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.