August is a slow month in retail. I get that.
People are on vacation. Summer clothes buying is over, and fall-buying hasn't begun.
My sales are low. My returns are not low. And I am still working off the deficit I accumulated while on vacation. A vacation should be a vacation. In a commissioned-retail environment, it really isn't. Returning from one means a couple of weeks of earning next to nothing as I "pay off" the accumulated returns that occurred while I was sitting on a Cape Cod beach.
Here's an idea. When you are out on vacation/sick leave, why not have an option to have returns be spread out over the number of weeks you are gone. So if', for example, my returns are $6,000, rather than have them all appear the week I return, why not spread them out spread over two weeks. It would certainly make returning less punishing.
Sales associates get paid solely on commission, which makes for a very aggressive environment. Everyone is vying for the same small pool of customers. But what makes me sad (angry might be a more appropriate word) is when that pool keeps getting divided into smaller and smaller pieces.
Last August, there were 11 sales associates in the area where I work. That's a lot. Especially considering that one of those associates is one of the top sellers in the company, has an assistant, and generates a huge percentage of the total.
But this August, we have 17 people. That's a 55% increase over last year. Sales have increased over last year, but not nearly that much. And, that increase also includes all the merchadise that is sold by associates throughout the company. 17 people in one area is making it increasingly more difficult and frustrating to have a decent day.
And this weekend was particularly dreadful. One customer even asked, "What happened to this store? Where are all the people?" I answer truthfully. "It's summer." But even having an answer doesn't help when my paycheck barely reflects a day's work when I've worked three.
It's been a most depressing week-end.
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