The End

This I Believe

It’s funny how you don’t notice you’re doing something negative to a group of people until you’re placed in that individual’s shoes. At least I thought it was amusing how terrible I acted towards retail workers until I myself worked in retail. This is why I believe everyone should work at a retail store at least once in his or her lives.

Retail is not what many would consider a good job. The hours, the pay, the customers, nothing really sounds pleasing about it. Nevertheless, someone needs to do it. I was a junior in high school when I realized many jobs that I would consider ideal didn’t want a young high school kid work for them, which is when I decided to move to either retail or a restaurant. I chose retail, Old Navy to be specific. I did not know what I was in for.

When I look back now I think of how ignorant and naïve I was before I worked in retail. I would have never considered myself a bad customer; I didn’t hide things like many do when they decided they no longer wanted it, I didn’t throw clothes on the floor, or even have a negative attitude towards the employees. Yet many things that I did I now consider rude. For example, I always got frustrated when the employees took forever to ring my items up or when they didn’t seem to know what they were doing. The truth is, it takes a lot of time and practice to fully understand the whole process. Working in retail really proved to me that I should be patient and understanding towards employees because they really do have a hard job and many of those individuals are doing the best they can.

I also realized how a nice smile or a nice comment could really make an employees day. I know when I was working on the cash registers, it always made me feel better and want to give people better service when customers were pleasant to work with. Just a simple how are you today or nice small talk is nice. It’s all of the rude and impatient customers that make individuals such as myself not want to give good customer service or even want to work in retail at all.

Although I no longer work at Old Navy, I am grateful for the experience. I now fold every shirt I pick up, am courteous and respectful towards the employees and remind myself when I am rushing to just be patient.


Last post, have a nice day.
Kendell