Retail therapy is something every girl has experienced in her life at least once. After this past summer I’m going to need some therapy from retail instead, just kidding. This summer I experienced my first job in the world of retail at Gap Inc. Some may think that a job in retail is easy, but there’s more to it than you would think.
When people think of retail jobs, they assume you dress cute, hang and fold clothes, and talk to customers. When there are no customers, people assume employees just sit around. None of these generalizations are right. Depending on the company, you have to dress a certain way. This was hard for me cause my style isn’t really Gap, per se. I will proudly admit that one of my friends became my stylist for my first few shifts. Gap.com became my best friend for outfit inspiration. Folding clothes becomes as tedious as it sounds after a while, especially when no one on the shift before you cleans the store. In retail, customer service is everything, meaning the customer is always right is a valid statement. I cannot tell you how many outrageous customers there were. I worked mostly early morning shifts through the afternoon; my morning manager loved having me there to help her do shipment. The morning shift meant I didn’t have to dress up essentially, so I wore t-shirts and jeans, simple and very Gap.
One of my fancier days at Gap, but still with their style.
Retail has its upsides though. Because I worked shipment, I got to see new arrivals first hand and sometimes I even put something aside that I later bought. This is cliché but work was also fun because I love my coworkers. They were so funny and it was great to get to know them. Everyone loves this side of working retail; the discount. Because I was an employee of Gap, I received a discount at Old Navy and Banana Republic in addition to Gap. I won’t divulge my exact employee discount but it was great. Thankfully I didn’t overuse it and spend all of my paychecks,but I did buy some clothes I could wear to work and outside of work.
As if it were torture, toddler mannequins were hung from the ceiling of the stockroom.
People don’t usually think about the visual element of retail. The overnight and visual shifts were pure torture. Setting up the window displays, handling the mannequins (my least favorite part), arranging clothing in the proper order, and making sure that everything was as depicted in the pictures corporate sent are things you don’t normally think of when applying for retail. Mannequins are plastic hell holes. They’re heavy, awkward, and occasionally, some of them smell. The kid mannequins (Baby Gap section) are weird. They are made of fabric and bend, unlike adult mannequins which can be dismembered. One toddler mannequin smacked my coworker in the face as he attempted to take a top of it. Pulling and trudging the mannequins throughout the front window display was difficult. They never seemed to want to go where you wanted them, instead they chose to come apart, or even worse, take apart the other visual elements. I love styling, so it was fun to make up outfits when the store didn’t carry the specific item that was needed. One of my favorite parts about doing visual (mind you I only did it all of three times my one summer) was seeing the completed product. You never really think about how much work goes into it, like other things, but seeing a front display come together is almost artistic.
As much as I hated the early shifts, long commute, and having to look presentable at all times, retail was a fun experience. Gap has such a great environment and treats their employees very well, so I will definitely be back. Don’t be discouraged from working retail, find a store that is the right fit for you. Even though I don’t have the typical Gap style, I found ease in its comfortable and laid-back nature. If you approach the job with a positive attitude, it will run much more smoothly than if you act negative towards it. I didn’t get assigned to mannequins and the visual aspect much, but when I had it, I was positive. Working retail was fun, even though my hours were always changing and some customers were relentless.