Top 5 Skills I’ve Learned While Working Retail

After working in retail for the past four years, I have picked up a thing or two. I started my retail journey my junior year of high school as a stylist at Francesca’s, a small boutique store. Since moving to college, I’ve returned every winter and summer break. In Spring 2020, I had the opportunity to merchandise for the Walt Disney Company right on Main Street U.S.A in Magic Kingdom. Whether it is trouble shooting a down register, picking out outfits for guests, or creating magical moments, I’ve had my fair share of experiences both good and bad. Listed below are the top five skills I’ve learned over the years.

1. Flexibility

Every day was a new day. Yes, I was trained and knew what I was doing, but nothing prepares you for all the different experiences you can have in a day. During my time at Disney, the area that I worked in had seven very different locations. I could go from selling designer bags and jewelry to standing outside selling bubble wands within the span of 30 minutes. I never knew where I was going to be thrown throughout the course of my shift. This required a ton of flexibility. This skill has helped so much during the pandemic. All of my plans went out the door and having this skill in my back pocket has helped keep me grounded. Plans getting canceled or changed last minute isn’t as stressful as it once was, and I find that it’s been much easier for me to go with the flow and pivot at any second.

2. Patience

Any customer service position requires this skill. You could be explaining something to a customer for the fifth time, and it still requires the same grace that you had during the first explanation. I find this skill the hardest to practice, and I’ll admit that I can be a very impatient person sometimes. Patience, I believe, comes from understanding. I have to understand that someone might not be as tech savvy as I am which is why they’re asking for help with an app. This happened a lot in Disney. Guests wouldn’t understand how to work the My Disney Experience App, and most days I felt like a broken record. However, I understood that the app can be confusing, and I stayed with the guest until they felt completely comfortable. Patience is something that I work on every day. I have to understand that things just don’t happen with the snap of my fingers, and most of the time, waiting is the name of the game.

3. Attention to Detail

From adding accessories to outfits to picking up if something is missing, attention to detail is important. At Francesca’s, I was dressing mannequins and having to accessorize them. It seems like it should be an easy thing but matching jewelry and purses to make a cohesive look can take a while.  Detail is also important when checking the merchandise for damages or missing pieces. During my time at Disney, I worked in the Confectionery and the Chapeau. Both of these locations required lots of detail. In the Confectionery, I was making treats that all had a certain way to be done. Precision was key. In the Chapeau, I was embroidering hats. I had to make sure the hat was in the correct position with the correct font and color. All of this practice has helped me develop a keen eye when working on projects.

4. Problem Solving

This one is huge. I think it requires all three of the skills above as well. If a register goes down, you need to problem solve. If a guest gets the wrong order or can’t find the right size, you need to problem solve. This past Black Friday both of the registers went down at Francesca’s for about 45 minutes. It was up to me to decide what to do. I made the decision to close the doors to keep people from coming in. This required going around and explaining to the guests what was going on and what we were doing to fix the issue. I also had to figure out how to get the registers back up and running. It was very stressful. I had to think quickly to find the best solution to get things moving again. It all worked out in the end. This skill has also helped me with my creativity and being able to think outside the box. Problem-solving requires ideas even if they seem really unconventional.

5. Leadership

It made be listed last, but it is certainly not the least. This past summer, I got promoted to a Sales Floor Lead at Francesca’s. I was a manager now. I could open and close the store, be a point of contact, and be in charge of a team. While I did work by myself a fair amount, I was now in charge of the store and the stylists that worked with me. I had to be ready to delegate tasks to them to keep a cohesive environment. I learned that leadership is so much more than giving tasks to do. Leadership requires communication, trust, and each of the skills listed above. I had to create an open line of communication with my coworkers so that they knew they could come to me. Leadership is about being able to listen just as much as it is about being able to give direction. I also had to trust my coworkers, and they had to trust me. Most importantly, I had to trust myself. I had to be confident in knowing what I was doing and trust that it was the right thing. I am more confident in my ability to be a good leader and know that this will transfer over into anything that I do.