10 Things You Only Know If You Work For Primark
We all know Primark on the British high street. It’s where we go when we need all the basics, new accessories, candles, and cute pyjamas. However, working for the company can put a different perspective on it. Here’s some of the things you’ll only know if you work for Primark:
1. The t-shirt tables fill you with fear
Everyone knows the neat tables with shelves of clothes, folded carefully so you can flick through them and pull out your size. These are in every department, including t-shirts, vests, and even underwear. They look really organised, and they only look like that because the staff make them look that way, and at the end of each shift, the staff have to tidy them up again. It’s hellish, especially at the end of a Saturday shift.
2. People will return things in any condition
If you work on the customer services desk at Primark, you’ll know that customers will return things in any condition. Curtains come completely unpackaged and the best staff can do is fold them and stick them together with sticky-tape. Clothes which have been clearly worn and then washed are handed back. Shoes will be scuffed and the soles will be worn away. The worst part is, when you tell the customer you can’t accept them, they act shocked.
3. People love to bulk buy
If you’ve ever worked on tills at Primark, you’ll know how much people will buy in bulk. Those huge grey baskets you pick up at the front door can pack a lot of items and customers do their best to fill these baskets full. You’ll spend a long time filling the paper bags with twenty of the same item, and the customer will be walking away with at least four bags completely stuffed.
4. Chrismas is terrifying
Most people love Christmas. For retail workers, it’s a horrifying thought. There’s Christmas tunes on repeat, the store becomes ten times busier and customers are stressed so are ten times ruder. People make a huge mess, clothes are left on the floor and customers use the shelves as a place for litter. Working for Primark can be hard but Christmas makes the job harder!
5. If we’re folding, please don’t come to us
Managers give us the task to fold everything and keep the store looking nice. We get tables to do this on and it takes a lot of time. There’s nothing worse than when we’re concentrating on this and a customer interrupts us. We’re happy to help but only if we’re not focusing on a mammoth task, and we’re not allowed to leave the tables on the shop floor so we have to store them first before being able to help you.
6. Stockroom shifts are the best
Stockroom shifts are the best when you work for Primark because it feels like a total skive. You just need to hand out a counter for people trying on clothes, then announcing to the rest of the staff that the stockroom needs cleared. It’s even better when someone else is on shift with you because you get a chance to gossip between customers.
7. The shoe department
People try on the shoes on display, that’s fair. At Primark, there’s elastic securing the pairs together, and when customers try on the shoes, they leave at the benches. As time goes on, these get tangled, turning into a huge pile, and it’s a nightmare for staff. Untangling them at the end of a shift is arduous and there’s usually other tasks that need doing.
8. Lingerie is a fun shift
The most interesting shifts are definitely in the lingerie department. You’re surrounded by cute pyjamas and lacy underwear and you get the most interesting requests; underwear recommendations for girlfriends, the best kind of bras for larger boobs, the comfiest underwear. Clean up is also less bad due to the fact not many children come through the area. It’s the best shift!
9. It’s cool being able to see all the clothes
One of the bonuses to work at Primark is that when you’re working on the shop floor, putting clothes away or tidying, you have a while to browse through the clothes. Instead of having to rush in and quickly pick out items, you can spend more time seeing what’s available. You also get to see the new ranges before anyone else.
10. Get good at untangling
If you work for Primark, you’ll know that not only do you need to be good at untangling shoes and folding clothes, you need to be able to untangle the jewellery, and believe me, they become a mess. If necklaces fall on the floor or too many have been put on the rail, you’ll know exactly the knots they can get into!
