Last Day at Kohl's

I thought I would have inundated the blog with posts of the wonders of retail. I haven't, obviously, and I think it's because I'd rather forget than relive them. But I can't leave this one alone.

The thing about retail is that it's a bear. I work for a corporate institution that hires many employees part-time in order to avoid worrying about giving anyone benefits. As a result, I am horribly underworked, and the store is understaffed. I answer pages to work as a back up cashier, then leave the floor, where customers find they are without help. For a store that supposedly values customer satisfaction above all else, this is an undeniably flawed system. It's quite literally all about the money.

The other thing about retail is the nature of the customers. While I understand it is my job to assist patrons to the best of my ability, there are those who I absolutely cannot stand. I am not your personal servant for the hour you peruse the store. This does not give you right to breate me over something that is far beyond my control, especially after my attempts to solve your problem. Let me explain.

The other day, I was working an 8 hour shift at Kohl's, which can be a test of endurance. I was paged to the register to assist a customer in his search for denim. Long story short, I was yelled at in front of other customers and coworkers after failing to find a pair of Levi jeans that do not exist, meaning, Levi's does not make this style of denim. I will never understand the idea of yelling at a perfect stranger. It's something about food and retail that brings out the animal in a human. While I would have rather told him to kindly suck it, I instead had to gather myself and attempt to find the nonexistant pair of jeans.

And today is my last day. Not because of the incident, which left me rattled, I might add. But because the job I have on campus is one I think I'll truly enjoy. Students needing assistance with a paper for class is far more pressing to me than say, a customer needing a top in a certain color, and by god if you don't get it to me now so help me. I'd like to think I'm working for a greater good. I'm not in it for the money, like a business would be. I'm more interested in helping a student learn to write concisely, clearly and effectively. For academic reasons. That's why I'm leaving Kohl's.