Here's how to... survive working as a Christmas retail temp

Our writer Shannon's got some tips for anyone (un)lucky enough to be earning cold hard cash as a Christmas temp this year. Here are her tips for staying same.

Working in retail is one of those things that everyone ends up doing at some point, but it isn’t exactly something very many people want to do, especially in the run up towards Christmas. Over the past few months, retail outlets, boutiques and supermarkets have all been on the lookout for people who can spare a few hours over the holiday to help out with the mad rush of shoppers desperate to find a party outfit, that perfect present or the biggest turkey.

And sure, it's not the most exciting work. At the end of the day though, someone needs to do the job and if that someone happens to be you hopefully these tips will help.

1. Be your own customer

Firstly, if at all possible, which I know it isn’t always, try to get a job in shop you like to shop in yourself. At least this way you’ll enjoy looking at all the new products as you put them out and you might even be lucky enough to grab yourself some bargains with your employee discount!

2. The customer might be right, but they can be a pain in the backside too

If you’re working in retail, it is a given that you will have to deal with a lot of customers. Despite the inevitability that the phrase ‘the customer is always right’ will be drummed into your system, in reality they will quite often be the cause of most of your problems. Not everyone who comes into the shop is going to be polite and treat you with respect. But it is vital you remember that if they are rude to you, chances are it really has nothing to do with you. In fact it is probably more to do with themselves and the fact they’ve left their shopping too late again. Just take a deep breath, smile and be courteous. It’s quite likely the customer will calm down as everyone finds it difficult to pick an argument with someone who isn’t willing to fight back.

3. Mean Girls isn't just a film, y'know

It isn’t just customers you’re going to have to deal with. Working in retail can quite often feel like being back at school. There may be cliques, they may all bitch about one another, and it’s quite possible that as a Christmas temp, you’ll probably feel a little bit left out. Just rise above it, definitely don’t join in with the catty conversations and try to avoid the people who really wind you up. There is nothing worse than spending your entire day bubbling with anger just because of a colleague. If that doesn’t work, or it’s not possible to get away from the other staff, just remember you’re a temp, so you won’t even have to deal with it for too long and in no time at all you can be on your way.

4. Forget the time, and lose the watch

While you are at work, try your best to play the ‘avoid-looking-at-the-clock’ game. Seriously, this tip is probably the most important one. Trust me, I know how difficult it is to not check the time when you’re bored at work but if you keep glancing at the clock every few minutes you’ll find your day really, really drags on. Instead, try to set yourself a target. Don’t look at the clock until you’ve finished the big task of the day. You will feel so much better if you’re constantly saying to yourself ‘wow that took me half an hour to finish’ rather than ‘I’ve still got half an hour to go’.

5. And finally, remember this important tip...

When all else fails, just think of the money. Whether a Christmas bonus (which I’m afraid to say is probably unlikely) or just the amount of extra hours you have put in during the run up to the big day. No matter where the money is coming from, you can sleep easy knowing at the end of the month you’ll have a nice, hefty pay check coming your way just in time for the January sales!