Do people really look down on retail staff?

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Aibu to think more people than I realised secretly look down on people who work in retail.

I work in retail, in quiet a nice store. I earn quiet a bit more than minimum wage and get some nice perks. While it's certainly not the most taxing/complicated work I am required to use my brain more than appears to be perceived.

I've noticed on threads on here people usually will defend retail staff and seem to understand how trying dealing with the public can be. However while posters admit to having previously worked in retail no-one seems to admit to currently doing so. I've also noticed defensive comments about having worked in retail, that it was only done to support a degree etc. That's fair enough but on a recent thread a poster made reference in front of a customer (who was been nasty about her job) about having made sure she let the woman hear she was doing her degree and wasn't stupid. Sounds daft but up until then I hadn't considered that we would be considered stupid because we work retail.

Thinking back I've often seen similar comments before but not quiet as blatant. It was only then I realised that I've never seen anyone here else "own" up to working in retail.

I'm not going to explain/justify why I'm currently working this role other than it suits me to do so now and on the whole I like it. But I am going to say I don't think my job or anyone else's defines me. I am not better or worse than anyone else and don't look down on or up to anyone else because of what their profession is.

I look down on the job not the people doing it. It is physically hard, often you were treated badly either by the company or the customers or both and generally the pay is low and the hours can be shit. So yeah, I guess I assume that pretty much everyone doing it would be doing a different job if they were able to. People either seem to hate it and just doing it to get themselves through something or because it suits thier family commitments right then it that enjoy it for the same reasons.

As far as their work/career is concerned, I don't judge anyone by their role but by how conscientiously they perform it. As far as judging people holistically, i care about their compassion, honesty, reliability, integrity, humour, humanity, humility. How much they earn is completely irrelevant.

I think some people just have no empathy. I've done retail /catering jobs and so do family members and friends. Nobody changes when they get behind a counter.

I really struggled with three successive people in the Virgin call centre today but to be charitable they probably had computer says no syndrome.

I think of retail as a career. From friends I understand that supermarket retail is a ruthless business. I love seeing small retail business growing success through the good customer service of their employees. I think you may have a point that people make sweeping assumptions about wages and working conditions.

Nah, I don't look down on people that work in retail. I've met many a wonderful person while working in shops - and I used to get paid a bloody fortune when I was a branch manager.

I wouldn't say retail wasn't skilled as such.
There are masses of skills needed- not necessarily apparent at first glance. I work on the customer service desk. We have to process and deal with all manner of issues.
Some of it quite clerical.
When the lights go down after 9, we also have to pretend to be barmaids and laugh at pathetic sexist jokes.
Bit of acting needed too!

My observations (mature student, worked in supermarket for a couple years)

1. Everyone, whoever they are, whatever they do, is looked down or or "judged" to a certain extent by other people ( or even judge themselves negatively , which is saddest of all) I used to date an a & e doctor who hated his life because medicine was his parents decision, and a finance director on a good six figure salary who felt insecure because of his weight and because "good six figure" doesn't get you very far in London. Moral of the story is you should probably like yourself and everything else is just gravy.

1. Some people are just fucking rude and aggressive gits with an axe to grind whatever they do and whoever they interact with. Includes customers, that man on the street, your weird aunt Margaret, and sometimes colleagues (in WHATEVER industry you work in) . They are irrelevant and best detached from in every single way

1. After a certain age, we should be looking at our choices in terms of "how does this work for ME" rather than caring what other people think.

I found my shit shop job got me into the right bracket for a sweet little tax credit top-up and it was very "check in check out" without having to give a shit or take work home (SEE WHAT I DID there eh eh) with shitloads of reduced price luxury scoff

so even though I could have got (and was offered) a nice admin job, I chose my shit shop job.

1. Totty rating: One of the managers was pretty do-able but I never got round to it. If you like toy boys then there's shitloads of eager young student types I like older men so unfortunately I didn't get to snaffle those particular bargains but just FYI

There are TONNES of MNers who work in retail. You can't have been on the right threads.

