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Who here works in retail? What do you sell, and how do you feel about it?

I am the bike shop manager for an outfitter shop (sell bikes, boots, boats, performance clothing, fly fishing gear, camping gear, backpacks, anything and everything for the outdoors. I run the bike shop). I've been doing it for about 4 years, and I really enjoy it (though I've had my ups and downs, I'm in a position now where it's challenging enough, with enough responsibility, and enough benefits to make me happy). I love my product, because I've used most of it and I know a lot about it. I have noticed, recently, that I don't really sell the product, but I get people amped about something, and then get them the products they could use to do what it is they are excited about.

How do those of you in retail view your positions and what you do. If you don't like it, why not? Why do you do it?

I work at Schucks(/checker/kragen) I hate it. I work with morons, and almost none of my customers take my advice because I'm female. They'll waste my time asking me questions of course, and then "check" my awnsers and part numbers with a guy before leaving. I usually get hit on my men who haven't showered for 4+ days all while going on a hardcore drinking binge and wetting themselves on a regular basis. I don't get paid enough for what I do, and get almost no respect. I guess I deserve it though, because I'm not actively searching out other employment.

derail

Can you hook me up with a good mountain bike, cheap?

Laurel - you definitely don't deserve to be treated poorly or underpaid. It can be a bitch to find another job. Where you live though, there must be other opportunities.

It's just tough to find a job that can work with an ever changing schedule with school. That basically puts me into retail, and i have knowledge of automotive, which allows me to make more than minimum wage.

Hmmm, well that sucks. I imagine it must be tough for a female in a automobile environment to get treated fairly. The idiots are probably threatened by what threat an attractive and smart girl represents . Well, you might be undermployed but they're gross and you can find another job.

Sorry for the hijack Phil.

I think the other way about Laurel's job. She has a better chance than a guy of manager. I also don't think many car guys are threatened by a cute girl that likes cars....

I have two jobs right and am happy to say I don't deal with customers at all

Right on, I'm not trying to argumentative but she had said that greasy schmucks were hitting on her and that people were double checking her work and doubting her advice. To me that seems kind of belittling.

To just look at the outside and double checking her work and doubting her input reeks of the 'I don't think you know what you're talking about because you're a girl' attitude. I've had many men say to me that they didn't think women were able to think mechanically by nature. I think that's bullshit. Girls are just raised with a different focus in life. If a person grows up around mechanics odds are they will develop at lest some interest in mechanical things unless the kids at school ridicule them for it. A lot of men don't want women to know how to do things that they traditionally do. It make them uncomfortable.

I have often times had customers come to me saying "she said this was the best boot for through hiking the AT. What do you think?"

It's unfortunate that women don't get the respect they deserve.

I did a full outfitting today, and when one of the female employees would offer to help, the customer (who was actually a woman, her son, and her mother) said "no, we are being helped." in a manner that was horribly condecending. There's lots of women who know a lot more than I do. It doesn't bother me, because at the end of the day, someone knows what the fuck they are doing, and that's all that matters.

One of the managers that works there recognises me as the best employee the store has, and asks my advice on things. There are several regular customers that always come to me, because they trust my knowledge, and like to walk behind me while I'm showing them where parts are(my ass looks stellar in my work pants).

But for the most part, the aforementioned conditions apply.

I do, however, halfway expect to be a manager by the end of summer.

LaureltheQueen wrote:(my ass looks stellar in my work pants).

TTIWWOP.

I don't trust anybody that works at schucks, nothing personal.
And the only job I don't think women should have is combat.

I hate the attude that women and men should be the same. Women make better pilots, men better engineers. It's a simple matter of different brain function. Not that I think anyone should be held back, and there is always an exeption to the rule.

that's okay, I don't trust anyone that works at schucks either, they're morons

I worked retail briefly at two seasonal ski and snowboard gear sales. I've snowboarded for a number of years so I really wanted to be in that department. But management's infinite wisdom sent me to ski boots. I felt bad selling a product I never used, but I was mostly a size-finding monkey so it wasn't too bad. Luckily I got a better job and haven't had to go back.
I learned to never go to a weekend sale on one of the last days. The employees are only kept on their feet by Red Bull and greed.

Laurel- what spark plug wires do you recommend for an NA?

oem ones. That's what I have.

thanks

i work in a restaurant. so its sort of retail but not really. im a waiter and some days i hate it and other days i love it. i think the food is a good value and good quality. money can be great and it can be crap too. its a big gamble.

I agree that women aren't physically as strong as men are but I couldn't disagree more about the statement that men are better engineers. Marie Curie was one of the pioneering scientists of the twentieth century, just to name one. I've personally known some incredibly smart females that could do Calculus better than any of the males in our class. The only reason why there aren't more female engineers is that they just aren't as interested in those types of careers. If men had children it would be the same way for men. Women have a lot of biological imperative to reproduce and it domintes a huge portion of many women's lives. Men, raise children but they aren't as bound to them as women are. I've never met a woman who I thought of as intelletually inferior to me. Emotionally more chaotic but not mentally duller. Of course, every person is different and we all aren't equally smart but brains has nothing to do with gender, race, or career field.

-K- wrote: Women make better pilots, men better engineers. It's a simple matter of different brain function. Not that I think anyone should be held back, and there is always an exeption to the rule.

I'm assuming you're talking about those positron emission tomography scans where women use different parts of their brains to solve the same problems as men. Lefties do the same thing, what should they be doing?

You can make vague generalities about intellectual capabilities based on gender, but there's way too much overlap to have it be of any use, imo.

Why do you say women make better fighter pilots? They generally have slightly slower reflexes. I'm curious.

I remember reading that they're better able to withstand G-forces. That and they can fly while putting on make up and talking on a cellphone.

Steve

I think the pilot thing comes from women having more of their body mass lower so it's less of a strain while pulling high (positive) Gs.
I know it's something relating to G forces, like Steve said.

A female pilot I know said girls are better at asking for directions. I said guys just read maps.

I never said anything about women being inferior.

Everyone knows left handed people should be musicans like Jimmy.

-K- wrote:I never said anything about women being inferior.

Nobody said you did.

scottzg wrote:

-K- wrote: Women make better pilots, men better engineers. It's a simple matter of different brain function. Not that I think anyone should be held back, and there is always an exeption to the rule.

I'm assuming you're talking about those positron emission tomography scans where women use different parts of their brains to solve the same problems as men. Lefties do the same thing, what should they be doing?

You can make vague generalities about intellectual capabilities based on gender, but there's way too much overlap to have it be of any use, imo.

Why do you say women make better fighter pilots? They generally have slightly slower reflexes. I'm curious.

Those scans are interesting but IIRC from a show that was on TLC the scans show how much energy each sex used to perform various tasks. It could actually indicate that men use more energy to perform calculations and are not necisarily getting better results. I'm not trying to bash my own gender, I just think that abilities are mostly determined by individual capabilities and the amount of effort a person puts into something. Being really interested in something and having a genuine passion about it can go a long way at making you an expert at whatever it is.

Women are also usually smaller in stature, which is benificial to fighter pilots.

When did it become fighter pilots? K just said plain ol' pilots. He also said he believes women should not engage in combat. Fighter Pilot=Combat. That != What K said, K?