gustave154
Member
Worked retail for 2 years. It literally was hell for me. I didn't feel my life was going anywhere
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For Some Reason, No One Wants Entry-Level Retail Jobs
- Thread starter Dalek
- Start date
Azure Phoenix
Member
Minimum wage, no commission, low contract, hours unstable from week to week, constant budget cuts piling on more pressure, no sick pay so you have to work while you feel like death, shifts all over the place, midnight shifts, 1 day off at Christmas, constant sales targets pressure from your manager, having to clean up vomit, food and god knows what else customers leave behind and constant demeaning verbal and mental abuse from customers which at best makes you hate humanity and at worst leaves you hating yourself and life itself. Oh, and the threats of physical violence leaving you scared to even exit the store after your shift are great too.
Gee, I wonder why it's a job nobody would choose unless they had to. The only thing more soul crushing is job hunting, it's almost better to remain unemployed.
Gee, I wonder why it's a job nobody would choose unless they had to. The only thing more soul crushing is job hunting, it's almost better to remain unemployed.
Physically, I can't work retail any more, but I mean, I'd do it if it paid even close to what it used to pay. Cost of living goes up, pay doesn't? Let's not.
Had some guy who ignored my manager's orders and kept trying to force me into the warehouse even though my environmental sensitivity issues meant I couldn't. Randy seemed to think he could get me to "man up" and somehow this would magically heal my lungs or something.
The 'best' salesperson at the job was a woman who did nothing but lie, all the time, to customers. I outsold her handily pretty much every time. Manager promised a pizza party for hitting various sales targets. I was responsible for hitting every single one (as in, without me, we would not have hit one) every time he gave us a goal. He always scheduled the pizza for days when I wasn't scheduled to work.
At one point he decided to punish me for something--I was working both USPS and retail for a while, and he didn't like that my schedule wasn't as flexible as he wanted it to be--so he started scheduling me like... an hour here, two hours there, wasting my time, rather than just giving me entire blocks. Never mind that I sold more than everyone else in the store combined.
When the Post Office offered to bump me up to 30/wk for $15/hr, I was gone.
Fuck You, Pay Me.
Had some guy who ignored my manager's orders and kept trying to force me into the warehouse even though my environmental sensitivity issues meant I couldn't. Randy seemed to think he could get me to "man up" and somehow this would magically heal my lungs or something.
The 'best' salesperson at the job was a woman who did nothing but lie, all the time, to customers. I outsold her handily pretty much every time. Manager promised a pizza party for hitting various sales targets. I was responsible for hitting every single one (as in, without me, we would not have hit one) every time he gave us a goal. He always scheduled the pizza for days when I wasn't scheduled to work.
At one point he decided to punish me for something--I was working both USPS and retail for a while, and he didn't like that my schedule wasn't as flexible as he wanted it to be--so he started scheduling me like... an hour here, two hours there, wasting my time, rather than just giving me entire blocks. Never mind that I sold more than everyone else in the store combined.
When the Post Office offered to bump me up to 30/wk for $15/hr, I was gone.
Fuck You, Pay Me.
I live in a wealthy area and retail is dying for workers. There are hiring signs all over the stores where I live and they have been up forever. It probably doesnt help that public transportation doesnt come out to most suburbs, so the people that could possibly work those jobs cant even get to them.
Pyroclastic
Banned
As a temp/seasonal worker, I know what I'd rather be though. Maybe as a permanent worker it's different. You're a complete and utter peace of meat Amazon, for like 5p more than the minimum wage, Fuck working through an agency for that kind of money. Haven't bought from them since.
JimiNutz
Banned
I did two years of retail in college and actually really enjoyed it, so much so that I nearly decided to go full store management after a lot of encouragement from my boss at the time.
This was over 10 years ago now though so maybe things have changed. It was also in the UK and not the US so fuck knows what working with the US public would be like.
This was over 10 years ago now though so maybe things have changed. It was also in the UK and not the US so fuck knows what working with the US public would be like.
AgentLampshade
Member
Working retail has made me resent Christmas. I'm sure I'm not alone.
Actually I actively fear it.
