Why working in retail is the pits

Retail is a job anybody can get! You hear that all the time, but what you don't hear all the time is that retail jobs lead people to start believing that being a hired killer is a job that has more rewards and it is a lot easier to manage than retail. Retail is all about customer service, and the golden rule of all retail stores is: "the customer is always right." Most stores have a written or unwritten policy that they will take back anything even if the sleeve on a mink coat is missing. The truth of the matter is that from the retail worker's point of view- customer service sucks. Customer service sucks because the salespersons don't get support from the upper management, those whom are most concerned about, their bottom line, not offending a single customer, "...yes madam we understand that the salesperson was wrong to sell you that coat with only one sleeve." This is the reason that all malls have bars that stay open late. Customer service sucks because the salespersons isn't only being asked to provide services, but also to listen to the rants and raves of customers who are returning items that they have worn, damaged or been told by their husbands to return before their financial support get cut back. While watching their commissions vanished from the computer screen, the salespersons still have to politely listen and agree to those customers rants and raves. Customers have been noticing that their rants and raves, which are directly projected at the salespeople, will get them what they want. A customer who screams at a salesperson, while complaining that the dress she bought made her look fat and the salesperson should have informed this fact and told her the calorie count of the dress, is - by definition - right. A salesperson is in no position to defend one's self or comment the customer how ridiculously the argument is. Part of the job descriptions for a salesperson is to always identify customers as the victims, and it doesn't matter what the outcome of the confrontation is, salesperson always provide services with a smile. As a salesperson, one should know right then and there that customer service sucks and it will always suck. Sales people sometimes make mistakes. Though, unless they actually cheated the customer the customer should not have the right to rant and rave likes a deranged lunatic. Nevertheless, they are being guaranteed the right to rant and rave by store managers who follow the golden rule of retail-the customer is always right. Let's face it, management will not stand up to customers and will not stand behind you because of "the golden rule". It is this attitude of management that truly makes customer service suck from the retail employees' point of view. These store policies caused tons of retail employees repositioning their careers. Competent retail employees don't stay in the retail businesses and the constant turnover of employees is one reason the customers experience less than adequate customer service in most stores. Bad services give the customers more reasons to rants and raves, and the vicious circle continues.