Yesterday was fun - but there's obviously a reason we all keep doing what we do - so below are the best things about working in retail - especially beauty retail...
The customers who become friends
Regular customers that you have known for years are always a joy. You experience people getting married, babies being born, and their children growing up before your eyes. Lovely.
The customers that are genuinely helped by your advice and expertise.
It's wonderful when people's lives are changed by something you have recommended/advised. People feeling empowered because they learned how to make the most of their features with makeup, brides that you have prepped on their entire journey, helping people find the right gift for a loved one - and people who say you have changed their life because you listened to them, made them feel welcome and comfortable, and fixed their skin. All of the above.
The knowledge you gain
Constant on the job experience, constant self-improvement (for those who want it), constant availability of training - from people who have done it before and experts in their field.
The workmates that become friends for life - and in some cases Godparents to your children
People who work together always have that thing in common - especially that shared camaraderie of what retail life is like. Obviously you're not always going to get on with everyone you work with, but when you do, you really do.
'SHE THINKS SHE'S JENNIFER LOPEZ.'
The Girls
Lady. The generic name for most of the fabulous girls I've worked with. Still saved in my phone as Lady XX or XXX Lady or just 'Lady'.
And you know when you both know which 'Lady' you're talking about? That.
The Boys
When you hear a male makeup artist in full drag tell a woman that he can't make her look like the model in the picture because 'honey ain't no surgeon got them skills', it makes the day go so much quicker....
The Shop Floor
Never have I laughed as much as I have on the shop floor. Never. When it's quiet, when it's busy, just funny, funny, hysterical times. People be cray yo. Nothing is funnier than trying not to laugh when you know it's inappropriate.
The Product
Most people don't end up in the beauty industry by accident, there is usually passion involved. Whether it's skincare or makeup - most of us are still genuinely in love with the product - especially....
The New Product
Seeing new products before everyone else is still as exciting as it always was. The only thing more exciting than NEW product is...
Free Product
Aka gratis, aka allocation, aka the freebies. The rumours are true. Work in the right place and the product is free-flowing. It's not why we do it, well, none of my FB crew anyway, but no-one's gonna lie and say they don't love the freebies. When you're as obsessed as the most obsessed of us, you still spend your own hard-earned money, but still: GRATIS.
I think I need to open my own shop.
The customers who become friends
Regular customers that you have known for years are always a joy. You experience people getting married, babies being born, and their children growing up before your eyes. Lovely.
The customers that are genuinely helped by your advice and expertise.
It's wonderful when people's lives are changed by something you have recommended/advised. People feeling empowered because they learned how to make the most of their features with makeup, brides that you have prepped on their entire journey, helping people find the right gift for a loved one - and people who say you have changed their life because you listened to them, made them feel welcome and comfortable, and fixed their skin. All of the above.
The knowledge you gain
Constant on the job experience, constant self-improvement (for those who want it), constant availability of training - from people who have done it before and experts in their field.
The workmates that become friends for life - and in some cases Godparents to your children
People who work together always have that thing in common - especially that shared camaraderie of what retail life is like. Obviously you're not always going to get on with everyone you work with, but when you do, you really do.
'SHE THINKS SHE'S JENNIFER LOPEZ.'
The Girls
Lady. The generic name for most of the fabulous girls I've worked with. Still saved in my phone as Lady XX or XXX Lady or just 'Lady'.
And you know when you both know which 'Lady' you're talking about? That.
The Boys
When you hear a male makeup artist in full drag tell a woman that he can't make her look like the model in the picture because 'honey ain't no surgeon got them skills', it makes the day go so much quicker....
The Shop Floor
Never have I laughed as much as I have on the shop floor. Never. When it's quiet, when it's busy, just funny, funny, hysterical times. People be cray yo. Nothing is funnier than trying not to laugh when you know it's inappropriate.
The Product
Most people don't end up in the beauty industry by accident, there is usually passion involved. Whether it's skincare or makeup - most of us are still genuinely in love with the product - especially....
The New Product
Seeing new products before everyone else is still as exciting as it always was. The only thing more exciting than NEW product is...
Free Product
Aka gratis, aka allocation, aka the freebies. The rumours are true. Work in the right place and the product is free-flowing. It's not why we do it, well, none of my FB crew anyway, but no-one's gonna lie and say they don't love the freebies. When you're as obsessed as the most obsessed of us, you still spend your own hard-earned money, but still: GRATIS.
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I think I need to open my own shop.
