Observations from my Seasonal Retail Side Hustle

Happy New Year, everyone! Well, my seasonal gig at a national retailer is winding down (although they are apparently willing to keep me on as a part-time associate due to my exemplary performance and attendance!). I thought it would be apropos to share some observations from the experience.


1. Retail is dirty. If you don’t already do so, I highly recommend washing all clothing, towels or sheets that you purchase before wearing or using them. I worked at the Point of Sale for the season, aka a cashier at the checkout. Merchandise is being returned and being put back onto the sales floor. You don’t know if the item you’re buying has been tried on or worn by someone else, or if it was in their home (what condition is their home in?). The items are also often placed in shopping carts that are a breeding ground for dirt and germs. Lastly, at check out your items are being handled by a cashier who has been handling cash and coins (also dirty), as well as the mobile phones of customers using apps and on-line coupons. Pass the hand sanitizer, please…


2. Why are you shopping? OK, I get that the gist of “seasonal” employment means that most of the customers I waited on were purchasing Christmas or Hanukah presents, or clothing to wear to holiday parties and events. But, I found it very troubling when more than a few people came to the checkout and had to try multiple credit cards in order for the purchase to go through. One person tried 4 different cards and all of them “declined” a $47.00 purchase. Sad. People need to realize that giving “stuff” doesn’t make you the best parent, Aunt, Uncle, friend, etc. If you are living that close to the edge financially, you seriously need to evaluate your finances, your priorities and the reason behind the spending. I doubt that many people in that position are reading Personal Finance blogs anyway, but maybe with the advent of the new year this message will reach someone and help them begin to turn the tide in their lives. Stop the madness that comes from an out-of-control life.


3. The clock in/out habits and mentality of the low-wage hourly worker. At my “real” job, I earn a salary that more than pays the bills because I live below my means. I also have health, dental and vision insurance benefits and a 403B plan. Working at this side gig, we are paid a very low hourly wage ($9.00/hr). I was amused, saddened and angered to see most co-workers who come in for their shift clock in when they arrive, then hang up their coat and put their lunch in the refrigerator before heading out to the sales floor. I hang up my coat and put my lunch in the fridge before getting on the clock. Then at the end of their shift, the same people go to get their coat put it on, check the schedule for next week, etc, and THEN they clock out. Call me old school, but I consider this stealing time from the company. I clock out as soon as I leave the sales floor, before I get my coat, etc. I manage a staff of 32 people at my day job, and thought I could recruit any viable candidates that I met at this job. Rest assured, anyone that I saw clocking in and out this way was immediately removed from consideration for any recruitment to the better position that I could offer.


4. As a customer, no, you DON’T have to come back. Discipline and self-control are hugely lacking in many people. Many retailers, including the one for whom I work, offer coupons at check-out for discounts on a future purchase. So many customers who receive the vouchers offer the lament, “Oh now I have to come back; I can’t let that go to waste.” The reason for the negative connotation is that they inevitably spend more than the amount of the voucher/award. Newsflash people: you DON’T have to go back to the store OR, if you do go back you can purchase the minimum amount of the award and leave the store. If you aren’t disciplined enough to do that, you CAN stay home. How much stuff do you need? You can also consider giving the voucher to someone else: a random act of kindness. Pay it forward.


While, I have enjoyed the additional income from this side hustle, and have put all of it into either additional principal payments on my mortgage or into dividend-paying stocks, I have found the materialism that it represents and promotes to be contrary to my new-found minimalistic voyage, and will likely not stay on. Wishing that everyone finds their own personal peace in this new year.