Complaints Of The Service Industry

If you manage a retail store you’re not actually working retail. Especially if you think it gives you the right to “manage” and scold workers of other stores that you know nothing about. 

Oh where do I begin with yesterday? I guess the beginning is good. I won't be using names but I shall use nicknames. I walk into work yesterday already dreading having to close for the third time in a row. My only solace is the fact that I had the next day (today) off. I clock in, see what I am supposed to be doing for the hour, and get started. My boss, a very tall man who runs three of these stores with his fantastic and rather short wife, walks up. I'm actually excited to see him. Of the two owners he's the one we see the least. He asks me how I'm doing and how school is going then proceeds to tell me that there will be only three closers that night instead of the originally scheduled four. I ask why and he said that the newest girl called out and hadn't made any arrangements for someone to cover her shift. Like we are told from day one you are supposed to do. I was miffed but not too put out by this until he told be that T, a fabulous coworker of mine, and I would be alone in the store for about two hours today due to the on duty manager having to work what we call a split shift. (Comes, works for a few hours, goes home for a few hours, then comes back and closes) I was a little nervous by that but at the time it wasn't too busy so I was thinking it would be okay. The afternoon storm usually keeps people away so we would be okay until our AM (assistant manager) came back. Well we get to the start of those two hours and all hell breaks loose. The usual afternoon storm never comes and people flood in. There are buys (something we do as a resale store to bring in merchandise) up to our ears and impacient customers waiting at the registers and the fitting rooms. We fight our way through with only a few sassy people and one or two late buys. Then our AM gets back and we realize that neither T or I ever took our break. It's only two hours to close at this point and there's too much to do so we both power through and keep going. Bad move. With only three closers and a regular that decided to waltz in four minutes to close and stay ten minutes after we locked the doors it took us a hour and a half to close and get out of there. I was not happy. Let's hope the new girl had a good reason to call out.

So I, as a retail worker who is not allowed to snap back for fear of losing my job, have created this place for retail workers to rant and complain about customers.