Retail Evolution

I recently began working as a full-time sales associate for a regional department store, one I worked for thirty years ago at another location doing an accounting job in the back office. My work experience during that 30 year interim has been primarily non-retail and focused on administrative support and project coordination for non-profit or educational programs, and while I've maintained a familiarity with and fondness for the store where I'm now working, I haven't spent enough time there over the years to really notice the changes in the department store environment. The last few months have gotten me up to speed pretty quickly.

I found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed working as a sales associate when I started my job as a part-time seasonal employee shortly before Christmas of 2018. Despite the frenzy and stress of accommodating hordes of last-minute holiday shoppers, I loved working with and serving the customers - it allowed me to connect to other humans in a way that was satisfying and often lots of fun. I had to learn a lot about other aspects of the job, from the computerized registers to the non-selling tasks of "recovery" and "take-backs" (essentially cleaning up, reorganizing, and returning merchandise left in dressing rooms or other places) throughout the shift, but my managers and coworkers were helpful and encouraging and I was excited by the opportunity to learn about the world of retail as a newcomer.

I was happy to accept a full-time sales position with the store after the holidays, although I remember being worried I'd be "bored" during downtime when there were no customers. It didn't take long to discover that quite the opposite was true. Between frequent lack of adequate sales associate coverage and the monumental tasks of moving mountains of merchandise from one place to another, I found that my strongest asset (and favorite part of the job) - serving customers in a friendly, professional, and thorough way - was often at odds with the other tasks I was required to do. While customers started to compliment my attention to them and thank me for "better service than they'd had in years" (with my rising sales performance reflecting this), my coworkers and managers subtly made it clear that non-customer tasks were as much if not more of a priority...a customer in line to make a purchase could wait, but the rack of items that had to be returned to their proper departments couldn't. I've resisted the temptation to be discouraged by this, partly because I want to challenge myself to learn how to do this job better and partly because of the unique loyalty I feel to this particular store - the store where my parents and grandparents bought the vast majority of clothes I wore as a child.

At the same time I feel validated and a little sad when I hear my fellow sales associates, particularly ones with years of experience, express their frustration with their own increasing workloads. I was told rather frankly when I was hired that the store had been experiencing problems with their sales staff, so like the sociology student I am I've been particularly interested in observing the dynamics between the store and its employees. I'm a long way from making any conclusions at this point - not that I have much spare time to observe anything given how busy each workday is - but it's pretty clear that the days of leisurely shopping in a brick and mortar store are fading away, and the efforts that corporate heads and management are making to stem this tide seem to ignore the value of their front line employees in a way that will most likely be detrimental to the company's overall success. The human element is missing, and sometimes it's downright eerie to see that my workplace feels more like a factory than an upscale department store. The gift-wrapping and alterations services are gone, as is a central customer service area. I'm still surprised when customers ask me if we have price-checking scanners, something I rather snobbishly associate with discount stores...but considering the constant flurry of different sales, coupons, and complicated clearance pricing it's not surprising that a good 80% of my customers ask for price checks on items they're interested in. I quietly wonder if this lack of clarity about pricing is a problem or a deliberate strategy - get the customers in the door with promises of sales and let them figure out the details once they're here.

I don't know how long this particular chapter in my working life will last, but I'd like to think my time in this job will play some small part in keeping the store and its legacy alive - despite the fact that even as a permanent full-time employee I barely make enough money to afford rent in the most modest accommodations. I have more questions than answers, but if nothing else I'm enjoying this particular vantage point, the new experiences it provides me. And of course my 20% employee discount.