Retail Workers and the Holidays: An Untold Story
The holiday season is now in full swing, and that may mean something different to everyone. Whether it be reconnecting with family and friends, traveling, attending parties or attempting to keep track of gift purchases, most of us are struggling to squeeze as much holiday merriment as we can into whatever time we have off. The pressure to do so can basically result in a little stress gremlin that sits on your shoulder. Needless to say, it is beyond common to be feeling some internal tension around this time of the year; it is also commonplace to misdirect this frustration.
I can say from personal experience that one of the most wrongly accosted people during the holidays are those who work in retail. They are the people who stand for hours at a time within a 5-foot radius cashiering an endless line of customers. They are the people leaving their families on the holidays they too are celebrating to enable the grocery stores, malls, tech stores, etc. to be fully operational. They are the ones up before the crack of dawn to make sure you can get your coffee. They are often denied timely breaks, days off, and respect due to the fact that capitalism has convinced us that the sale comes before the salesperson. While it would be easy to blame customer’s bad behavior on the stress of the holidays, it is in fact a poor excuse. Even further, if we examine the demographics of who is actually working retail, we find that this disrespect is part of a larger pattern of oppression. No matter what holiday you are celebrating or if you are celebrating one at all, now is the perfect time to reflect on the way we treat those around us.
While working retail, I noticed two main outlets of oppression. The first was systematic (i.e. how the business operates). This oppression manifests itself in a multitude of ways. One excellent example is employee compensation. The majority of retail workers are paid minimum wage. This means that they receive what is minimally required by the state and nothing more. Let’s also keep in mind there is a difference between minimum wage and a living wage. According to the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics the median pay of a retail worker in 2018 was $11.70 an hour. Thus, half of this population makes less than $11.70 an hour. In addition, most retail workers are required to sign a contract stating that they will not join a union; this puts a tight restriction on their ability to advocate for themselves. Retail workers also constantly battle excessively strict rules regarding time off or sick days. Often the scheduling is so inflexible the employee must come into work even when dealing with issues ranging from a family crisis to simply not having childcare for the day. Honestly, I could go on and on about the ways retail does not support their workers, but the bottom line is that the system does not support them nor was it meant to when it was constructed. Retail systems are meant to sustain themselves and that is about as far as it goes.
The second outlet of oppression and perhaps what I struggled with the most was the interpersonal forms of discrimination. We’ve all heard of the saying “The customer is always right”, but what we don’t often think about is the alternate of that means (“The salesperson is always wrong”).
The system of retail is constructed in such a way that its employees are among some of the most vulnerable workers. There is no recourse for dealing with verbally or at times physically aggressive customers; and while customers primarily only hurl words, being in a situation where you are not allowed to defend yourself due to the fact that you could lose your job for handling someone else’s childish behavior is damaging. This is not by accident. These corporations choose to put the employees in a position of powerlessness in order to retain a customer’s business. This rule is an obvious demonstration of the devalued worth of the employee in the eyes of the company, which is then executed by one’s supervisor. It is an enforced silencing.
Retail worker’s disadvantage has become their corporation’s advantage. Which begs the question: who exactly is being oppressed by this system? In a Bureau of Labor Statistics report published March 2018, Characteristics of minimum wage workers, we find that the majority of minimum wage earners to be primarily young (age 16-25) uneducated (ranging from no high school diploma to some college) women. This is not terribly surprising seeing as most retail positions do not require an education past high school, and even this requirement is flexible. In addition, it is probably one of the most accessible jobs to apply to for those lacking formal work experience. However, it says a great deal about these industries that they choose to treat this demographic in this way.
It is apparent that the retail industry exhibits a pattern of oppressive rules and structures. But what is more damaging than this is that this cultivated hierarchy has seeped into the mentality of society. The public plays into this narrative of “less than” because of who they are and what they do society feels it has a free pass to treat them in a manner that is dehumanizing. This is exceptionally problematic as it perpetuates a structure of oppression that we possess the power to overcome.
I am lucky enough have the freedom to choose to never go back to retail. But I make it my mission with every store I go into, especially during the holidays, to support the workers I encounter. If I can be a bright spot in someone’s overwhelming day then I feel I have made an impact. Kind words make an impact. Patience makes an impact. Providing a momentary relief from a day filled with chaos, makes a difference. I believe in change and I believe in the ripple effect. Every individual has the capacity to treat others with respect and in this season of giving, I hope we can learn to give our attention to how we treat others. It is only with this reflection that we can find the consciousness and strength to act as an ally rather than an antagonist and break the cycle.