Pretending You Care: The Retail Employee Handbook [Paperback]

Norman Feuti (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 16, 2007

Ah, retail. It has lured in the best of us with promises of employee discounts (a sham), the "fun" of working with people (not so much), and flexible hours (dont make me laugh).

What we got instead: cranky customers, sadistic managers, idiotic coworkers, and, oh yeah, the hell that is doing inventory.

But there are ways to lessen the pain, and this retail handbook will show you how. Inside youll learn how to handle the crazies (both customers and coworkers), feign product knowledge, and make the best of working the register, all the while, of course, pretending you care. This book takes years of retail experience and condenses it into a guide that is as funny as it is useful.

If you work in retail now, have done so in the past, or plan to do so in the future: this is the book for you.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Norm Feuti is a Massachusetts based cartoonist and, with 15-years experience as a department store manager, a retail veteran. He has worked in stores such as Bostonian Shoes, Learningsmith and Michael's Arts and Crafts. His comic strip "Retail," on which the book is based, is syndicated by King Features and featured in 20 newspapers nationwide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (October 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401308902
• ISBN-13: 978-1401308902
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #288,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Norm Feuti is my Hero October 19, 2007

By Jane Harrison

Format:Paperback

I started with high expectations for this book. I was a fan of the Retail comic strip and assumed that it would be mostly a collection of comics with a few "retail hints" thrown in. But no, this is a full blown retail manual (with comic strips as illustrations). And it is AWESOME. Beyond my wildest expectations. Here is why:

1) If you have ever worked in retail, you will feel like this book completely understands you. He rants about the "customer is always right" mindset and how it is actually training people to be insufferable jerks.

2) This book has detailed practical advice, and it isn't sugarcoated. He tells you how to get hired, fake product knowledge, deal with each specific type of problem customer, prepare for the visit of the district manager, and come up with a customer exit strategy so you can actually take a lunch break. There is even one part where he writes out some good phrases to use if, as a manager, you ever have to write a B.S. "action plan" on how to increase sales. He suggests keeping a couple of action plans on file so you don't actually have to do the work when the time comes. The district managers don't read them anyway.

3) It is hilarious.

If you have ever worked in retail you need to own this book. Norm Feuti will be your hero too.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A real look at the retail world October 22, 2007

By Tara

Format:Paperback

I became of fan of the Retail comic strip a few months ago, and instantly loved it. I got this book thinking it would be a collection of strips, but it's actually a real guide to working and surviving in the retail world. For anyone who's worked in retail before, this book is a must read. You'll recognize everything, the good, bad and ridiculous. For those who haven't have the "pleasure" of working in retail, you probably won't believe some of the stuff in here, but sadly, all of it's true.

I can't recommend this enough, especially with the crazy holiday season that's starting. It might just help you get through the day.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Contains Truth December 11, 2007

By E. Cluney

Format:Paperback

The day I bought this book, everyone who saw the cover took paused and smiled, whether it was the girl behind the counter at the bookstore or the Italian guy doing stuff on his laptop next to me on the train ride home. Feuti is talking about something everyone deals with but hardly anyone actually talks about: the life of a retail worker.

Although his main thing right now is apparently being a cartoonist, he's a surprisingly engaging writer, and he presents the world of retail in a way that's engaging, human, and honest. He pulls no punches, and presents a very realistic view from the sales floor. The book covers every imaginable aspect of retail, from getting hired all the way to stores going out of business. He puts inane corporate policies, incompetent holiday help, and obnoxious, irrational customers in their place. It's not always a funny book (though there are some laugh out loud hilarious parts here and there), but it's so full of humanity and truth that I couldn't put it down.

I am not joking when I say that I think the world would be a better place if more people read this book. In particular, I think everyone who works at a corporate office of a retail chain (especially those who've never worked a day of retail in their lives) needs to be forced to read it, RIGHT NOW.