Does Working in Retail Really Pay Off?

I am a big believer in getting a job, no matter what your circumstances are.  I know people that are not working and think many types of jobs are beneath them.  I am here to say that is not true.  No one is beneath any job.  Honest work makes you an honest person.

With that said, I do realize some jobs are not that appealing because of the pay rate.  If a person is on unemployment, I 100% understand why it is better most of the time to stay on unemployment rather than getting a low-paying job.  Unemployment does typically pay better.

Unfortunately, there are those of us that do not qualify for unemployment.  In this situation, I believe you should take a job... any job... to get by.  I don't care if the job is minimum wage.  You know what is worse than 7.25 an hour?  Nothing an hour!  Making no money is considerably worse than minimum wage.

Last year, when I was between jobs and temp jobs, I worked for 7.25 an hour.  It was pretty rough.  Now I am back to retail again, and making a little more than that an hour.  If I had full-time hours, it would not be so bad.  However, I do not.  Also, the problem with retail is that desire to spend some of your money on the products you are selling.  When you see your products each day and tell the customers how great they are, naturally you want to use your discount to buy them, too.  That is a major problem.

What I would recommend for anyone considering a retail job is:

Try to work at a place where you will be unlikely to buy the products all the time.  It really squeezes more money out of you, even if there is a discount.

Try to work at a job that pays an alright wage (if possible) and work retail part-time if you are mostly interested in shopping and getting the discount.  Retail work is perfect temp work around Christmas time,

If you must retail to make ends meet, try to work it full-time.  Part-time simply does not pay off.  If that is not possible, try to squeeze in two part-time jobs at once.

Also, take the location into consideration.  Are you going to spend a lot in gas or public transportation?  It may not be worth it.

Always pack a lunch when you can.  Chances are, all the restaurants in the area will be too expensive.

And most of all, good luck!