Now us sales assistants always get a bad wrap. On the one side we’re accused of being overbearing, pushy bimbos. At the same time we’re stretched to the other side of the spectrum as being stuck-up, snobby people. Here’s our rebuttal.
Firstly, this position is not the be-all and end-all of our careers. A lot of us are actually enrolled in secondary or tertiary education, and/or hoping to work our way up the ladder and end up in head office playing a more ‘respectable’ role. For others like us it’s an outlet from staid office jobs, apprenticeships, internships, etc.
Lesson 1: We’re not dumb.
Secondly, we’re not as spoilt as you think. If we were, we wouldn’t be working in retail – you’d be surprised how little it pays.
Some of us are working to help provide for our family financially – even if it means supporting ourselves. Some of us are trying to pay for our own education. Some of us are saving up for a home, or the chance to travel overseas. Some of us are saving up for a car – hence why we’re not working in a remote office as an administration assistant in a suburb untouched by public transport.
Although you will find the odd sales assistant who landed the job through connections, works for the fun of it, and spends their whole pay packet, as well as some of Daddy’s money on clothes and whatnot (given the chance, who wouldn’t?) – please don’t stereotype the rest of us.
Lesson 2: Yes, we have goals!
Thirdly, we might be naturally outgoing, but we’re taught how to be sticky beaks. For some reason it seems that human resources departments around the globe have yet to catch on to the fact that not all customers like being asked what the weather is like outside, what they’re doing today, and who they’re doing it with. Your energy is better spent sending your complaints to them – as opposed to contributing to the mountain of online forums bagging us out.
Whether or not we keep our jobs is determined by a list. They vary from company to company – but include whether or not we smiled, made eye contact, complimented you, made you aware of promotions, or offered you another item with your purchase. Whether or not we do these things is monitored by people called mystery shoppers, hired either by the company or the shopping center to make sure we’re doing a ‘good’ job at customer service. They don’t have a uniform, they look just like you - can you blame us for being so cautious?
Lesson 3: Don’t hate the player, hate the game!
Finally, you’ve all probably wondered why we don’t back off after you’ve picked up one item from the racks. Blame it on the individual sales targets we have to meet, of which our position is subject to review if we don’t meet them. Such figures vary depending on the days of the week (e.g. Thursdays to Sundays are generally busier than Mondays to Wednesdays) and/or trading periods (e.g. Christmas). It’s the company’s way of tracking whether or not we’re doing a good job, and indirectly - whether or not we’re following the selling steps as mentioned above.
But most importantly, under the laid-back atmosphere you might enter into, potentially lies a competitive relationship between staff. Some people will ‘steal’ customers off someone else – sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose, and sometimes by the latter purported as the former.
Whose customer is who’s is based on who said ‘hi’ first, or who put an item of clothing in the change room first, or who assisted a customer already in the change room when the first staff member has walked off. So yes, things can get very messy – especially for disorganised companies with no set procedure.
Our being clingy let’s everyone else know that you’re ours. So when we ask you to wait for the other person to come back we don’t mean to be snobby or lazy; we’re just being considerate of our fellow work mate. It’s when we take over that you should be worried.
Lesson 4: A little short-term commitment can’t hurt.
So with the Christmas period nearing it’s ugly head, please, help us help you :)
Love, Noeline
xox
