In the words of Charles Dickens – yes the fellow who penned A Tale of Two Cities – “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times”.
What the dickens was he talking about?
Well apparently these famous opening lines hint at his novel’s central tension between love and family, on the one hand, and oppression and hatred, on the other.
Hmm, quite.
The truth is he could also have been describing life in the world of retail in the run-up to Christmas: a time of buzzing excitement but also a time when throngs of shoppers gather like invading armies for sales and panic buying.
Or so it was once upon a time.
Could it be that today’s retail professionals are much more in control – so much, in fact, it’s now become simply the best of times?
To find out we quizzed Sarah Robertson, who works as a sales assistant in a well-known and busy department store in the heart of Glasgow.
Best or worst of times or both?
Well, I’m tempted to say both because there are certainly Saturday afternoons when I do feel there are more customers than there are minutes in the day to help them.
But on the whole the best of times far outweigh any of the worst.
I enjoy helping customers and, even when it’s really, really busy, I can get a lot of satisfaction from pushing myself to do my best.
What are the best bits?
I’m definitely a people person so for me it’s meeting new people – and this is something that happens every single day.
Plus, working in the clothes department, I get to see all of the latest designs before anyone else. It’s fab when your day job is also your passion.
Are there bad bits?
Of course. Sometimes you get really rude customers or days when an urgent order doesn’t come in and people are left waiting and worried they won’t get a gift for their family on time. It can take a whole lot of patience but making it right is worth it.
Finally, what will you be doing to relax away from the store this Christmas?
Actually, I’m straight back in early on Boxing Day to help prepare for the sales rush.
But our store works a great bonus scheme – so I’ve booked a week in the Canary Islands just when everyone else will be heading back to work!
Treat yourself to the best of times with top Retail roles from s1jobs