Working in retail this year has been significantly stressful for employees. With a pandemic at large and the stress of making sufficient funds, employees can often be left stressed and uncomfortable. A question arises, what can we, as employees and employers, expect and how can we overcome these challenges.

It is no secret that big businesses and small businesses have been impacted negatively within the last six months. However, even with the recent opening of retail stores, employees and employers are unfortunately not experiencing the easiest transition. For example, due to the recent transition to a mask wearing society, many customers get agitated and often put the employees in uncomfortable situations.

As a retail employee, there are now a lot of new itinerary that they need to keep in mind.  As an employee it is important to keep the customers safe.

Here are a few rules to remember during this pandemic :

• Do not show up to work when sick, even if you think it is just a common cold. This way, the retail store stays open and the customers stay safe.
• Even though in retail you are not specifically handling food, it is important to not only wear a mask at all times, but to also wash your hands as frequently as possible. Remember to take use of the company’s hand sanitizer.
• Although we have heard this a million times, social distance. It is important to keep a reasonable space between the customers and the employee. It is almost important to keep a distance between employees and coworkers, at least as much as you can without stopping the flow of work
• As an employer/manager, it is imperative to make sure the employees have proper care. Keep hand sanitizer, tissues, and sanitizing products throughout the store for customer and employee use.
• Employees should remember to wipe down high traffic areas such as; doors, shelves, and cash registers. It is imperative to keep the store extra clean during COVID.

The next obstacle that an employee will face during COVID is customers that are not complying to company/state health regulations. There are a few things to know and ways to deal with this.

• The first step to dealing with any customer that is not wearing a mask, is to know your county’s, store’s, or city’s policies regarding in store rules. Some areas do not require masks and some are able to completely refuse service. Be sure to talk to your manager if you are unclear on procedures.
• It is hard to deal with customers who fail to follow policies, however when seeing a customer without a mask make sure to first ask if they have one. It really helps if your store provides masks for those who forgot to avoid angry customers.
• If a customer is refusing to wear a mask, in a store that requires them, it is important to politely refuse service. This is mainly because, by not asking them to leave, other customers are at high risk of exposure.
• As a retail worker, if a customer is refusing to leave the best thing to do is to calmly get the manager, this way there are no customers on employee verbal disputes or vice versa.
• Emotionally, violent customers can be discouraging and draining, however it is best to remember that the employee is only doing their job. Do not let this type of customer bring an employee down, otherwise work will feel dreadful and customer service with deplete. Always take a minute to step away alone if a situation was too intense or frustrating.

Possibly one of the hardest things that employees had to deal with in retail this past 6 months is a major downgrade in pay. This loss of income can be scary, especially in minimum wage jobs where you are already paid at lower costs. Being overwhelmed by this can cause an employee to feel lost and miss opportunities to continue making money. There are many ways to keep afloat during hours being cut or stores closing down

• Firstly, communication. If hours are cut make sure to always keep in touch with the manager. Express concerns about the scheduling and ask if there are extra shifts that can be picked up. This may not give a ton of extra hours, but it will still allow you to make some extra cash.
• Fortunately, there are a lot of resources for those who have been put out of work or are being underworked. Most notably, unemployment is significantly more flexible during COVID, by allowing employees to apply if they are under a certain paygrade.
• Now, what does an employer do if they are at risk of COVID during regular work hours? The FCRA allows paid sick leave for COVID related issues! Also, unemployment also works if you are gone from work for a certain period of time due to coronavirus
• It is also important to note that there are a lot of online job opportunities available while also working retail, until you can get stable pay and hours.

So, even with the stress of not being paid, there are reliable resources to help retailers get by. Just make sure to really try and access those, especially since COVID has and will be an ongoing issue.

In addition, as a retailer make sure to take care of yourself. Retail employees do risk their health by going to work during this virus and need time to really take care of themselves. Retailers should not let themselves get infected or over stressed! COVID has drastically changed the way that employers work, however with a little help from employers and some extra precaution, things can go a bit smoother. There is no guarantee when COVID will end and there are a lot of obstacles that retail employees will face, as a community we must learn to respect and take care of our essential workers.