Actually I actively fear it.
Romars202129
Member
Retail is hell. Such a mind numbing experience, low pay, and requires ridiculous amounts of your time, yet you'll be suprised how little hours you'll actually be getting.
Not to mention its a degrading and suprisingly grueling at times job, that garners 0 respect from anyone.
Not to mention its a degrading and suprisingly grueling at times job, that garners 0 respect from anyone.
squallheart
Member
Shoot after 10 yrs I finally quit target in summer best decision ever. I work freelance and enjoy it make more money than I did there. My next goal police force but wonder if I'm to old now lol
ElRenoRaven
Member
Yea also worked for Wal Mart in the days. It was pure hell. Shit I was part of the class action for the whole breaks/lunches thing they had. You're treated like shit by the customers and your bosses. You are at their mercy on schedule most of the time and the hours are insane hours that are bullshit like 10-7 etc. Then they expect you to do the job of multiple people for very low pay and poor benefits all so they can save a few bucks by not hiring enough people. I still remember regularly having to cover electronics, toys, and sporting goods and even having to cover hardware half the fucking time by my damn self.
So yea screw that shit. Till they learn to treat their employees better they'll continue to have these troubles.
So yea screw that shit. Till they learn to treat their employees better they'll continue to have these troubles.
Most american companies look at that and would rather close their doors for good than pay it.
America wants you to work, work, work your ass off, work multiple jobs, do whatever it takes. Doesn't give a shit about you.
Ughh.
Don't forget the utter lack of respect and acknowledgment of your efforts from management.
Month A: Looks like you're not hitting your numbers consistently. Up sell. Sell more high margin products. Lie to people and pretend you believe in this 'awesome' deal and this 'amazing' product. Don't care how, just trick them into spending.
Month B: You hit all your goals last month! Your work has made our store highest in the district! But why didn't you sell more? You should strive for 10% above goal. I'm disappointed. By the way, to make budget, we're cutting your hours. But still sell like, 20% above goal, or else.
Don't forget the utter lack of respect and acknowledgment of your efforts from management.
Month A: Looks like you're not hitting your numbers consistently. Up sell. Sell more high margin products. Lie to people and pretend you believe in this 'awesome' deal and this 'amazing' product. Don't care how, just trick them into spending.
Month B: You hit all your goals last month! Your work has made our store highest in the district! But why didn't you sell more? You should strive for 10% above goal. I'm disappointed. By the way, to make budget, we're cutting your hours. But still sell like, 20% above goal, or else.
Curious Puppy
Banned
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but isn't $25 an hour for retail in America like, nonexistant even at the very top level?
ultracal31
You don't get to bring friends.
Don't forget getting mad at you for not swearing loyalty after being worked like that
SliceSabre
Banned
I was a cashier at Walmart for like three fucking days before I quit, I made the mistake of getting hired during the holiday season for some extra cash.
Oh boy one of my top five worst mistakes of my life.
Oh boy one of my top five worst mistakes of my life.
You'd make more than that at manager level usually but everyone else wouldn't get close. I worked at Wal-Mart here in Canada for a little over a year and found out that even assistant managers there only make around 18 an hour. The only person who makes anything substantial was the head manager who made around 40 an hour
Aarglefarg
Member
$25.50 AUD is $20 USD.
$25.40/hr here, though I was at the 2015 minimum wage until like August this year, I've never been rostered for a weekend or public holiday yet, I don't get holidays or sick leave or anything because I'm labeled as a casual worker instead of part-time, I don't get the required breaks for my hours (just getting 10 minutes when I work over 5 hours and nothing when I work just under 5 hours) and I can't support the SDA but am looking into RAFFWU...
Yes, and the pay is often barely worth it.
Vipershark
Member
I've never worked retail (fast food veteran here) but I can confirm that the Amazon warehouse is far, far better.
The lack of having to deal with the public alone makes it worth it, not to mention the increase in pay over minimum and day one benefits.
There might be a lot to complain about but it's definitely a big step up.
Depends on what the job is, but I could see it being achievable. The pharmacists at my CVS make around 55/hr, techs are around 10/hr and I make 9.74/hr as a cashier (applied for a tech position tho for that sweet sweet 24c bump).
