Retail Therapy: 3 things I took away from a year of customer service
From December 2018 to January 2020, I worked at H&M as a part-time sales advisor. Here are three big lessons I took away from over a year of retail.
Originally written January 7, 2020
Walking out of H&M for the last time as an employee left me feeling bittersweet. It had been a weekly routine for over a year, and despite the classic retail horror stories and hit-or-miss store playlist, the experience and friendships I had made would be dearly missed. Nevertheless, I felt it was the right time to close this chapter of my life and look forward to the future. Before doing so, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what this past year spent folding sweaters and cleansweeping the departments has taught me.
Don’t let someone else’s bad day be your bad day
It was hard in the beginning. This was not my first customer service job — in fact it was my third — but it was the first time I had stayed in one place for so long. Dealing with rude people is always demotivating, regardless of context. It’s human nature to have a terrible interaction leave a bad taste in your mouth. If I was still the nervous 16-year-old making sandwiches during the lunch rush at Cultures, some of what I had to encounter during H&M may have left the younger me in tears. But I was surrounded with kind and funny people, and although it is never easy being the punching bag for something you have no control over (being subject to the anger of a woman forgot her password to her loyalty account was a considerably bleak memory), it no longer affected me in the end. In fact, they soon became funny stories to tell my co-workers as opposed to something that can get me down.
Ask for back-up when you need it
It wasn’t a particularly popular mall, but the holiday season could become absolute insanity. What I dreaded the most was my hours in the fitting room. The first Christmas season, I tried my best not to call for back up. I wanted to prove that I was capable of handling everything on my own: the garment-caring, keeping track of customers and their rooms, calling for product checks, and operating the phones. It could easily become too much to handle.
After a particularly overwhelming ordeal, I took a deep breath before putting another shirt on a hanger. My manager came in and asked me what happened, to which I relayed my situation. She looked at me and said, “Next time, call for back up. It’s better someone helps you when it’s busy than having me stay and help you afterwards.” The logic was so simple, yet for too long I let my pride get the better of me. It’s okay to ask for help, in fact for many instances it’s beneficial.
The importance of connections
Whether it’s needing someone to cover a shift, or simply to make a slow hour pass by faster, connections with colleagues are incredibly important. If it weren’t for my coworkers, who both brightened my day or were willing to lend a helping hand when I needed it, my time in the store would not be nearly be as fulfilling of an experience. With my last shift filled with hugs and goodbyes, I knew I had also made great friends. This is what teamwork is about.
As a retail associate, it was my fourth paid job, and the only one I find myself putting on my resumes. It’s given me a lot to take away from, not to mention a pretty large addition to my wardrobe. And although it had become such a large portion of my weekly schedule over the past year, I hope I can use my experience and move on to new and excited things. To quote one of my favourite indie movies, Dear Lemon Lima, “I am no longer a window-shopper in this mini mall of life”.