According to the Census Bureau in 2018, about 9.8 million Americans were working in retail. That was about 3% of Americans at that time. LinkedIn states that the turnover rate is above average for retail at 11.4%. This means that you probably know someone who has worked in retail at one point.
I’ve had some retail experience as the following:
Generally speaking, retail is tough work for little reward, mainly at the entry level. Whether you’re beating your body stocking shelves or dealing with angry customers, retail is a different animal many don’t find worth the pain. However, you have the whole backend (supply chain) of retail where you won’t have to deal with non-business customers, but there are reasons warehouse workers get paid more!
However, the retail industry is where you can move up through management fairly quickly; however, keep in mind that quick promotions and a possible great lack of leadership and management training may be setting you up to fail.
Larger retailers also have been providing numerous benefits, so make sure to them out and take maximum advantage if you’re starting a retail career.
Cashier
This was actually my first job in the late 90’s, so technology has improved quite a bit since then. The job essentially remains the same though!
What I did
When a customer walked up to me, I smiled, asked “Did you have an exceptional visit today?” (that was what the company wanted), grabbed merchandise, moved the merchandise over a laser, and put the merchandise in a bag. When I wasn’t working the register, I would straighten and face (make things look pretty) the checkout aisles. If it was really slow, I would be sent to straighten and face the rest of the store.
Positive Takeaways
- Being a cashier was my first customer service position. I learned that I liked talking to people in a business environment and was fairly decent at it. This experience would go on to help me become a Flight Attendant.
- As weird as it sounds, a low paying job as my first job set the standard for any jobs down the line. I was making $6.25 an hour (started at $6.00, which is actually about $10.79 in 2024), and this helped me appreciate future jobs more.
- Required no previous experience, but I left with plenty.
- I was given the opportunity to make announcements. When I got this job, I was a bit of a shy guy, but this helped me climb out of that shell.
- I didn’t have any problems with management.
- The company gave me money to move things over a laser, put things in bags, and talk to people.
Negative Takeaways
- Pay wasn’t great, but the cashier is an almost-no-skill job for extroverts!
- Became monotonous and boring after a while.
- One time, I had a minority accuse me of being racist towards her people because I wouldn’t reduce the price of a vacuum from $299 to $99. A cashier doesn’t have that kind of power anyways!
- I got this job when I was 17, when I thought people chewing gum were instantly cooler. I asked the Human Resources Manager that hired me if I could chew gum at work. She told me no because it’s not professional. Later on, I had a waitress that was chewing gum, and I immediately knew what she meant.
Final Words on Cashier
This is a job for those looking for any experience and just down on their luck in finding a job. This isn’t something one should do for more than 6-12 months, unless one is excited to go to work and is trying to figure out what to do with his/her life.
You can also make people feel special by asking for their ID when they’re buying age-restricted items! However, if the person is clearly old and grumpy, don’t bother. It stresses them out!
Unloader
The main task was to unload the trucks (sometimes with up to 4,000 pieces of merchandise in them), separate them by department and place them on pallets, then pull the pallets out to the sales floor. When we weren’t doing that, we were restocking shelves, but during the holiday season, we hardly had time for this.
Positive Takeaways
- Gave me something to do before I went to college.
- Worked during the busiest season as an unloader, so it wasn’t too boring.
- Didn’t need to workout.
- Got to listen to music over a boombox while working!
- Most of the Negative Takeaways didn’t bother me too much because it was only a temp position.
Negative Takeaways
- Temporary employees didn’t get a discount, nor did I receive holiday pay. I knew of this before I started, but the killer for me was when I was only going to be working for a few hours setting up for Black Friday. Instead of the 2-3 hours I was told, I ended up working about 10 hours.
- Earned a mere $7.95 as an unloader, which was less pay than people who consistently didn’t work as much or as hard as me. It turns out relative pay is important.
- Some of the management were slave drivers. There was one time when we had two trucks to unload. There were three managers in the back room. One of them was helping. The other two were standing there telling us to work faster because the trucks needed to be unloaded as soon as possible.
Final Words on Being an Unloader
My brother has worked at a large department store chain for over a decade. He started off as an unloader, and it treated him well. If I had stayed, I definitely would’ve either been fired or I would’ve made a lot of change.
Stocker
Stocking in a large retailer will keep you busy! Unlike being an unloader, you are both in front and in back of the store, most likely out front with the customers.
Positive Takeaways
- As with all entry level positions in retail, no experience necessary.
- Never was a shortage of work to do.
- For a while, I had a 4-night, 10-hour schedule. It made the job and working overnights more bearable.
- Like unloading, this job was very physical. One of the most physically fit times I ever had been was one year after working as a stocker.
Negative Takeaways
- Turnover was very high, so having to cover down in many areas was likely.
- My position was on the overnight team, so working overnights is terrible and I wouldn’t suggest it without a lot of consideration. I ended up having to work 5 nights a week, and that was a factor in me quitting.
- Management made this job horrific, so I ended up quitting much earlier than anticipated. I also ended up gaining a lot of weight because of stress eating.
Final Words on Being a Stocker
Make sure you are well aware of how much work this job actually is. Some people quit within the first few days because of how much inventory they’re stocking. You also have to remember you’re facing customers as well, so balancing the work with customer service can be challenging.
Final Thoughts on Working in Retail
Not all retail is the same. Some businesses have a lot of traffic and some don’t. Also, don’t forget about the online retail stores! Whether you’re in extrovert or introvert, you can find a place in retail as long as people need to buy things. No matter what you want to do, there probably is a spot for you. Keep in mind what you are worth and don’t let the retail managers walk all over you!
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