A Good Manager is Your Friend and Your Enemy

Working retail is a lot tougher than most people can imagine. The moment someone walks into a store, regardless what type of store it is, you have to service their needs. Even if they are crabby or rude, you must put a smile on your face, say hello and make sure their shopping experience is the best possible. Throughout college I worked as a grocery store as a customer service representative. During this time I realized how much America relies on consumerism and how often people feel they are entitled to everything the moment they step foot in a store.

If someone has a bad day at work, they may not mean to be rude to cashiers and stockers, but it happens. Some people are generally not friendly at all and take out their hatred for the world on these employees as well. This is one of the many reasons that you need a quality manager behind your department. During this time I saw a number of manager changes in our department. This is when I realized that my original boss was the best manager we could have. Our manager kept our department together, she listened to everyone's needs, joked around when she could, but also put her foot down to make sure everyone was doing what they were suppose to. She was your friends, your enemy, someone you could vent to and she wouldn't judge. She was a problem solver in every aspect. Though she'd bee doing her job for 20 years, our store felt a shift when she changed. In fact, she was such a good boss that many employees left after she did out of loyalty to her (meaning, they didn't want to quit and put her in a bad place without them).

When she was our manager, people wanted to go to work because she took care of everything. All the managers after her were either too strict or too lenient. No one had all the skills she did. The truth is, not everyone has it in them to be a manger. Manager need to be strong, but lighthearted. They need to be serious, but realize as well that their employees may be working for minimum wage underneath them. They need to be understanding and an ear as not only a boss, but a friend as well. A good manager will have a laugh with you, even if they have to write you up ten minutes later. It's finding the balance between the good and bad, and making a job an enjoyable place to be.