In retail, I started out as a cashier, and I was always interested in doing merchandise returns.
At the store I worked at, in order to do returns you had to be upgraded to a "higher level". Regular associates had no level, people who were authorized to do returns were known as a level 1.
(As I edit this post in 2019, they have since gotten rid of the Level 1 status, and any associate can do returns freely now, so it means nothing to anyone anymore. But the days of wanting to be a Level 1, were magical!)
Ever since the beginning, I was interested in being a level 1. They weren't just a normal associate, they were more important. Level 1's also had the power to override certain trivial things in the system. Back in the day, they were more important than you think. Although, sometimes it would back up work. level 1 associates would have to run around, and help other cashiers with trivial tasks, such as just needing to scan their card instead of ringing customers up. So now that everyone is a level 1, things are much smoother since they can override simple things automatically.
As an example of something trivial, some items that came in a pair had two tags. Say it was a matching shirt, and pants. There would be two tags to scan. Basically, the tags would have the size on it, and if a customer mismatched the outfit, the computer would tell you it's mixed up. The store couldn't sell the items mismatched like that. Plenty of times, customers would take the size 7 off on pair of suit pants, and match it with a size 5 suit jacket. This however would not work, as they are sold as a set, and must be sold at the size it is. So a size 7 pants and jacket, were sold together, and the computer would pick it up if it was mismatched by the customers. but there were also times, where there wasn't another piece, and it was just an error by the people who made price tickets. A screen would come up asking for an override, so you'd have to get the level 1, drag them over, and scan their card.
Aside from doing returns, there are a few other things level 1's could do.
• Returns
• Exchanges.
• Tax Exempts
• Layaways (Which they got rid of in 2018. Thank the heavens, what a time consuming process, that held up the line!)
• Other things I don't remember because as I re-edit this, it's been 5-4 years since there was a level 1's.
Without a level 1 card, the computer wouldn't let normal associates bypass these things. Plus, if you were a normal associate, and tried to do a return, it would ask for a level 1 card or higher to scan. (I believe I heard managers are a level 6. While Supervisors are a level 2.)
Right after my friend left, who was a level 1, they were short on level 1's (Or they didn't have any level 1's scheduled.) So, they had me and two new girls learn how to do returns, we had to either scan a level 1 or higher's card, or a level 1 or higher logged in and we went under their name.
They used to have a separate section for returns, and purchases. The returns registers had more money in them, than the normal registers. So level 1's would usually use the returns registers, and normal associates didn't.
One time, they scheduled me for the returns register, and a level 1 on the normal cash registers, me and her were looking at each other in awe, because it made no sense! I had to run over to her every time just to do a return, and it was so silly! If I was a level 1, then I think we wouldn't have any problem.
[When they changed the rules, and allowed everyone the ability to do returns, they just put more money in all of the registers. When there were registers for returns, and purchases only. The Returns registers had 400 in the register, while normal ones had 100. When they changed the system, every register had 200, this way all returns and purchases would flow evenly throughout all the registers. (Which was really annoying when this one guy decided to do a 1000 cash return, at the beginning of the day, when there was only 200 in each register. The guy had to wait hours, for people to make cash purchases, so he can get some of his refund. My advice to the 5 people who will ever read this blog post, do cash returns at the middle-end of the day. There won't be money in the draw in the morning!]
Everyone loves, the Moolah! :P
Eventually, I got to become a level one, but then a bit later they got got rid of the whole system entirely. On top of that, I started to realize that I hated doing returns anyways!
Before I get into some things that I found annoying about returns, I want to tell you something.
This will definitely sound strange to you, but I personally find that returns are similar to stealing. I know it sounds ridiculous, but hear me out. The point of A store, is to make money, not lose it! In some cases, I understand returns, like if the item broke, or it didn't fit. But in most cases, returns just got on my nerves. To me it's stealing, but I'm also a germaphobe, and don't want to touch money either. Card returns never bothered me as much as cash returns.
To me, doing a return is like giving a kid ice cream, and then taking it away from them. I don't think it's all fair, you're giving the store money, but then you take it back.
The things that really bugged me, is when someone's returning 100 dollars worth of stuff every week, you're just wasting everyone's time. Not to mention, when you pay with a card, the store gets charged a fee to use the card. So, if you bought 10$ worth of stuff. The credit card company charges you, say .50 cents. When you return merchandise, and put it back on your card, the store gets charged another .50 cents. So, the store just lost a dollar, because you decided to buy something you weren't going to keep... It's just like, what's the point?? Why waste all of your, and our time in the first place. Who's got time to return hundreds of items?! There are things to do, and people to see.
