.Your Guide to Retail.

I have worked retail, in the area of apparel for many years. I have seen it all, heard it all and handled it all. Maybe I have done it for too long at this point, but I can't take the customer complaints anymore. Due to the time of year and influx of shoppers and impatience I have prepared a bit of a guide to help smooth the process. For those who have never worked for a corporate company I will answer the questions that are often somehow clouded in misconception. While in the store itself you are enjoying the most basic level of the company, the final culmination of many, many policies, procedures and decisions made by those you CANNOT SEE or TALK TO. The people (poor innocent people) you see smiling at you and greeting you are doing what they are told and the product you see has not been chosen by ANY OF THEM. We little peon workers do not decide a.) the return policy b.) the price of the clothing c.) what product and sizing are available. If you have made the choice to risk not buying something in the store until it goes on sale that is YOUR RISK. If it is no longer available we do not have the capability to magically have it appear or hire low waged workers to sew it for you in the back. I know...it's not ideal. Also, if you are making a LARGE and COMPLEX return, exchange, purchase, and/or have the desire to take your anger out on someone and have very little time on your hands...yelling and/or drumming your fingers on the counter cannot and will not speed up the time it takes to go through the process. Come back when you feel more relaxed and have more time. This also may come as a surprise, but most likely you are not the only person in the world who is shopping at that point in time and most likely you are not the only person who needs something...awkwardly enough the ratio of customer to sales associate is generally not equal, breathe deeply and stay calm. Until you have reached the counter and have paid with your choice of method, the clothing does not belong to you...taking it into the fitting room is a courtesy provided by the retailer and crumpling it up and throwing it on the floor is weird, rude and should embarrass you. It also does not help with the latter issue of inspiring happiness and willingness in those working to get you what you need. Lastly and most importantly, you are buying clothing not changing/saving the world, it is not life or death...if all your wildest dreams do not come true life will indeed go on. Please, do not ruin the day of the poor soul who has done nothing to personally wrong you, is underpaid and has probably done everything they can to find you that damned $39.95 top that you have waited and waited for to be marked down. Thank you for reading this PSA and happy shopping to all!