Responsibility

A few weeks ago, my manager hired a male sales associate. I’ll call him J.

J went through the mandatory training, as we all do, and was put on the weekly schedule to begin working.

I was excited to meet J – we don’t have any male sales associates at my store and I was curious as to what he’d be like and how he’d interact with our clients. I had really high hopes.

J didn’t show up for his first (non-training) shift. He called that day and spoke to my manager over the telephone and told her he was not coming in.

Why? He was too tired from working his other job.

WHAT?!?

What did J think a second job was? What did he think he was training for?

I never did meet J, because he also “no-showed” for his second shift. At our store, it’s three strikes and you’re out.

In J’s case, it was two strikes. By this point, we all knew J wasn’t coming back.

Heck, he never even really started.

All I know is that J was 19 years old and, from what I heard, he was very good. He even “high-fived” a client and she “high-fived” him right back!!

My manager replaced his shifts and did not schedule him to work again.

Here’s my question – does anyone take responsibility for their actions anymore? Why bother to apply, interview and train for a second, part-time job if you’re not committed to showing up?

I’m beginning to understand that working in Retail World is a series of hits and misses. There are some really good, committed women who work in my store, and I am grateful for the consistency. It makes my job a lot easier.

However, more often than not, someone quits after only working for a few weeks or months. I never really get to know these people and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth for all the time and energy we spent training them.

I know I should just move on. I never met J and I never invested anything in him, except for my expectation that he would actually finish what he started.

I Love This and Can’t Live Without It

Have you ever found that perfect top/blouse/pants/skirt/jacket/coat and said to yourself, “I must have this and cannot live without it?”

If this has happened to you, only to find out the store you’re in doesn’t carry your size and/or color, there is generally a solution to your problem.

Have the store order it for you and send it directly to the address of your choosing.

Sometimes, if there’s a particular item you want, it may be sold-out online. The store should be able to order it for you from another store (somewhere in the United States) and have it shipped directly to the address of your choice.

At my store, the shipping costs $7.50. We can even do overnight delivery for $12.

Sometimes it’s worth it if you’re working within a tight time frame and need that perfect dress for a wedding next weekend.

Just ask your friendly sales associate what the options are. She’ll be glad to help you.

Mini Relationships

Those of you who know me know that I’m a people person. I love people.

And I especially enjoy helping people.

I’ve come to realize that one of my strengths in Retail World is helping needy people. I don’t mean “needy” in a bad way, but “needy” in a good way.

For example, some clients come in by themselves – without a friend, sister, mother, husband or daughter – and these folks need guidance and reassurance while they’re shopping. These clients try on a lot of clothes and want an honest opinion on how good or bad a particular garment looks on them.

I always give my honest opinion, ALWAYS.

And I always bring “add-ons” to my clients, in the hopes they will buy something else they weren’t originally planning on buying. Believe it or not, most do.

These needy clients are fun to work with. I usually spend upwards of an hour with them, and we develop a mini-relationship of sorts.

I find out where they live and what they do, and what special event they are attending.

I find out their favorite colors and what size they wear and if they’ve recently gained or lost weight.

I find out what cut looks good on them, and what doesn’t.

I once helped a mother-of-the-bride select a special dress for her daughter’s wedding; I helped a college-bound girl select a suit for a scholarship dinner/interview she had; and I assisted a woman who had a baby five months ago and was unsure what looked good on her, post-baby.

At the end of each of these encounters, I didn’t want the client to leave the store. I wanted to sit down and have coffee and talk about life and get to know her better.

I wanted to make plans to have breakfast and go shopping with her in the future.

I wanted these clients to be my friends.

I develop these mini-relationships often and sometimes wonder how a certain client is doing, or what she is wearing, months after she comes into the store.

I remember all of these clients, not just because I spent a significant amount of time with them, but also because they were so appreciative to me for my assistance.

I felt like I had invested my time and talents in helping them, and they were genuinely thankful and grateful.

This is why, despite being tired a lot of the time and complaining about working my retail shifts, I really am so lucky to have found a great part-time job where I can help people.

Petite or Missy?

It’s no secret that I wear petite-sized clothing.

Generally speaking, petite sizes are for women 5’4” and under.

If you’re one of those women who are right at the cusp of wearing petite or missy, don’t worry – there’s a solution for you.

Let’s say your normal size is a 6. If the item you want to buy is sold out in your size, you may want to consider trying on a size 4 Petite (4P). This usually only works for blouses, tops and skirts. It most likely will not work with pants.

Overall, the fit and cut of a petite-sized garment is going to be smaller. However, some items are made longer, so a petite size may fit you well, if not better than, a missy size.

The general rule-of-thumb is that if you are normally a missy-size client, you’ll need to go down one size in the petite version of the garment, and vice-versa.

Happy shopping!!