So yeah, I guess I assume that pretty much everyone doing it would be doing a different job if they were able to. People either seem to hate it and just doing it to get themselves through something or because it suits thier family commitments right then it that enjoy it for the same reasons.

You shouldn't assume.

I work in fast food and I love it. There are three or four students, but we have 40+ staff and the majority of them do the job because they enjoy it or want to progress up the ladder and make a career out of it (again because they enjoy it, and the training is exceptional).

I'm "able" to do a different job or have a career if I want to; I simply just don't want to. I enjoy what I do.

SerfTerf, I would've expected that there are. But it never seemed to be reflected on threads discussing retail.

EatShitDerek used to post about her job in retail quite a bit.

Most of the people I work with come from privileged backgrounds. I still cringe a bit inside when I'm asked what my parents do and I say dad was a cab driver. I hate myself for being ashamed of my lovely dad.

I don't care about other people's dad's jobs, so why am i ashamed?

I worked in retail for a few years as I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Most people who work retail do it for the same reasons, however those who are truly good at working retail and are passionate about their jobs are to be just as commended as any other professional. It's how you are at your job that I judge.

I worked in retail and certainly don't look down on anyone. It's a hard job and you deal with shitheads a lot.

I once served a well dressed elderly lady who was rude and said 'I bet you wish you'd worked harder at school and you wouldn't be sitting here!' My reply was 'oh I like it. Oh pays for my uni expenses. I should graduate next year. What did you study?' She didn't say which surprised me as surely she must have had a degree to berate me about my education level!

Threads about being IDed for purchases are catnip to retail working MNers

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2997825-Shopping-in-a-budget-store-for-wine-with-a-grown-up-child

serf

And being open over boxing day

Start one of those threads dee

You'll be inundated

Yes good thinking rufus.

We'll track some down for you OP

In answer to your question, I think the people who get sniffy about retail workers are the usual suspects who get sniffy about almost anything (clothes, areas, accents, food etc). It's ALWAYS rooted in insecurity. People who are okay in their skin don't do it, regardl as of background or circumstances.

I work in retail. It's a bit like we're in prison. We are all here for something (study, kids, while we find something better ) and none of us thinks we should be here

Yeah, some arseholes do. My DD was recently called a tosspot shop assistant by a twat customer because the store had no more stock in the size he required.

Exactly serf. The ones who comment on others tactlessly also are the ones who would be all grovelly and forelock tugging if I said that I was lined up for X (preens) university or if I had mentioned I was being seriously courted by a highly paid sports professional.

But I didn't and wouldn't give a fuck so I'd just grin and nod and look forward to end of shift and my lovely reduced price staff discounted scoff (and check out the fit manager manfully moving cages when I could)

Yes, I think retail jobs are looked down on as they are low paid and most do not require a qualification.

I worked in retail for five years whilst studying. I worked in the evenings. On occasions I worked extra day shifts, I would pray I did not serve anyone familiar as they may assume it was my full time job.

I remember an ex friend also giggled and asked was I not embarrassed to work in a supermarket.

Yes. They do.

Off to RTFT now lol.

On occasions I worked extra day shifts, I would pray I did not serve anyone familiar as they may assume it was my full time job.

There is no shame in honest work.

I remember an ex friend also giggled and asked was I not embarrassed to work in a supermarket.

Why the face? It's quite clearly true; you were embarrassed. You pretty much admitted you were in the last paragraph about worrying people would think it was your full time job.

don't take it personally.

People only take things personally when you lump an entire group together and assume they're all the same just because they're in the same profession (which you just said you did because you said you moaned about retail staff, not just the one woman who "wronged" you).

If you had a problem with one woman who you thought looked down on you, fair enough, but to moan about retail staff in general because of her behaviour is just silly.

I worked in retail for 6 years and it was my favourite ever job! I absolutely loved it and it's where I met my husband. Currently pregnant with my 2nd and fortunate enough to be in a position where I can give up working for a few years to be with my children, however when they both go to school, I plan on going back into retail.