Three weeks ago I started back at the job I had before COVID was a thing, before we had to wear masks anywhere we went, before Purell was a household product. I was nervous of “Karens,” of working in a public space during a global pandemic, of catching COVID myself.
I’ve done everything in my power to ensure whatever’s at work stays at work. I change into my uniform when I get there and out of it right as I’m leaving. I keep that bag in my car and away from everything I own. I shower the moment I get home.
Thankfully, three weeks later, I’m feeling comfortable working in the retail space again. And as unusual as this sounds — here’s hoping I don’t jinx it —99 percent of customers have adhered to our in-store mask rule *and* have been incredibly respectful.
This got me thinking while I was at work the other day: Working in retail may be hard, stressful and definitely commendable, but what influences a customer’s mood toward the employee? I concluded it’s not the employee but rather the environment the customer enters and the mood with which they enter. The store is known to be fun and inviting. However, pre-pandemic, the store would be clogged with customers, candy would be spilled literally everywhere, and kids would be screaming/crying. It was not the ideal place for anyone, including parents who’d already been to American Girl on a hot day and had just spent Lord knows how much on their children. As the employees, we were annoyed by the wailing children, the adults who talked on their phones the entire transaction, and seeing the already long line extend to the door. We pined for our breaks and to clock out.
You’re probably wondering when I’m going to make my point, right? I was talking to a customer last week and discussed how this pandemic turned out to be a complete overhaul, both for good and bad. For us, it’s definitely taken a lot of getting used to. We no longer have self-service bins, our merchandise is low, and we restructured the store to accommodate social distancing. We wear masks eight hours a day and sanitize counters, doors, bin handles, registers, and credit card machines. But honestly, the best parts about working in the midst of COVID are opening at 11 and closing at 6, and keeping our maximum occupancy to eight customers.
I think these “best parts” are reasons behind why we as the employees are happier, less stressed and more engaging, which in turn make a more pleasurable experience for the customers. We’re not closing at midnight then having to come back at the crack of dawn and inject our veins with coffee just to make it through our shifts. (Now we inject our veins with coffee willingly.) We’re not grumpy from exhaustion nor are we stressed from people putting their nasty hands into the bins. The store post-pandemic no longer overflows with people, so we’re able to provide one-on-one service and help each and every person who walks through our door.
We, myself included, are all ready for COVID to be a thing of the past, to be something we look at years from now. I’m ready to see my friends, eat at restaurants, go to the movies. But I’m also not ready for work to be what it was like before COVID. And I’m hoping this pandemic is eye-opening to retail companies — by taking into account the mental health of their employees more accurately and seriously.