Every job I have had for an extended period of time has always been a retail job, and honestly, it really takes a specific type of person to really enjoy working in retail.
Personally, I am an introvert who takes a while to warm up and approach strangers, especially the first time I worked in a clothing store. My boss noticed that I was extremely timid and had a hard time asking costumers if they needed any help. Eventually, I warmed up and felt better about it but I was always worried that they would ask me a question and I wouldn't be able to answer and have to ask my boss. I would also be afraid that my boss would think I'm a total idiot for not knowing. Needless to say, working retail gives me anxiety.
I find that patients are key and if you do not care about the company you are working for it makes a very big difference in the effort you put into your job. I had never found an attachment or passion for the companies I have worked for in the past. Even though they were just part time jobs so I had a little extra spending money and money to live off of, I hated going to work every time I had a shift. Finding a job while your young that does not involve customer service is a very hard task, (at least where I live) and nearly impossible to find.
This one company I worked for was supposed to be a great summer job. Everyone who I told I got the job congratulated me about getting hired by this company because they were supposed to be really hard to get hired by, ended up being really crappy to work for. It was mostly just my luck of getting the worst location and I hardly got any shifts... They basically just had me on call every single day for 5 months... Do you understand how annoying that was for a collage kid trying to earn money in the summer? They also did not disclose this information when they hired me. My best friend who got hired by the same company but got put in a better location worked basically 5 days a week and was actually on the schedule. However because I was never scheduled I would have to call and ask if they needed me at all that week, and the answer was ALWAYS no. Anyways, because of my anxiety whenever they did call me in last minute, typically asking if I could be there within the next hour, I typically made up some excuse saying I couldn't come in because I felt like it was too last minute and I got really anxious. I also do not have a car so I would always have to ask my Dad to drive me, which is annoying. (and it would take over an hour to get to work by bus)
So all in all, I have not enjoyed working retail, and it is a fine art to work in customer service.
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