I’ve mentioned a few times before, but I’m a retail peon. This position has its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, it’s customer service, which can be pretty thankless. To make up for this, one of the big perks my company offers is a rather generous discount, and yesterday I treated myself to a little something indulgent.
This leads me to ask, what store would you work at just to get the employee discounts?
12 replies on “Lunchtime Poll: Retail Perks”
One of my main motivations for applying to the used bookstore I ended up working at for almost 9 years was the discount. Most used books were at least 50% off, and then we got another 50% off on top of that. It was great for older stuff, but we’d also get book reviewers who would sell back stuff before it even came out and it was so freaking awesome to pay like $6 for brand new releases (or even better, the proofs and advance reader’s copies for 50-75¢) and just a couple bucks for paperbacks. It’s painful to pay full price for books now.
If I had to choose today, maybe Target or Kohls. The kiddo grows out of her clothes so damn fast!
I’ve had pretty much all the retail jobs ever. My current job (9 years and counting) has some pretty amazing perks, but second place is awarded to the two years I worked at Godiva in the late ’90s. SO MUCH FREE CHOCOLATE. I’ve heard their policy toward write-offs has changed (in my day, it was, “Not perfect? Can’t sell it. Eat it.”), but those were some delicious times.
Starbucks and Macy’s….mama needs a new pair of shoes.
My husband used to work at Best Buy and that was a good discount — basically 10% above cost on most things, so then you discover just how much they mark up things like a camera bag or cheap shelving. We also once got a $500 car stereo (it had a fancy screen…) for $100 right when our CD player in our car died, so that was nice. Â But then things like CDs they only sold at a little bit above cost, so you’d only save a dollar or something small.
I wonder what the discount at H&M is like?
A bookshop. But I have worked in a bookshop before, and it was too full of people. So I’d have to specify Aziraphale’s antiquarian bookshop from Good Omens.
I really don’t like working at stores though. And my first thought was a bakery, but that would turn me into a small elephant. So any quality shoe shop, I think.
Books. I want lots and lots of books.
But you guys, today is my golden birthday. Squeeeeeeee! I’m officially old. :)
Happy birthday!
Look at you go:)
Old Navy. Though, I’d probably have to moonlight at a furniture store to get a discount on a new dresser to hold all my t-shirts.
I miss working at Target because of the discount. Okay, yeah, it’s 10% (or was), but 10% can make a huge difference on tax-free weekend, the post-Black-Friday-shift quick circuit through the store, or on clearance stuff. Or when you just want something with caffeine and only have a dollar and the sodas are $1.05 with tax.
I don’t miss the expectation that I can just show up any time they need someone to cover a shift, or that I can work any shift they decide they need me (regardless of whether I’m “available” — I had to scramble to reschedule non-work things or to find a ride home when they decided I’d close the store or work the early-morning shift). And that I was expected to rearrange my weekends and holidays because *everyone* wants to take Sundays/Christmas Eve/New Year’s Day off.
…But at this point I’d be thrilled to have a retail job.
I worked in a retail music store for several years. Free CDs, DVDs, posters, shirts, concerts, events, and conferences with rock stars. Nowadays you’d probably be lucky to get a free digital single if you worked in a music store :) I also worked at a computer/tech store; lots of discounts, and most of the vendors had online things to get free software and free/cheap hardware. I wish there was one of those stores nearby, I’d go back in a heartbeat!