Retail Hell
I have begun reading Retail Hell by Freeman Hall, and I'm devouring it. He describes himself as a Retail Slave who was the first male handbag salesperson at The Big Fancy. In the book, he does not identify the store, but the back cover refers to Nordstrom. At any rate, I was hooked from the beginning of the book, when he describes a customer attempting to return a $2000 purse that had obviously been used at the end of a very long shift right as the store was closing. Hall worked on commission, and every return was deducted from his paycheck.
As he's examining the designer handbag with the customer, he notices several scratches on the front, though the customer insists that it has not been used. When he views the inside of the purse, he finds make up smeared on the lining, and when he looks through the pockets, he finds crumpled up receipts, tampons, and even a dirty sports bra, which is the "icing on the cake." He refuses to give her a refund, and then she insists on speaking to a store manager. The store manager authorizes the return, stating that the customer will just complain to Corporate, who will take the handbag back anyway. This obviously dismays the author. He writes:
"I feel like a hooker who just gave a ten-hour blow job and was beat up and robbed by the john, just to have the police officer who witnessed it all say, "Oh well, better luck on the next blow job."
To make matters worse, the $2000 return made his sales a negative number for the day, and it was the last day of the pay period. So far, Retail Hell has been a hilarious read.
As he's examining the designer handbag with the customer, he notices several scratches on the front, though the customer insists that it has not been used. When he views the inside of the purse, he finds make up smeared on the lining, and when he looks through the pockets, he finds crumpled up receipts, tampons, and even a dirty sports bra, which is the "icing on the cake." He refuses to give her a refund, and then she insists on speaking to a store manager. The store manager authorizes the return, stating that the customer will just complain to Corporate, who will take the handbag back anyway. This obviously dismays the author. He writes:
"I feel like a hooker who just gave a ten-hour blow job and was beat up and robbed by the john, just to have the police officer who witnessed it all say, "Oh well, better luck on the next blow job."
To make matters worse, the $2000 return made his sales a negative number for the day, and it was the last day of the pay period. So far, Retail Hell has been a hilarious read.