It is imperative to research the effects of COVID and how to decrease your risk, be sure to avoid stores in any other areas if you are showing symptoms.

Retail industry companies can greatly improve employee retention and productivity rates by offering competitive benefits packages.  Look at it this way: if you give your employees a decent benefits package, the core message they are likely to get is that you care for them. And once they get that message, they are likely to reciprocate — by doing their work in the best manner possible and by being loyal to you as an employer. Conversely if you only give your employees the minimum benefits required by law, they are likely to get the impression that you only care about your business’ bottom-line and that you don’t care about them as people. Consequently, they are likely to only do the minimum necessary to keep their jobs. They are also likely to be constantly on the lookout for better opportunities with employers who can give them better benefits packages…

The question that arises then is as to what benefits retail industry companies should offer to their employees. That is the question we will be tackling in this article, by looking at some of the specific benefits that progressive retail industry companies should offer to their employees.

Without further ado, the benefits that retail businesses should offer to their employees include:

1. Medical benefits: In most places, employers are required by law to offer their employees some sort of health benefits. And even outside the legal requirements, it makes sense for a retail business to offer its employees health benefits, in order to get the best output from them. If the employees are offered adequate medical cover, they are likely to operate with peace of mind. This peace of mind would be based on the assurance that they are well-covered should anything happen to them health-wise. Conversely, in the absence of adequate medical benefits, the employees – especially the ones with families — are unlikely to have peace of mind, and this is likely to affect their output. They are likely to be ever in search of opportunities in industries/firms where they can get better medical cover. It usually costs very little for an employer to offer employees medical benefits that are over and above what is required by the law. Thus, for instance, if the legal requirement is to offer a basic medical insurance cover, an employer can opt to also offer dental and vision covers. So that would be over and above the basic medical insurance cover that is required by the law. This would surely serve to send the message to the employees that their employer cares for them as individuals. And when you look at it objectively, the benefit you get from offering the extra health insurance coverage is likely to outweigh the cost by far.
2. Retirement benefits: By offering employees retirement benefits, you give them the impression that there is a ‘future’ they are working towards. Conversely, if (as a retail industry employer) you don’t give your employees retirement benefits, they are likely to start feeling as if they are in dead-end situations, without any ‘future’ to look forward to. Retirement benefits can be particularly effective at improving retail industry employee retention rates/reducing retail industry employee turnover rates. Employees are, for instance, unlikely to leave jobs where they were co-contributing towards 401(k) plans or other retirement schemes. On the other hand, in the absence of such schemes, there is very little to bind the employees to you.
3. Overtime benefits: Retail industry business employees are often forced to work overtime. In some places, employers are under obligation to pay for the overtime worked. In other places (or for certain cadres of workers), the employers are at liberty to either pay the overtime or not pay. But even where the employer has the option of not paying for the over-time worked, it is still a good idea to pay the overtime benefits. That is because not paying for overtime worked is likely to demotivate the employees greatly. And the last thing you want in a retail business is to have demotivated employees. On the other hand, if you pay your employees for overtime worked, they are likely to be greatly motivated, and to feel that you respect their time and effort.
4. Paid leaves: Retail industry jobs tend to be very intense. Therefore the employees need some time to unwind. This is where paid leave benefits come in handy. Employers in the retail industry should endeavor to give their employees paid off days every week (at least one off day per week), as well as several paid leave days every year. In the absence of those, you are likely to end up with high levels of employee burnout. That would inevitably lead to less output as well as high levels of staff turnover.
5. Insurance benefits: These include worker’s compensation and disability insurance benefits. In most places, employers are required by law to offer such insurance covers. But even where such legal requirements don’t exist, it makes sense to offer the retail employees such insurance benefits. The employees are likely to have peace of mind in knowing that they are ‘covered’ should anything happen to them in the course of their work. And with such peace of mind, the employees are likely to give their best possible output. At the very least, getting such insurance cover (which by the way tends to cost very little) gives the employees the impression that you really care for them as individuals. That in turn is likely to translate into higher levels of employee retention and higher levels of employee productivity.

