Written by Emmanuel Efozie | 16 August 2010
Posted in Retail Assistant Series

In every retail organisation, there is usually someone that stands on the shop floor to meet every demands or needs of shoppers and supposed customers. These people are often referred to as Sales Assistant, Customer Assistant or Retail Assistant etc. The average life span for most Sales Assistants as they are fondly called is usually 1-4 years. This is because most of these Customer Assistants are students trying to scrape make a living. Upon graduation they leave the job as soon as possible. Although with the recession in place I guess their misery just started because of very few graduate opportunities.

When looking for a job in retail, they always describe the job as friendly and exciting environment to work. Well this is the usual con you get when you start as a fresher in retail. From experience I have found that customers are never interesting to deal with or fun to hang around with. They make the average life of a Customer Assistant hell.

I have had the opportunity to work in the retail environment, and I can say that on a daily basis Customer Assistants constantly have to think fast on their feet. This is because most shoppers or potential customers that walk into the store need an urgent answer to an issue or a problem. Not getting the answers they want might not go down well with the customer. 

For example, an angry customer who has just bought an Apple MackBook Pro laptop the day before walks into the store, looking so pissed, eyes red with anger, sweat coming down his brows. In total he looks so upset that he wants to pour out his rage to the innocent Retail Assistant nearby. So the conversation goes like this:

Customer: I bought this MacBook Pro and I was told it comes with the latest operating system Snow Leopard. I just found out it’s a lie, you bastards want to rip me off.

The sales guy looks at the system profile and replies:

Retail Assistant: I have just looked at your system it does have Snow Leopard.
Customer: I can’t talk to you, I am just too angry you don’t know what you are talking about. Get me your useless manager because his sales team don’t know anything.

Sales guys receive worse than this, believe me. Now he calls for the manager.

Manager: Hello sir how may I help you?
Customer: I bought a laptop and it does not say what it claims. No Snow Leopard and I want it returned and my money back ASAP.

Now the customer gets angry and starts shouting pouring insults on the Retail Assistant and the manager. Telling them how useless they are and how he wants his money back.

Like I said, Sales Assistant always have to think on their feet. The Sales Assistant took the laptop and simply changed the screen saver to that of a snow leopard. And gave it to the customer and said:

Retail Assistant: Here sir, I think I have solved the problem.

He showed the customer the screen saver of the computer of a snow leopard and the customer smiled and said:

Customer: Aha now I have my snow leopard operating system. You guys wanted to con me after paying over £1000 on this computer without snow leopard. Thieving bastards.

Then the customer walks off feeling like an accomplished hero. Had the Retail Assistant not thought of changing the screen saver to that of a snow leopard screen saver, there would have been further argument leading to problems in the store which might result to throwing of fists and calling the cops. Although won't mind seeing some fist throwing in the store .

Just the other day I walked into one of the high street retailers to see a friend who works as Customer Service Advisor at the store on Oxford Street. I could not help but listen to a woman rant about the cost of a product. Poor Retail Assistant as usual had to take the heat from the customer.

Customer: Hey how come this bag now cost £25? it cost me £45.99 when I bought it last two weeks.
Retail Assistant: Well the price has been reduced because the store is having a clearance. New ranges are coming in so we need to get rid of the old stock.
Customer: This is ridiculous; you guys are real bastards and thieving people. If you can reduce the price now how come you were not able to reduce the price then? Just to have innocent people like me get ripped off. I hope you people live happily in your misery.

The Retail Assistant is not the company’s CEO so they do not determine the price regulation of products in the store. Why are they paying the price of the insults when the customer could easily have sent a mail to the CEO or preferably the owner of the business expressing her dissatisfaction. There are some basics that customers or would be ones have to put in their heads about retail business. Prices and product availability are never determined by the Customer Assistants but by the forces that play in economics called demand and supply.

Sometimes customers make certain propositions that one can't help but laugh. A customer walks into the store to buy a cable, and was told its £20.99 and he said: Wow this is expensive! How come a cable cost so much? Before the Retail Assistant could reply, the customer said: Do you know a place where I can get this cable cheaper? Well that sounds tricky because if he tells you a place to get cables cheaper then I guess he is telling his wages goodbye.

Customers are not the only people that make the life of a Retail Assistant hell, the career criminals that constantly rob the store and deprive the sales guys of their bonus is another problem. They walk into the store all looking nice and sometimes polite, flirt with a pretty female assistant and the next thing they...  to be continued. Sonia works in a high street fashion retail store on Regent Street, she like most Retail Customer Assistant has loads of experience with customers. A woman walks into her store wearing make-up inch thick, very bright red lipstick, hair all over the place, nails that looks like a killer’s dagger. She calls out “Hey, come here sales girl”. The woman now trying to be posh because the store is located on the Westend of London where the Bourgeoisie live and she said: Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani are brothers right?... .to be continued.