#retail tips

Hi, my darlings! I hope you’re all having a wonderful (insert time of day)! College is going okay, but business school is a lot of work. But I have a main goal in reaching my dream job, so I’m having to put up with it.

Anyway, that’s not way I’m writing this. I’m currently in the process of going back to work part-time this summer at store worked at almost two years ago, and in thinking about in, I’m very excited. I also feel that I’m more mentally prepared from what I’ve learned in working in retail in general. This way, I can be proactive in the job instead of reactive.

For those of you who are starting their first job or are beginning to work in retail of any kind, here’s three things I’ve learned form experience:

1. You will make mistakes. I hate starting it out like this, but it’s the truth. Nobody’s perfect, and we’re all human. Making mistakes is part of learning (just don’t do it intentionally). If you’re not sure of what to do, don’t be afraid to ask a co-worker or a manger.

2. Ask for help. This is branching off the first one, but I was really blessed to have the sweetest managers and co-workers when I first started working at this particular store. I was cashier most of the time, and learning how to work the registers was a little tricky at first. They trained me on some of the do’s and don’ts, but I have made a couple oopsies before. However, when I asked for help, they always came to the rescue (sorry, I’m corny). My point being, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

3. Not every customer/client that walks in is going to nice. If you’ve heard a few horror stories from retail workers talking about difficult people, then I have them too. I’ve had three ladies come in to the store who were difficult, and one of them actually hurt my feelings and made me cry (that’s another story for another day). People are crappy, but the best way to handle that situation is to just give them the nest customer service you can give them. If you feel that you need to step away from the situation if it’s escalating more than you can handle, it’s perfectly okay to ask a manager to step in so you can go to the break room (if there is one) to cool off and breathe.

That’s all of the tips I have, but don’t be afraid to DM me if you have questions. I love all of you, and I hope you’re able to put these tips into practice.

6 Efficient Tips For Business Retailers Towards the Holidays

HOLIDAY RETAILERS TIPS : The clients are coming. It is safe to say that you are prepared ? In the event that you work a retail store, you have short of what one month to make a major achievement of this holiday season.

I’m certain you realize how to run your store however I’d like to give you a few tips to add to your prosperity.

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1. Barely Any Stores Have Enough Staff

Timetable more…

Working in retail for over 2 years (at a grocery store) has taught me some things:

1. The costumer is never ever right

2. The costumer always thinks they are right no matter how many times you explain to them why they are wrong

3. Holidays are hell because everyone comes in to the store

4. People have no respect for cashiers 

5. You learn to pray to not have a snow store so people don’t storm your store

6. Mangers rarely respect baggers and cashiers

7. Large groups of kids will destroy the store very quickly so keep them OUT! or keep a close eye on them

8. People will buy some weird stuff so you better have a good poker face

9. KEEP STICKERS ON YOU AT ALL TIMES stuff like stars or superheros they come in handy for getting little kids to stop crying (trust me their parents will thank you) plus kids love them in general even if they aren’t crying

10. If you work some place that sells food check expiration dates (and for mold on fruit or meat)

11. Keep pain reliever on you at all times 

12. If you’re on your feet a lot and they hurt later in the day sleep with them elevated on a pillow, it does wonders i swear it’s like magic

13. If your bad at small talk like i am compliment the costumer on something they’re wearing or comment on something they’re buying it helps start a conversation

14. Make at least one really good friend at work it helps time go by faster

15. Sometimes younger kids like to help bag so let them don’t be a jerk and tell them they can’t 

16. Older people will either be extremly nice or extremly nasty and disrespectful so be careful

17. Keep note of the regulars, ones that come in once or twice a week like clock work. take note of how they like their stuff bagged so you can saved time next time they come in (this is really good to know if you work at a grocer store)

18. People can be cruel try not to let it affect you 

19. If a costumer grabs you and refuses to let go you can defend yourself

20. Al ways use what is called a ‘retail voice’ polite and bubbly voice basically (it takes some getting used to

1. Warmly welcome your customer with a smile. A huge barrier buster, a smile demonstrates to each customer that he/she is the staff's priority, the staff is happy to see each customer, and that the staff enjoys working at the store. That last point is key. Who enjoys a party when the host or hostess isn't having fun?

2. Get out from behind the counter. Counters are not only physical barriers, they're personal barriers to connecting with your customer.

3. Avoid using retail clichés. When customers are asked over and over "How may I help you" or "Do you have any questions?," these barriers actually become even higher.

4. Acknowledge and move past the first barrier. Don't take "I'm just looking" personally. If it's clear they want to experience the store alone, by all means let them. Typically, however, "I'm just looking" is a natural barrier built on past bad experiences. Acknowledge it with something like, "Great, you're going to find some wonderful things." Further telling them you'll check back in a bit gives the customer space to take in the store, and gives you permission to reengage in a few minutes.

5. Proactively show your customer your newest products. Can shoppers easily tell what the newest products are? Nope. That's how you add value, and at the same time bust a barrier.

