What is so bad about working in retail? originally appeared on Quora: the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.
Answer by Andrew Hamada, marketer and merchandiser, on Quora.
Cred: I worked in-store retail for many years, taking orders and stocking shelves, at everything from small local businesses to national chains and franchises like McDonald's and Radioshack. I later spent years on the corporate side of retail, at Amazon and Sears. Views in this answer are my own, obviously.
Here's the thing that even staunch defenders of retail will admit: retail jobs are often bad because they are treated as temporary by nearly everyone, so almost nobody designs them to be better--in fact, we design them to be worse.
Organizational behavior is a pretty interesting field of study and we've learned a lot about what makes people happy with their jobs. Most lists include things like: a sense of purpose, having responsibility, coworkers who are engaged, opportunity for advancement, knowing that your work tasks are important, and variety.
If you weren't already chuckling to yourself as you read that list, I'll say it out loud: almost none of that applies to retail.
For many/most retail jobs, the description unofficially includes:
- Being an emotional and verbal punching bag for customers. You are the front line of the company, the company knows it, and the company will make sure you know it by dictating every interaction with the customer. In ecommerce, there are people paid six-figure salaries to optimize shopping carts to convert better; in brick & mortar, that's an entry-level job that is paid within spitting distance of minimum wage. So instead, there are people paid six-figure salaries sitting in a corporate office creating plans to dictate how you will do your job. Which leads to...
None of this is unique to retail of course, and not all retail jobs are bad, and not all retailers are terrible. But I don't think it's unfair to say that in-store retail jobs are not conducive to long-term happiness or health.
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