I put in about seven years as various levels of management at one retailer. I'm the type of guy that actually puts his staff first so when people had flexible schedules I'd make it work.
Got in deep shit because one of the girls I hired at a store I opened told me shortly after he promotion to management that $11/hr wasn't enough to raise her kids on and justify the stress as a manager. Told my regional that he better give her at least a couple dollars an hour pay bump it he'd lose her.
Fast forward six months. I'm opening a different store and he calls me all pissed off cuz she quit. Said I never told him and all but accused me of sleeping with her. I recounted verbatim what he said when I told him six months earlier he was gonna lose her. "I don't remember but that is a saying I'd use..." Topic change.
I left shortly thereafter. Had my last store humming. Replaced the shitty managers he gave me with my own hires, had new managers in training to staff other stores, etc. Dude came in two days after I left and started trashing me to my friends that were managers at other stores as well as my staff.
Moral of the story with retail is, even if you're good, most people aren't and the incompetence tends to drain upward. It's entirely difficult to try to treat your people well, help them with their jobs/goals, develop them, and have bottom line sales meet goals. I did it all but because my regional was an idiot i still left. The industry is absolutely dying for any retailer who can't provide something I can't get online. Most aren't dynamic enough to think outside the box and provide a better client experience. The ones that do will be just fine, but not many do which is why the field will be a wasteland of a bygone era in the next fifteen years.
Got in deep shit because one of the girls I hired at a store I opened told me shortly after he promotion to management that $11/hr wasn't enough to raise her kids on and justify the stress as a manager. Told my regional that he better give her at least a couple dollars an hour pay bump it he'd lose her.
Fast forward six months. I'm opening a different store and he calls me all pissed off cuz she quit. Said I never told him and all but accused me of sleeping with her. I recounted verbatim what he said when I told him six months earlier he was gonna lose her. "I don't remember but that is a saying I'd use..." Topic change.
I left shortly thereafter. Had my last store humming. Replaced the shitty managers he gave me with my own hires, had new managers in training to staff other stores, etc. Dude came in two days after I left and started trashing me to my friends that were managers at other stores as well as my staff.
Moral of the story with retail is, even if you're good, most people aren't and the incompetence tends to drain upward. It's entirely difficult to try to treat your people well, help them with their jobs/goals, develop them, and have bottom line sales meet goals. I did it all but because my regional was an idiot i still left. The industry is absolutely dying for any retailer who can't provide something I can't get online. Most aren't dynamic enough to think outside the box and provide a better client experience. The ones that do will be just fine, but not many do which is why the field will be a wasteland of a bygone era in the next fifteen years.
mhayes86
Member
The pay is awful, but a job is a job. The problem I saw quite a bit while working retail was how management treated a lot of employees. Low pay and being treated like garbage sucks.
Depends, I guess. While working at Target several years ago, I saw a team lead's paycheck. He was making $20/hr. I imagine it's higher for leads with seniority, store managers, and district managers. As for regular employees, one lady I worked with capped out her pay, which was pretty low. I think $15/hr or something.
Depends, I guess. While working at Target several years ago, I saw a team lead's paycheck. He was making $20/hr. I imagine it's higher for leads with seniority, store managers, and district managers. As for regular employees, one lady I worked with capped out her pay, which was pretty low. I think $15/hr or something.
I mean the wage is "better" but Australia also has a higher cost of living.
Very few people can even get close to that. My department head makes around that, but he's been with the company 40+ years to get that kind of pay as a Butcher. He also very close to retirement as well. The very next highest paid person makes around 16-17 an hour with his 20+ years experience at the trade. The key thing here is that they have a trade, but they just happen to work in a retail environment.
peanutbutterlatte
Member
My job right now is super intense, I have to do loads of extra work, and expectations from management are ridiculously high.
Would still work at it until I was 90 years old than go back to retail. Shit scars you.
Would still work at it until I was 90 years old than go back to retail. Shit scars you.
