butt” and move the closing process along at warp speed. My personal best for vacuuming is 90 seconds.

The latest I’ve gotten out is 10:30 p.m., when the clothes on the store’s racks had to be as perfect as orthodontically-straightened teeth because the district manager (DM) was going to be in town the next day and everything had to be flawless.

Speaking of the DM, she has visited our store twice since I've been employed. For whatever reason (attention to detail, my inability to say "no," etc.), I've become the "go-to" girl for closing the night before the DM arrives. In fact, I have the pleasure, privilege and honor of closing this Sunday evening for just this purpose.

Usually, I close during two nights each week, plus work one weekend shift during the day (when I don't have to close). It makes for a long day, but when I plunk down my hard-earned money for a cashmere sweater at 50 percent off, it's soooo worth it. :)

Cashmere Mafia

Remember that short-lived TV show on NBC? I loved it. The show was quickly canceled, so apparently, a lot of other folks didn’t love it.

Anyhoo… a quick lesson on cashmere. Cashmere is so soft and keeps you very warm in the winter. If you’re anything like me and become cold easily, a cashmere sweater is always a great thing to wear and never goes out of style.

What most people don’t realize is that the lighter color of cashmere, the softer it is. A white, cream, oatmeal or light pink cashmere garment will be much softer to the touch than brown, plum or black cashmere. This is because the dye which colors the garment weighs more in darker colors.

So, the next time you are thinking about buying a cashmere sweater, cardigan, scarf or mittens, do your own test in the store and you’ll feel the difference. :)

Many Happy Returns

Now that the holidays are over, the inevitable happens in Retail World.

Returns.

It’s that dreaded seven-letter word that retailers despise. Personally, however, I LOVE THEM!!

Case in Point:
After the holidays, a client returned a suit jacket to our store that she had ordered online. What she returned was a classic, fully lined, black, 4P (my size, remember?) suit jacket with full sleeves (as opposed to ¾-length sleeves that we carry in our store and which I do not care for).

The jacket was just lying there, unwanted, and it was calling my name. I went to it, gave it a flirtatious smile and appeased its advances by trying it on. As I buttoned the jacket over my cashmere sweater, it returned the favor by fitting me like a glove. I could tell this jacket was falling in love with me, but I wanted to wait before I went any further in this new relationship.

My manager saw me trying on the jacket and said it fit me like nobody’s business. The jacket begged to stay on my body, but I softly replied that it would remain on the hanger in the “hold” closet until payday, and then it would be coming home with me. After all, I’m not the type of girl who puts just anything in her closet on the first try.

After some time had passed, I realized I wanted the jacket to be mine completely. I didn’t want it to wander about the city, going to different events without me. I reassured the jacket that it would never, ever have to endure the rejection of being returned by any other client and that we were meant for each other.

It now hangs in my closet in a place of prominence, and each day that I see it, it reminds me that a girl really can find true love.