6. Hand your customer a product whenever possible. Our work with boutiques, jewelry and other stores shows that when you get the product either in a customer's hands or on their person, the likelihood to purchase increases substantially. This is also true at a hardware store, pet store, toy store, camera store, and so on.

7. Tell your customer about the product they're looking at. It's a great way to reengage. But don't ask a customer if he or she has any questions or needs help! The answer will most likely be no.

8. Make it personal. Exchanging names with the customer is challenging for many people, but can make all the difference when your goal is to deliver the best possible experience.

(Full Article Here)

How You Can Help Foreigners in a Retail Situation

One of my favorite things about living in New Orleans in not only the diversity of people who live here, but the fact that I get to meet people from all over the world every day who are just here to visit. Now in this job and in past retail jobs, when people come in speaking a foreign language, they’re often given to me because so many Americans are not comfortable with dealing with people who can’t speak their language. So if you work in retail (and I’m sure this can apply in other situations too), here are some tips to help you help them and hopefully make both of you comfortable so that you can do your job, and they have an enjoyable shopping experience.

1)      A little patience and a lack of arrogance goes a long way.

  Remember that even though it may be frustrating not understanding someone and not being able to speak with their language, it is just as frustrating to them that they can’t speak your language, you don’t speak their language, and they don’t understand you. Both of you are on the same playing field. But fortunately, speaking isn’t the only form of communication. Using hand motions can be petty great. Gesturing towards objects is the most obvious, but making gestures for bigger or smaller seem to be (in my experience) a bit universal. Also, for numbers, you can write them out. Although they may be called many things, a large portion of the world uses or at least understands Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.)

  Another important fact to remember is that someone who doesn’t speak English isn’t necessarily dumb. English, though commonly spoken in many places, is not a default language. They should not know English any more than you should know their language.

  2)      It’s okay to ask people where they are from.

In fact, when you work in a tourist heavy area like I do, it’s a great conversation starter. Showing a genuine interest in the other person is not only a great selling tool, but it’s just a good skill to have in general.

3)      If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck… it’s not necessarily a duck.

If someone looks Korean, has a Korean accent, is speaking Korean, and you ask where she is from, and she says Texas, you must accept this as a valid answer. People come from all over the place and settle in new places. Unless you are Native American, either you or your ancestors came from somewhere else. Heck, if you go back far enough in time, even Native Americans came from somewhere else.

If you didn’t get the kind of response you had hoped for, maybe reevaluate your question. Maybe you were actually interested in the language they are speaking. So go ahead, ask what language they are speaking. I’ve found many people are glad to talk to you about their language and even teach you a few words or phrases.

4)      Learn some foreign languages or words.

Now, you don’t have to be fluent in several foreign languages in order to work retail (though at times it could be quite helpful), but just learning a few key words can be really useful. Not only will it be helpful for both you and your customer, but it can even put them more at ease just hearing their native tongue, and some people even get excited that you know something in their language.

When you start to ask people where they are from, you may begin to notice that a large number of people speak certain languages. For me, the big three are Spanish, French, and German, so I learned how to say “thank you” as well as certain basic colors and some numbers. Then you can learn to say certain phrases tailored to your job. For example, since I sell shoes, I learned how to ask what size a person needs. You would be surprised just how far a few words and phrases will get you. To get an idea of what you need to know, pay attention to the questions English speakers ask you.

For resources, you can go to the Internet and find many pages that not only have lists of words and phrases, but also pronunciations. But of course, my favorite way is to simply ask. When they pay for their items ask them how to say thank you. When they go to leave, ask them how to say buy. Before you know it, you will have built up a good vocabulary.

5)      Keep in mind sizes may be different in different countries.

If you sell clothing or shoes, you may have already run in to the problem of sizes being different in different countries. With the Internet usually being at your fingertips, it may be no big problem just to look up a conversion. But I do suggest printing out a nice little conversion chart to keep behind your work counter or back room. Keep in mind many brands do not use standardized sizing, and that since many times we are converting metric to Imperial units/US Standard units (yes, I know there are some differences between Imperial and US Standard, but they are pretty much interchangeable) the measurements may be approximate.

6)      Avoid abbreviations and slang

This can be very difficult to understand, and also, using abbreviations or acronyms might sound like gibberish to a foreign ear. Instead of asking for ID, ask for identification (which is actually a cognate in many European languages). And be clear when speaking and try to say exactly what you mean.

7)      Don’t talk to people like you are talking to a child or lesser being.

Yes, you may want to slow down your speech and enunciate your words, but it is possible to do so in a natural, fluid way that doesn’t come off as patronizing. If you are unsure, you can practice with a friend. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize they sound patronizing. So I recommend that if you hear a coworker attempting to talk to a foreigner in an unequal way, be sure to mention it.

8)      Remember that you are a representative of our country.

Don’t shove a bald eagle down people’s throats or try to act superior, but treat people like people, because that’s exactly what they are. Treat people how you want to be treated. It’s all really basic kindergarten stuff.