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Lessons from work and retail....

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Papersatan:
I second operating on scripts. "Are you finding everything alright?" and "Can I help you find anything?" frequently got the 'wrong' answer. (Can I help you find anyting?" "Yes. I'm fine.") and 80% of the time following up with "well if you need anything, let me know." would elicit an actual question.  The script for this situation leads people to say they don't need help even when they do.   Life lesson: make sure you are not only following your script, or you won't help people or get the help you need (not just in retail). 

I think in general a lot of my insights about the use of language, verbal and non-verbal, the power dynamics of assumed roles, and the 'auto-pilot' of menial tasks, like grocery shopping, came from working in a grocery store.  It was easy to watch the way parents interacted with children, and couples with each other, as well as how customers and co-workers handled stressful situations.  My 8+ years in retail taught me so much about human behavior; how to read people, how to coax them out of their shells, how to calm them when they are upset, and so much about managing my own emotions, how to empathize with a customer who is being mean to me, to understand *why* they are upset without letting myself get upset and to control my language and behavior in a way that can break through their emotions.  It is stressful, for sure to have a customer who is screaming in your face, but I have the skills now to, 8/10 times, calm that customer down, and help the to leave satisfied.  I think that is a crucial skill, unfortunately, 'the market' does not value that skill, at least not in the retail environment, so I had to move on.  The actual people skills though, useful everyday. 

LeeC:
management will let you burn in front of a customer if it makes them look good.  They will not back you up. :psyduck:

henri bemis:

--- Quote from: Gareth on 01 Mar 2013, 14:29 ---People will take their frustrations out on frontline staff regardless of their responsibility or say in the matter, and despite them being the only staff member who cares about the problem.

--- End quote ---

Definitely.  Yelling at me about something I can't control is not going to solve the problem, and, honestly, it's going to make me less inclined to keep giving a shit at all.

I've seen it happen the other way, too, though - where employees with any bit of authority will take their frustrations out on customers they think are vulnerable in some way.  I used to lifeguard at a waterpark, and when you give some people a whistle they turn into fucking monsters.

Redball:
Kat, the skills you've learned and internalized about dealing with people, and your ability to articulate them sound like an immense advantage over those lacking the skills. How will you put them to work over a lifetime? How soon could you replace a House speaker, for example? I don't mean to be looking for future politicians among the women in this forum, but it's kind of fun.

catflea:
Why specifically are you looking at the girlies?  :roll:

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