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About This Quiz
Those starting out in the retail industry often come in with enthusiasm and a love of human interaction. After a few years of dealing with people, most employees begin to show signs of becoming a bit more calloused towards customers.ÂÂ
There's only so many rude individuals and idiotic questions you can handle before you start to become a bit grumpy. After many years of dealing with the full range of selfishness and stupidity that humanity can muster, it's pretty common for retail workers to become jaded and pessimistic about their fellow man.
If you've worked in retail long enough to reach this level of disgust, it's likely that you rarely listen to music anymore. We're guessing you tend to enjoy silence and that you spend a lot of time in nature, far away from people.
It also seems likely that holiday music makes you incredibly depressed and you have a psychological flinch associated with the chime that rings when customers walk through the door. There's also a good chance that you get a sadistic joy out of watching the "Black Friday" crowd fight with each other over the deals.
Don't forget to punch in. It's time to get to work and figure out how many years you've been doing this.
A customer wants to return an item but doesn't have the receipt, how do you handle it?
I'll let them return it anyway.
I'll talk to my manager. I'm sure there's something we can do.
I'll calmly explain that we cannot accept a return without a receipt.
I will bluntly state that there's nothing I can do for them and I move on to the next customer.
Someone is still shopping after business hours have come to an end. What do you do?
I start turning off the lights and locking the doors. They'll get the idea.
I will tell them that the store is closing and they can have a few minutes to find what they're looking for.
I'll just patiently wait unless they seem to be in absolutely no rush.
I won't say anything. I'll just let them finish their shopping.
A customer habitually comes in to chat with you but never buys anything. How do you handle this?
I'd ask my manager what to do about the situation.
I'd eventually tell the person that they needed to buy something once in a while.
It's no big deal. I'll just chat away with them.
I'd start ignoring them. Maybe they'll get the hint and go away.
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In general, how do you feel about people?
I'm very much a people person.
Most people are selfish jerks, but some are not terrible.
Hell is other people.
Some people are awful, but I think most are pretty great.
You just finished folding a shirt and it is almost immediately messed up by a customer who doesn't buy it. How do you react?
I'm not going to lie, I'm cursing that person under my breath.
It's a little irritating, but I'll wait until they leave and fold it again.
I will go over and immediately refold it in front of them. This job is going to kill me, I swear.
It's no big deal. If I'm working in retail, that's what I'm getting paid to do.
Do you have someone you work with who you immediately call when you need to switch shifts?
I have a few people on speed dial for that purpose.
I've never had to worry about that.
I have an idea who I will call.
I don't know everybody that well yet.
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A customer continues to talk on the phone while at the register. What is your reaction?
I just do my job. Why should it bother me?
It's a little annoying, but the customer is always right.
That drives me crazy, but what can I do.
I ignore them and start helping the person behind them in line.
How do you feel about the store's background music?
It haunts me.
I hardly even notice that it's there.
I'm starting to recognize the pattern.
Some stores have enjoyable music on in the background, but I've been in places where it was incredibly annoying.
How much of your paycheck goes to buying stuff with your employee discount?
Most of it.
I'm always shocked how little is left for me.
I don't have an employee discount.
I might get something once in a while, but I keep it to a minimum.
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How many "clopens" have you worked in your retail career?
What's a clopen?
I've done it a number of times.
I've done it more times than I can count.
I haven't done one yet, but closing the store followed by opening the next day sounds pretty rough.
What is your reaction when you hear a chime that notifies you that someone has entered the store?
I've kind of blocked that sound out.
It kind of stresses me out.
That sound is featured in nightmares I have.
I don't have a reaction to that sound.
What percentage of customers are rude to you?
Pretty close to 100%
0%
It's right around 50/50.
Only about 20% or so
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At what point do you get tired of holiday music?
Christmas Day is when I'm all set on holiday music.
I'm pretty tired of it by the middle of December.
By Thanksgiving I'm already over it.
