A Shopper's Delight: Post-Holidays

Shopping during the holiday season is hectic, to say the least. While Black Friday is known as one of the biggest, and often most profitable, shopping days of the year, the day after Christmas is just as large, but half as lucrative. Working at Nordstrom gave me insight into what these days mean for retailers and shoppers alike. Without a doubt, November and December were the busiest and most stressful months of the year. In the department I worked, we received commission-based wages, so during the holidays we easily made twice as much as we normally did.

What I noticed was that many of the gifts that I had spent a large amount of time and effort helping people pick out for friends and loved ones came back to me in the days after Christmas. When a customer returns an item and the original salesperson is unavailable, the new sales associate is supposed to “save the sale,” as it is called. This means that if the customer makes an exchange, the original salesperson should get credit for the new sale since returns count against your sales numbers. At times it was difficult to turn over a sale when you spent a good amount of time helping someone, only to get no credit for it. So, while my sales were up in the months leading up to the holidays, they were significantly down in January. I guess it all evens out in the end.

Here's a few things I found out after working in the biz. I didn't really know that it mattered who sold me what, or who I returned it to. I have now realized that it matters a great deal. It's a good idea to ask for the original salesperson that helped you when you bought the item when you are making a return. Then, they are more likely to save the sale (and not get dinged on their sales numbers!), and they will likely give you more attention because of your rapport. Of course, if they treated you poorly, this can be disregarded. I disliked when people wanted me to help them exclusively for a long period of time and they didn’t end up buying anything, as it took away time that I could have spent with other customers. That being said, I enjoyed straightforward customers a great deal because it was easier for them to communicate their needs to me without leading me on.

I sold expensive watches, so for big ticket items (and small ones too), I always appreciated customer loyalty. I would often hand out my business card to remind people that I helped them, and it was great when they would come back and bring my card with them or ask for me by name. Even if I wasn't available when they came back, I would still get credit for the sale if they mentioned that I helped them previously. That paycheck boost was always appreciated! Another thing that I'm more conscious of now is picking up after myself when I'm shopping in a store. I think it's courteous to be respectful of items that you try on or touch since they aren't yours until you buy them. You would be amazed at how many things get sent to clearance centers because people ruin them in the stores! Lastly, I try to be genuinely nicer to sales people these days-it is most definitely true that you will get better service and more attention just by being friendly.

All in all, I learned a lot from my time at Nordstrom, and I think everyone should work retail at least once in their life. Most important, I learned that stuff is just stuff, and it will always be there, but people are truly important. Our interactions with strangers and friends communicate things about ourselves and, ultimately, how we choose to live our lives. As my boss at Nordstrom said to me, "Don't take this work home with you. It will still be here when you get back."