Surviving Victoria's Secret: Part-Time Horrors
Oh Retail.
Such a joyous, welcoming place where customers are so sweet and never forget to give a please and thank you. said no one ever. 🙄
As you know I was working in Starbucks for 7 years, however in my moment of pure weakness I stepped away from the coffee and dove straight into lingerie.
*Why did my friends and family let me do it?
*Why am I always so impulsive?
*Why don't people shower before trying things on the fitting room and burning my nose hairs?
So many questions with so little answers. I only lasted 5 months but it was one of the worst experiences of my life.
The Bad
My store in particular was the WORST when it came to scheduling. It was a huge store with full stock of both Victoria's Secret and PINK items. I promise you regardless of whatever time you went in there, the cashier lines were about 15 people deep, wrapping around to the front of the store. We were ALWAYS understaffed.
Not to mention, I had to attend a group interview with 5 other girls. Guess what? We were all hired. The biggest red flag ever.
I was making minimum wage which is fine, I didn't expect anything more from a retail job. BUT, I didn't expect to be underpaid for more than half my shifts. The store closes at 9pm, and I wouldn't leave there until about 1-2am every closing shift; if there were call-outs then probably 3am!
What could we be possibly doing that long? Well if we weren't close enough to our daily sales goal, managers would keep the doors open an hour or two longer. AND, we would all be huddled around our completely destroyed panty tables, folding and re-folding them in color coordination of ROYGBIV.
dark, dark times.
The pressure to sell was about the only thing my managers did right. They literally would not stop nagging about these sales goals that we had no chance in hell of making. The level of disorganization was something I've never dealt with before. With over 30-40 employees at my store, they didn't know half of our names and never properly trained us.
I was always thrown on cashier and put in the fitting room with absolutely zero training. Fitting rooms weren't the worst position, but the ODORS that came out of those rooms were nauseating.
I swear my nose will never be the same.
Then of course, there's the competition of selling. If you've ever been to Victoria's Secret and gotten help from an employee, you probably got a card with their name on it or that person reminds you about 20 times to say their name at checkout. Once you say that person's name at checkout, they will receive commission (depending on the items).
I've seen my coworkers steal each other's customers, replace customer cards, and plenty of other sneaky shit. For what? Half the time, these sales wouldn't be reflected on our checks.
I was always thrown on cashier and put in the fitting room with absolutely zero training. Fitting rooms weren't the worst position, but the ODORS that came out of those rooms were nauseating.
I swear my nose will never be the same.
Then of course, there's the competition of selling. If you've ever been to Victoria's Secret and gotten help from an employee, you probably got a card with their name on it or that person reminds you about 20 times to say their name at checkout. Once you say that person's name at checkout, they will receive commission (depending on the items).
I've seen my coworkers steal each other's customers, replace customer cards, and plenty of other sneaky shit. For what? Half the time, these sales wouldn't be reflected on our checks.
The Good
Say it with me: THE FREE STUFF otherwise known as gratis. When I was a new hire, I got a care package with a ton of free bras, perfumes, and more. I was hired as a PINK girl so they gave me 3 free bonus outfits, plus a percentage off of any future bought items.
That was the BIGGEST perk (I still miss it every time I look at my overpriced bill at checkout)
UNIFORM. As a PINK girl, I was only allowed to wear the latest PINK outfits and gear. It was soooo comfy, no button up shirts, slacks, or blazers. Imagine wearing sweatpants and sliders all day? A dream in the professional world (in my mind anyway).
LOCATION. In my case, the location was so convenient! I miss being able to hop on a 15 minute train ride and get to work in an instant. (but ya know, I was getting out of work at 3am most of the time so heavy con vs pro) My Victoria's Secret was located in a mall, so there were so many lunch choices that kept me sane through my shift. (Starbies + Buffalo Wild Wings, yes hunny)
HOURS. As long as you don't have a closing shift, the hours were bearable. Working at VS is great for anyone looking for a summer job, in college part-time or you know, someone that doesn't mind working ridiculously long hours.
That was the BIGGEST perk (I still miss it every time I look at my overpriced bill at checkout)
UNIFORM. As a PINK girl, I was only allowed to wear the latest PINK outfits and gear. It was soooo comfy, no button up shirts, slacks, or blazers. Imagine wearing sweatpants and sliders all day? A dream in the professional world (in my mind anyway).LOCATION. In my case, the location was so convenient! I miss being able to hop on a 15 minute train ride and get to work in an instant. (but ya know, I was getting out of work at 3am most of the time so heavy con vs pro) My Victoria's Secret was located in a mall, so there were so many lunch choices that kept me sane through my shift. (Starbies + Buffalo Wild Wings, yes hunny)
HOURS. As long as you don't have a closing shift, the hours were bearable. Working at VS is great for anyone looking for a summer job, in college part-time or you know, someone that doesn't mind working ridiculously long hours.
Just remember, retail is retail.
Regardless of the company- your hours will probably suck, customers will be rude 85% of the time, and the pay will barely be decent.
BUT if you have a competent boss, coworkers that make your life easier, aaaand a few good perks then the job won't be half bad.
I would rate my experience as a 4.5/10!
Any personal retail horror stories?
Leave them down below and let's chatttt.
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Look out for my Sephora favorites coming soon!
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