Work Retail? 2525 Responses

Last post: 1 year ago | Thread started: May 4, 12, 3:53 p.m.

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• designquestions

  So two months ago, I was laid off (we lost a big account, not my fault) and am having trouble finding a new job.

  I might have an opportunity to work at a shitty agency whose work doesn't inspire me.

  BUT if that doesn't come through,

  Does anyone here work in retail? Like a really cool store with products you love or a clothing store whose clothes you really like?

  Obviously it would be less money, but I think I would enjoy it. Maybe the customers would be more interesting than shitty design coworkers?

  Am I wrong? Would a retail gig be a career killer and a bad move?

  May 4, 12, 3:53 p.m. – Permalink

• dbloc

  you will make quite a bit less...retail is more of a high school job

  • not a high school job, but yes your income will be much lower.– ohhhhhsnap

  

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  Dog-earMay 4, 12, 3:56 p.m. – Permalink

• qoob

  Retail job at a cool store is actually not that easy to get. More likely you'll end up working at Kinkos.

  • I know, but just hypothetical for now.– designquestions1/2

    I would take any other design job over Kinkos or something like that.– designquestions2/2

  

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  Dog-earMay 4, 12, 3:56 p.m. – Permalink

• qoob

  Why not freelance instead?

  • <– ohhhhhsnap1/2

    why not zoidberg– mekk2/2

  

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  Dog-earMay 4, 12, 3:56 p.m. – Permalink

• discoduro

  Same thing happened to me a few years ago and I landed a job at comic shop. Shit pay but the best job I ever had, was there for 2 years. I kind of wish I never quit to go back to design. I actually got a chance to do some lettering through the job.

  Just keep doing your own thing on the side and I say go for it if it's retail in something you really enjoy.

  • *at a– discoduro

  

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  Dog-earMay 4, 12, 3:59 p.m. – Permalink

• designquestions

  qoob, I can always do side work. I don't want to be alone all day, and good freelance work is hard to get sometimes.

  

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  Dog-earMay 4, 12, 4 p.m. – Permalink

• vaxorcist

  I worked in photo labs and camera stores in the 90's... it was great fun, didn't make much $$, but sometimes the least paying gigs are the most fun.... the co-workers were cool, no office politics....

  

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  Dog-earMay 4, 12, 4:06 p.m. – Permalink

• ok_not_ok

  Work retail while looking for design work.

  Anything to pay the rent meng!

  • Do it man! Work at McDonald!– qoob1/3

    I do have money saved, but good advice.– designquestions2/3

    flip some burgers yo!– pango3/3

  

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  Dog-earMay 4, 12, 4:21 p.m. – Permalink

• ohhhhhsnap

  stay away from Urban Outfitters.
  Try an Apple store in your area. They hire pretty "ethically."

  

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  Dog-earMay 4, 12, 7:57 p.m. – Permalink

• designquestions

  Urban Outfitters is for hipsters.

  

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  Dog-earMay 5, 12, 11:34 a.m. – Permalink

• jaylarson

  agency. much better for your resume. <safer choice />

  

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  Dog-earMay 5, 12, 11:47 a.m. – Permalink

• zoozoo

  ive always wanted to work at a gamestop for some reason

  

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  Dog-earMay 5, 12, 8:06 p.m. – Permalink

• Frosty_spl

  I want to sell Lamborghinis.

  • i rather drive them, but that's me.– akrok

  

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  Dog-earMay 5, 12, 8:26 p.m. – Permalink

• 2002

  I think working at retail is a great idea.

  You will get a different perspective about consumers and how you interact with them. Think of it as an observational research. Keep it in mind that you are there to learn not to earn.

  Big retail companies like Louis Vuitton LVMH, L'Oreal, Estee Lauder etc with strong retail presence, make you work at retail at least 2 weeks a year. At LVMH, as part of the management training program, you spend half a year at various retails stores.

  

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  Dog-earMay 5, 12, 11:49 p.m. – Permalink

• flashbender

  Would you like fries with that?

  

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  Dog-earMay 6, 12, 4:14 a.m. – Permalink

• duckseason

  I used to work at Apple when I was putting myself through school, pays pretty good for a retail job and has decent perks/benefits - I think I was making around 17/hr working in the stockroom with no real responsibility.

  • A lot of the employees are the diehard fanboys, so it could get annoying at times.– duckseason

  

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  Dog-earMay 6, 12, 2:59 p.m. – Permalink

• meffid

  Retail can be fun.

  

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  Dog-earMay 6, 12, 3:19 p.m. – Permalink

• mekk

  if you have the retail-thing in your cv after losing your job your cv says:
  "dear reader, i am not a whiny pussy and i am able to do other things for my money til i got the perfect job."

  so do it 'til you find the job you really want!

  end of story.

  

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  Dog-earMay 6, 12, 3:36 p.m. – Permalink

• Hombre_Lobo

  I'd reccommend it for one thing and that is how much it helps improve people skills. Talking to strangers daily does wonder for it.

  Intact all the my friends that I would say are particularly social with excellent communication skills have all worked in shops.

  Naturally it'd a great quality to have for interviews as well as showing a potential employer how good you are with people and how easy you will fit into a team and get on with everyone.

  

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  Dog-earMay 6, 12, 4:17 p.m. – Permalink

• vaxorcist

  true... I remembered some of what I learned selling cameras when I have to sell an idea to a client these days, watching facial expressions and dealing with "objections" can be similar amongst people buying retail and people buying design services sometimes.....

  Also, it seems to be long past the idea that working retail is a step down the prestige totem pole, at least I hope.... some people's freaky relatives may think your life is in the toilet if you're working retail, but I don't think future employers see it as a fault....

  Also, you may end up soon in an agency designing point of purchase displays, and possibly save the agencies work, as you know exactly how those things interact with actual customers if youve ever worked retail.... i.e. if it's too complicated to assemble, the manager throws it in the trash and nobody sees it.

  

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  Dog-earMay 6, 12, 7:50 p.m. – Permalink

• dobre

  "Like a really cool store with products you love or a clothing store whose clothes you really like?"

  ^
  How about you make & sell some yourself? Like buy blanks & screen print ur own designs on them?

  

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  Dog-earMay 7, 12, 6:56 a.m. – Permalink