The world of retail can be daunting at times, what with difficult customers, long hours, and night-marish holiday seasons like the infamous Black Friday. But knowing what common obstacles retail workers face will help you become better prepared for the job ahead. The key is to open to the experience, learn new skills and knowledge throughout the job, and to give the best service you can possibly give.

1. The First Day

First day jitters! Everyone remembers the feeling before your first day of work in retail. The doubt lingering in your mind, wondering if you’ll do something wrong, and if you could even have the capability of handling everything that your manager throws at you. The answer to that is, yes, yes you can! The jitters are especially high if it’s your very first job, but it’s not something to fret about. Being nervous on your first day is a completely normal, human experience, and with time, your job will feel second-nature to you. These are some common things that should be done on the first day at work:

• Befriend one of your coworkers: Someone will be in charge of training you and teaching you all the ins and outs of the job, and that’s usually one of your coworkers. Ask a lot of questions, in fact, ask too many questions! Understanding all the little details is the first step to overcoming that first-day fear. Absorb all that information they give to you like a sponge. Each job is unique, so ask them for advice on how to improve yourself, or things that the manager dislikes so you can avoid making those mistakes. Despite this fact, even with all this newfound information, mistakes are inevitable.
• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! This fact is true not just for the first day of your retail job, but within the first few weeks. You may misplace an item somewhere, count inventory wrong, or get a little too frustrated with a customer, and that’s completely fine! No one is perfect. Even your coworkers who have had retail experience for years make a mistake every now and then. What matters is putting yourself out there and not shying away from the fear of doing something wrong, because how else will things get done?

1. Rude Customers

With more and more experience in retail, there are some things that can’t be avoided, and that is the dreaded rude customer. Rude customers are like that annoying itch, they’re difficult to get rid of and they just won’t go away. No matter how many times you explain to the customer that you’re just a worker and the situation is out of your hands, they still may not listen. These are common solutions to dealing with rude customers:

• Deescalate the situation: The customer might just be having a rough day and are just taking it out on the poor retail worker, which in this case, is you. Sometimes they aren’t rude, they’re just upset and want their problem to be solved. After it’s solved, they usually go back to their merry way. With these types of customers, it’s best to not yell back. Speak in a calm manner and don’t react, as that will merely fuel their fire. If you can fix their problem, then simply explain to them that everything will be alright, and that you’ll just go ahead and solve it for them. If it’s out of your hands, explain to them the limits to what you can do, or suggest other solutions. At this point, it’s best to bring in a coworker or the manager to help handle the customer.
• Take a different approach: With truly rude customers that simply want to make you mad and get a reaction from you, there are different policies that each store may take. Some may be able to refuse service, other times the security can be involved and escort the customer out. Remember that you are never on your own, and that there are other people to help you.

1. Rude Managers

A problem that is less common but not unusual in retail are difficult managers. While not all managers will be this way, after a few retail jobs, you’ll start to see common patterns. Rude managers may do things such as get overly angry for small mistakes that you make, and show favoritism by giving other coworkers better hours. They may make you feel lesser than by speaking to you passive aggressively, or treating you like you are dispensable. A recurring problem is discrimination in the workplace, when it comes to things such as gender, race, or sexual orientation. Though it may feel discerning, there is a solution to every problem.

• Communication is key: If your manager is giving you unfair hours, rather than avoiding or complaining about the problem, it’s best to face it head on. Speak to your manager, tell them what is causing you trouble, and tell your terms. Do not be rude, but rather, show them respect and speak politely. Don’t let them shut you down, and be strong about believe.
• Contact corporate: If your manager is being discriminatory, it’s a good idea to contact corporate so that they can handle the situation. A manager is supposed to be fair, and if it is not reported, then the workers after you could also be treated unjustly.
• Switch stores: Another option is to switch stores. If they do get to the point where they won’t cooperate, then that is the best time to start thinking about relocating to another branch of the store. It’s important to contact someone within the company to see if that’s possible, and switch to one near your location.

All in all, though retail work can be quite a handful, every obstacle can be solved with just a little bit of problem solving. The most fulfilling part of the job is developing new skills along the way and gaining unparalleled experience that couldn’t be gained anywhere else. Remember, with confidence and hard-work, anything is possible.