Everyone always tell you that working with people is hard. They're not lying. Dealing with customers is both rewarding and destructive. Each person is someone completely different than the last customer you dealt with. You must be prepared for each customer, whether they become your new best friend or your worst nightmare.
I strive to be the best sales associate I can be. I try and cater to every customer's wants, but there are sometimes where patience is a virtue pops in my head. At Pacsun we deal with a large range of customers from Mothers to 9 year-old girls. It's all about keeping your cool and being professional. I've had girls spread clothes all around the dressing room just because I asked her and her friend to have separate dressing rooms. I've seen my boss try to keep her cool as she caught someone trying to steal from her. I've also have met the nicest parents, teenagers, and kids.
For every customer that may push my buttons there are hundreds that make me so happy that I work at Pacsun. No matter whether the customer upsets, yells at you, makes a mess, or does something personal, they are a customer and you are the employee. Being at sales associate at Pacsun has taught me a lot, but nothing was more surprising than learning patience truly is a virtue.
I agree with you. I used to work at Rita's Water Ice. Sometimes I would get customers that left a bigger tip than their bill and other times I would be getting yelled at because they thought I didn't put enough in their cup or because the prices were too high. It is definitely a challenge to work with the general public because you never know what to expect. You just have to remember to represent your company in the most positive and professional way possible. Patience is definitely key when handling a situation with an upset customer.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely something very important to consider in life. I also have worked in retail for three years now and I understand how hard it is to deal with unpleasant customers. I agree that you must always be considerate because we are the employees; and even though retail is considered to me under appreciated, keeping your cool in these situations can lead to opportunities later on in life.
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