I work retail in an art gallery and it's....not terrible. We get our share of assholes obviously but it's way fucking better compared to working at fucking GameStop for 5 1/2 years lmao.
it's nice because i don't have to sell shit to people and the pay is pretty sweet for how hard the work is.
it's nice because i don't have to sell shit to people and the pay is pretty sweet for how hard the work is.
R10Neymarfan
Member
I could never work retail because every time I send an applicaiton they never answered back. Then I get generic emails saying "not considered for blah blah at this time". If they're so desperate why am I struggling to get a response from them. then again maybe I'm dodging bullets
Chmpocalypse
Blizzard
Quite strange, people not jumping at the chance to be overworked, underappreciated and exploited for a paltry non-living wage. Whatever could be the reason?
Douche McBaggins The 3rd
Junior Member
Its worse. At least i can unload on a fuck face.
You can get to that point at Walmart or other companies or pretty close to it, but it takes years and leads to the situation where someone gets trapped in retail because now all their experience is retail and nobody else has a job for that much money at entry level.
When I worked at Walmart there were workers with 20 year badges and one with a 30 year badge. Let's just say the 30 yearer had no reason to stop working at Walmart, and they weren't management either. She made a lot and accumulated PTO at such a redic rate that transitioning to another job would have been a significant drop in income and benefits, even though she was interested in doing other things.
Entitled/lazy millennials obviously. they are KILLING the retail industry.
I work with the public and I hate Christmas. I cant imagine what its like for retail people between the Black Friday fist fights, every person having a melt down when they cant get toy of the year for their kid and just the general hate that you can sense build in people as they simply stand in line.
Excuse me I may need to be sick. :x
Sounds like you might be the sheltered one. How many guests have you almost been stabbed by? Ever had to deal with an overdose in a public restroom? And the mother/daughter fist fights. Those are a blast.
Vicetrailia
Member
Just another need for automation.
PeskyToaster
Member
The obvious answer is you have to pay more and provide more benefits because the current wage is unsustainable for a majority to make a living but sure lets make some convoluted psychoanalytical argument about the mindset of the current generation.
It cant be that surprising that no one wants to get shat on for a pittance, right?
It cant be that surprising that no one wants to get shat on for a pittance, right?
You don't. All their workers either have to commute for hours via bus or live in their car in the company lot.
Mr Fahrenheit
Member
This is just my personal experience, but maybe one reason theyre having trouble hiring people because they dont call applicants until like eight months later. Thanks for the call Best Buy but I got another job almost a year ago.
Epsilon-delta
Banned
This is how it was for me when I was an overnight stocker for Walmart 16 years ago.
Working off the clock was straight bullshit. I worked in the toy department during the holidays. The shit I seen during Black Friday was insane. Customers punching assistant managers and then getting fired for defending themselves.
I lasted long enough before I eventually joined the military. Retail is bullshit and Walmart sucks.
Retail for almost 7 years here. There is a big difference between working retail for an American company than say a French company (which I happen to work for).
- 11 an Hour
- 300% pay rate or leave for working sundays and holidays in december and 250% for non-holiday season Sundays
- 8 Food stamps (one each day I work)
- Hospitalisation insurance
- Automatic Pension saving (up to 80 a year)
- 4 Weeks holiday (not counting the days you earn by working sundays/holidays and choosing to get it back in the form of vacation instead of extra )
- Up to 30% Employee discount
That said, after almost 7 years, this absolutely doesn't compensate for how unfathomably shitty people are. Retail changes you to the core, for better and worse. Self entitlement and arrogance have increased very noticably.
- 11 an Hour
- 300% pay rate or leave for working sundays and holidays in december and 250% for non-holiday season Sundays
- 8 Food stamps (one each day I work)
- Hospitalisation insurance
- Automatic Pension saving (up to 80 a year)
- 4 Weeks holiday (not counting the days you earn by working sundays/holidays and choosing to get it back in the form of vacation instead of extra )
- Up to 30% Employee discount
That said, after almost 7 years, this absolutely doesn't compensate for how unfathomably shitty people are. Retail changes you to the core, for better and worse. Self entitlement and arrogance have increased very noticably.
B-but the CEOs!