#rotanswers

[bunrotten]

saw ur post about working eight hour shifts and i don’t know if any of this will help, but here are some of the things that worked for me at least a bit <3 you said you’re a retail worker in your pinned so im basing this off of the idea of being a cashier type of role. if you aren’t in that role then i’m sorry, i hope you find some good advice ^^

- the till is a great method for ignoring eye contact, use it to your advantage whenever you can, the occasional glance up at the customer is good but if you’re burned out and that might send you over the edge, looking invested in your till (leaning in, scanning the numbers, etc) is always good. this works better if you have to type things on the till yourself. this also works with things that you’re scanning through

- if you can, take water and a snack. dehydration is a bitch and water will probably help most situations

- filler words are really good for getting through conversations if you can’t invest in them, lord knows i never could. ‘mhm’, ‘oooh’, ‘that’s great!’, ‘oh, i’m sorry about that’, even a sort of ‘mh’ noise that’s pitched up a bit could work. nodding is good as well, you seem invested but you don’t have to verbalise anything. this doesn’t work all the time but it can let you coast through a lot of them

- plan your tasks, it can help you visualise the day and work in downtimes and transitions between tasks. group similar ones and maybe stack them like high-energy low-energy high-energy. this might be set by the manager so you can’t do it yourself or you might not be able to do this one because elf a variety of reasons which is fair enough. i don’t know your schedule so this one might be impossible, sorry <33

- it’s best to take a bracelet or something to put in your pocket just in case. i find it’s easiest to fidget with necklaces so a simple long necklace that you can reach whilst standing would be good.

- plan rest times for after work. genuinely one of the biggest ones, as a species we are not built for the eight hour day. rest is incredibly important and without it, you’ll crumble. it’s best to take breaks at work as well if you’re allowed, but if not maybe slow yourself a slight bit to reserve energy

- wear a mask if you can, then you don’t have to worry about facial expressions. it might muffle your words a bit, but gestures and a slightly louder volume would make up for it. the plastic disposable ones feel awful so an adjustable cloth one is probably best. it could also block smells a little bit if that’s a big thing for you

- pack for your transport as well. a bad ride over could set you off for the rest of the day, so it’s best to have countermeasures just in case things go wrong. if you walk, always take something with a good unless you’re sure it won’t rain. have removable clothing for the heat. have a backup plan if a bus doesn’t come or you’re late out of the house

- a lot of people stress the customer service voice, i find that it’s just pitching your voice up a bit and softening it. i drop my accent a bit too because mine is harsh, but it could work in your favour if you have a southern accent (people think it’s welcoming) or similar.

- bad customers are inevitable, try and plan out how you’ll respond and keep that in mind. most places do conflict training so keep that close because it’s really important. try to soothe yourself first and keep your voice down if they get aggressive, make sure there’s something between you and the customer and have a way to call for your supervisor nearby

- loops are good if you struggle with noise. they lower noise levels and background noise but you can still hear the customer so they should be permissible at work

- get some soft thin clothes for under your uniform if it’s itchy, to try and minimise the texture on your skin. cotton shirts and tights if you can deal with those are good

some of these were basic sorry, i hope you find some ways to deal with your shifts ^^

ah oh my Gosh I was not expecting such a thoughtful response, thank you so much!!! :")) these are all so helpful and I will be keeping this as a cheat sheet forever. bless anon x