My store had a notorious customer, she's an old lady, with gray hair, glasses, and always shops in the morning. Any cashier, and manager, that has ever worked the morning shift.. WILL KNOW, who I am talking about, all I have to do, is mention the lady with the gray hair and glasses. She's there all the time, and quite possibly, one of the most annoying human beings on the planet. She literally does 10 different returns, on 10 different receipts (Which means the returns have to be scanned separately, on separate receipts...), buys hundreds of items, literally takes an hour with one cashier, holds up the line... During the purchase/return process, she will say she wants this, she doesn't want this, oh, you can take that off, no, not that one! Take this off too! Did you get this one? Make sure to scan this one, did you get it yet! Take that off, I don't want it anymore. Then, 50 million years later, she's FINALLY finished, but then goes back on the floor for another hour, to shop AGAIN! Every person in that store, dreads her. In fact, the store has a credit card return limit. If you return too many things, too many times, with the same card, the store blocks you. She couldn't use one of her cards anymore, because she did so many returns on that card. She was on the phone with her bank for 10 minutes, thinking there was a problem with her card. It was the store that blocked being able to return with that card. She ended up with the store manager, for an hour, trying to return her items on that card...
Without further adieu, here are some of the reasons why I dislike returns.
1. Cash Returns:
I absolutely hate cash returns, as stated above I feel like it's stealing. It isn't stealing, but the act of being a cashier, and giving people money, to me, just doesn't feel right. In my later years in retail, I would avoid cash returns like the plague, and have a friend do it for me. They just bugged me so much!
The thing really bad about cash returns, is that you have a limited amount of funds in the drawer, so if you make a big return, or if you only get cash returns and credit card purchases, your draw is going to go empty real fast.
I had one woman who literally returned a good chunk of her receipt, and it came out to 200 dollars. I looked at her like she had three heads because that was a whole lot of money, and it was the beginning of the day so I hadn't really made many cash purchases to add to the draw. That was half the money in the register right then. It was such a large return, that I needed to scan the managers card to approve the return, and as I handed the money to her I felt disgust towards her. Cash returns just get to me...
2. You have Blank days to get a full refund and after that...Oh Well..:
My store has a 30 day return policy, simple enough. But there's a catch! If you return an item after 30 days, and the item has since been marked to a lower price, you get the new lower price back on store credit. (So if you bought a dress for 12.99, and you return it after 40 days, the item has now been reduced to 9.99, and you get that price on store credit.)
I think this is a great idea, because it will cause people to return things before, or on 30 days. (We also have had crazy people SCREAM at the top of their lungs, saying they were never coming back due to this policy. Well, if you're being so rude, maybe we don't want you back? Please, keep your word!)
Of course, people complain about not getting their full refund. Which can be understandable. But when you get someone who wants to return a pair of throw pillows, they bought 6 months ago, you lose sympathy over them being upset about the price reduction. Of course they get mad that they lost the money, but the store is not a garage sale, you can't just decide when you want/don't want something anymore, you need to immediately return an item if it doesn't work out!
Some people are smart, and buy something, return it, and then re-purchase it, in order to "extend", the return policy on it. The cashiers usually don't mind that.
The cashier will always tell you that you get a full refund in 30 days, even if they don't say it, it's always easy to ask someone, or look on the receipt, which will always have the return time.
"50 on this please."
4. Debit Cards: At my store, if a person pays with a debit card and makes a return, they get cash back. I don't know why this is, but to me, it's annoying, especially when all of your customers that make purchases are using credit card purchases, and everyone returning is getting cash back. NOT COOL!
5. I'd like to return this because THIS SHIRT LOOKS LIKE ELVIS PRESLEY MAKING LOVE TO A BEAUTIFUL ORANGE!:
Dude, it's a plain white shirt, what are you talking about???
Another thing I dislike, is when people return an item just because it has a tiny little dot on it, or because it has a microscopic rip, I look at customers in amazement for how ridiculous they are about detail. Like when I say microscopic rip, I mean it, and in fact, it's probably the way the item was made. I'm a bit like that too in a way, I like perfect looking items, but if it happened to me I would just shrug it off, and go "Whatever". Which has happened to me before! I had purchased socks from my store, that had a tiny hole in it, and I never did anything about it.
Not to mention, some customers BUY merchandise, USE it, and then return it! Some people will buy clothes to wear once, and return, or buy decorations for a party, just to return them! This HAS HAPPENED at my store before! It's outrageous what people do! The worst is when the clothes come back with a cigarette scent, or just a funky smell. Nobody wants to buy that stuff now! So it's a loss for the company, and you've wasted the associates time, other customers time, and the store has lost money now. Not to mention, it's totally unhygienic when someone accidentally puts items like that back on the sales floor.
The reason why I dislike returns so much is because, the point of a store is to make money, and returns, causes the store to lose money. I'm sure most people will not agree with me, but it's just how I feel. I personally almost never return anything, even if there's something wrong with it. When I do, I exchange it for something of equal, or a higher price. Exchanges, I never minded actually.
Keywords: Why retail is the worst job, Who are retail customers?, Why retail jobs are bad, Retail is hard, Retail Experience, Retail Examples, Retail Industry, Retail Sector, Retail Times, Retail Workers.
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