At first glance they
seem to have a pretty basic, mediocre job, with nothing special required. But
today I realised that sometimes shopping assistants are actually pretty
specialised, depending on which company they work for.
Today, my family
travelled to Ambleside to hunt down some kit for my Duke of Edinburgh
expeditions, as a sleeping bag and mat might come in handy for those inevitable
freezing, soaking nights in the middle of nowhere.
In Blacks, one of Ambleside’s
many trekking and hiking shops, I was trying on a ridiculously oversized
rucksack when a sales person came over and asked if we were alright and if we
needed any help. We then spent a good hour or so going through rucksacks,
sleeping bags and mats and their pros and cons; all of which this little man
knew. He could list of the top of his head which ones he would recommend for
specific situations, along with all the facts and figures.
It struck me that
this is quite a skill to have, and I never really noticed it before.
Some shops require
very low levels of intelligence to be a floor assistant, but some companies
require employees to know a lot about their particular stock. I don’t know why
I never noticed this before, but it’s actually quite remarkable to think about
now I have realized.
It is quite a talent
to be good humoured, helpful, a people person and know a whole lot of specific
information by memory. I couldn’t do it.
That’s another thing;
it is important, as a sales assistant, to be in a constant good mood. And when
some customers are downright rude to you and very uncooperative, I can imagine this
makes maintaining a convincing smile very hard indeed.
What I’m trying to
say is a lot of sale assistants are unsung heroes of the shopping world.
There are of course,
those few adolescents who could not be more unhelpful and bad-mannered and
stand chewing gum as they literally watch you struggle to choose which item to
buy. But I am glad to say most assistants are like the man in Blacks today, courteous
and helpful, and willing to help you choose the item best for you without
trying to get you to buy the most expensive creation in the shop.
Basically, I think
the world would be a much better place if everyone was at least something like
the little man from Blacks in Ambleside.
