Next, please.
Working with the public is hard. It’s poor pay and high stress yet a lot of us find ourselves there for a multitude of reasons. For two years I worked behind the tills in a garden centre while I tried to pursue other, more lofty goals (being paid to talk about the world). Although it was just as hard as they say, it did me a whole heap of good. Here are the 6 ways in which working behind a till has made me a better person.
I realised not everyone thinks like me
Turns out, just because I always have my purse open and my loyalty card ready when I’m in a shop, doesn’t mean everyone else does. Some people are so absorbed in their day to day lives they do not have any capacity to be organised. I find this deeply infuriating — why don’t you try harder to be more on top of things?! — but my own opinion is essentially irrelevant. I have come to understand that it is my job to meet people where they are when they arrive in front of me. It is not my place to judge someone if they do not ‘behave’ as I wish them to. This helps me with other interactions in my life. It is unrealistic to come from a place of superiority when interacting with another equally flawed human being. Feeling the need to guide or chastise someone’s actions is all ego. It is much kinder to meet people where they are than to try and change them. However, that doesn’t mean not having boundaries, which I will come to in a second.
I became slightly more patient
I don’t know if I will ever be a patient person. It is something I practice (and boy do I get a lot of time to practice in this job) but I have a fast-moving brain and I want to get things done quickly and efficiently. To make matters worse I work in a garden centre, and the clientele is mostly elderly ladies so you can imagine the pace of our interactions. If I have just come back from a holiday or a weekend off, I have all the patience in the world for a gossip, but by day five I want to do anything but have a slow, drawn-out conversation while you pull all your cards out of your wallet. If I must repeat myself another time Brenda, I’m going to scream. The reality is, in those moments I have a choice — what kind of person do I want to be? Deep down, I know I don’t want to be cruel, so I sit with my impatience heavy on my chest, trying to remain neutral while also doing my job. This is good for me, to not let myself be overwhelmed into behaving in a way I don’t want to. I’m proud to say I’ve become less reactive.
I learnt better boundaries
Sometimes, no matter how much you try, customers will be unhappy with something you’ve done during their interaction with you. This could be as simple as having to charge them for a plastic bag or tell them you can’t take dogs into the shop. It never ceases to amaze me that people forget that I, a minimum wage employee, did not make these rules and are only here to communicate them. It may be surprising to you to hear this sir, but I couldn’t care less if you disagree, speak to my manager if you have a problem. Having to have difficult conversations like that daily is a great way to practice maintaining boundaries. Sometimes saying ‘no, sorry’ is a full sentence. This helps with difficult conversations in real life too. If a boundary of mine is being crossed I’m far more likely to recognise that and maintain my position calmly and fairly – because if I’ve done it for a random stranger, I can surely do it for the people who love and care for me.
I learnt to let go more
Before working in this job, I used to take things personally. I used to think if someone was mad it me then it was me who had done wrong and I would sulk and ruminate on how I could do better next time. I used to fear getting in trouble. Now I know that nothing is ever personal and every customer’s behaviour reflects themselves more than a reflection of me (especially if I am coming from a good place). The reason I know this is because people can and will be mean to you for no clear reason, no matter how hard you try. I am not a therapist, it is not my job to try and make someone’s day better, but I can make damn sure I do right by myself by not letting it upset me. This mindset shift has allowed me to brush things off quicker and understand that nothing is ever worth getting that worked up about.
I learnt to be in the present moment
Sometimes I just don’t want to be speaking to the person in front of me. Maybe I’m tired, maybe I’ve had a lot of bad interactions that day, or maybe I have a lot on my mind. I want to get my head down and get the interaction done so I can move on to something I’d rather be doing. When this happens, I’m acutely aware that I am not living in the moment. Living in the moment is one of my biggest challenges and practicing bringing my attention back to where I can be a huge challenge especially with all the distractions of modern life. However, all there is the here and now, no matter if it’s pleasant or unpleasant. Learning to sink into it entirely and give someone your full attention is such a fantastic skill to allow yourself to appreciate what is happening in front of you and the magic that there is to experience.
And finally ….
I’ve learned to enjoy connecting with people
Even in the bad times, I realised I like the social interaction of working in a customer service job. This job is an interface for dealing with people organically. Where is there a better position to be in where you can really impact someone’s day for the better or learn something new or maybe even see a little dog?! I find it fascinating how each person is unique and going through a variety of things in there live that is evident even in the short time I spend with them. I feel energised by being out in the world, talking about things with people, moaning about the state of the world with my colleagues etc. With everything moving to automation, I do worry for us. Surely, we all shouldn’t get too used to not having to talk to each other.
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Do you have experiences of working in retail? Feel free to comment below — I’d love to hear from you!
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