When you work in retail, giving out excellent customer service is a vital part of the job you do. There are certain things a customer wants, and things a customer certainly doesn't want. What you don't want to do is put a new customer off and have them never return. The more customers the better, more the money and to be honest...the quicker a shift goes!

So what do customers want?

A smile: A smile goes a long way in retail. A customer does not want to ask you a question or pay for their goods if you look like you have been slapped with a wet fish. Individuals will find this intimidating and they will not want to return. Give your customer a smile, nine times out of ten you will receive a smile back. If the smile goes the long way, give the customer a bit of friendly banter, ask them how their day was or how they are. The customers know you don't care but they like that you take an interest.

No Hassle: What individuals hate is when they walk into a store and the assistants are all over them exclaiming 'how can I help you'. Shoppers do not want this! They want to walk into a shop and look at their own free will. If a shopper wants help, they will come to you. If a shopper looks clearly lost and cannot find something, then it is generally acceptable to use a line such as 'Are you ok?' or 'Is there anything I can help you with?'. Other than this situation, leave them to it.

Anything else?: During transaction it is polite to ask a customer if there is anything else they require today. Sometimes a customer will wait for a gap between what you are doing to ask you for cigarettes, alcohol, etc...if this 'gap' doesn't occur then your customer will walk away very unsatisfied with the service you have just given them. While you are scanning or packing, or whatever else it is you do depending on your field of retail, just simply say 'is there anything else I can do for you?'. This gives your customer the option, of course if there is anything they need they will answer yes and tell you what they require. If not then they will say no and you can continue with the transaction or payment. Using this method, your customer will go away satisfied and will soon be visiting your store again.

Appearance is everything: As the retailer/customer services assistant, your appearance is crucial to the shopper. If you don't look presentable then the customer is going to be disappointed/put off and will not visit the store again. Ensure that if your hair is long, it is tied back away from your face or brushed appropriately. The next step is ensuring your face and hands are clean, if your hands are filthy then a shopper is not going to be keen on handing their money over to you and risk touching your hands, they will also not be keen on re-visiting the store...dirty sales assistant equals dirty shop! If you are reqiured to wear a uniform in your job then ensure you make it look smart. This means your uniform should be clean and ironed. Don't wear large earrings or dangly necklaces, this gives off a bad impression. If you are lucky enough and are not required to wear a uniform, you should still look smart. Wear black trousers and black shoes as they give off a professional vibe. Clothing such as cleavage or midriff bearing tops are not suitable and would give the store you work in a bad reputation.

The customer is always right: We know this is not always the truth, but we let the customer think they are. If you disagree with the customer and get argumentative, you will cause a ruckus and you can be sure that customer will never be returning. For example, a customer may want to return a product they are not happy with, it doesn't matter whether or not they still have a receipt, in most cases a refund can still be made. Now sometimes, there may not actually be anything wrong with the product that you can see, do not dispute this fact, it is appropriate to just refund the product and keep the customer happy (and have an easy life). Sometimes a customer may be a little irate, the best thing to do in cases like these is to not rise to it and simply tell them you will call your manager/supervisor and allow them to sort the problem.

Generally in my personal opinion working in retail can be enjoyable, like in any line of work, a job is whatever you make it to be. I worked in retail myself for two years and rarely had an 'off' day. Keep these tips in mind and shoppers will be returning to you begging for more.