I have an immediate averse reaction to that music.
Would you say that you're a sarcastic person?
Oh no, not at all. That was sarcastic, by the way.
I tend to get more sarcastic the higher my stress level gets.
I might throw in a little bit once in a while.
I don't appreciate sarcasm.
How do you react to being interrupted in the task you're doing?
It kind of drives me crazy when that happens, and it happens all the time.
It still frustrates me, but I'm learning to let go.
"I do one thing, I do it very well, and then I move on".
I've learned to not be attached to finishing anything.
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Have you ever lied about whether the store actually had an item in the back just because you didn't like the attitude of the person you were dealing with?
Wow! No, I would never do something like that.
I'm not proud of it, but I've done that before.
Oh yeah, I do that all the time.
I can see how that would be tempting, but I have never done that.
How anxious are you about your drawer being off?
I have to admit that it still makes me a little nervous.
I'm totally freaked out about it.
I don't worry about it anymore.
If you're honest, what do you have to worry about?
When was the last time you paid full price for an article of clothing?
I can't remember the last time I did.
It was very recently.
It's been a while.
It's been a few months since I had to pay full price.
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How likely are you to speak your mind without any filter?
I always choose my words very carefully.
I sometimes blurt stuff out, but I generally filter stuff a bit.
Let's put it this way; it's more likely than not that you're going to hear what's on my mind.
Oh, you're gonna know what I think.
Generally, what's the first thing you do after work?
Drink, heavily.
I grab something to eat and I relax.
I head home and take care of stuff there.
I head to the gym to work out.
Does your "weekend" usually happen during the week?
I'm getting used to not having regular weekends off.
I'm almost always off on weekdays, which does have some advantages.
It's pretty rare for me to work weekends.
I can't remember the last time I had a weekend day off.
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What is your reaction when I say, "Black Friday"?
It's going to be so much fun to find all the deals.
I dread it. It's such an awful night.
I love to see the customers fighting with each other.
I have to admit that it's kind of entertaining, but I'm a little scared to work that day.
If a piece of clothing looks horrible on someone, what are you most likely to say?
Let's see if we can find something else that accentuates your features better.
It looks great.
Yikes, that looks terrible on you.
I'm not saying anything.
How do you react when a customer says, "Let me talk to your manager"?
I'd happily go get my manager. Let them deal with this hot mess.
I wouldn't have a reaction. I'd just go and get the manager.
As best as I could, I'd keep calm and explain the situation to my boss.
I'd try one more time to solve the problem myself before going to get the manager.
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Would you say that working in retail has lessened your opinion of humanity?
It has only heightened my appreciation for people.
It's starting to open my eyes about some ugly stuff.
Sadly, it has a bit.
Oh yeah, people are the worst.
How good are you at guessing what the customer's question is going to be?
I can see stuff coming from a mile away.
I might guess right half the time.
I have no idea what they're going to ask.
I've never been in that situation.
How common is it for you to be in total silence when you're alone?
It's pretty rare, but I'm starting to see why that's appealing.
I've noticed that I don't listen to the radio as much anymore.
I never have silence. There's always something making noise around me.
All I want is silence. Shh.
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Do you have a gel insert in your work shoes?
No, I don't really have a need for something like that.
I added padding in my shoes a while back.
I have super-comfortable shoes and a gel insert. It's like walking on clouds.
I don't yet, but I can see that I'm going to need to do that.
How good are you at hiding that you are annoyed with a customer?
I usually can mask my frustration, but sometimes it can sneak out a little.
I am really good at pretending that I'm not irritated.
I can't fake it anymore. They know if they're pissing me off.
I'm sure I would be able to hide it just fine.
Are you more or less likely to have kids now that you've worked in retail?
Oh, I'm not having kids. There's no way.
I have kids and they are the joy of my life.
Kids are definitely a lot less appealing now that I've had to deal with them in the store.
I definitely want to have kids. That's something I'm looking forward to in a big way.
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