We’ve survived another year of  8 A.M. lectures and caffeine addiction. Our drunken immunity has been tested like never before. What is our reward? For most of us, a summer job. And for many of us, a summer job in retail.

I’ve had my fair share of retail gigs and, let me tell you, they’re not all rainbows and awesome discounts. Nope, most of the time, they’re just folding, counting and really bitter customers… with a pretty great discount. If you find yourself behind the register this summer and want to make it out alive, keep these key things in mind:

1. Keep your peace of mind.
I’ve had more crap summer jobs than I can count and I don’t think I made more than 50 cents over minimum wage at any of them. Some money is always better than none, but don’t forget to put a premium on your peace of mind. So many nights I would come home and be totally exhausted from rude people and domineering bosses, but I would keep myself awake for 2 or 3 more hours wondering if I had balanced my register or entered the security code correctly before I locked up. Take it from someone who learned it the hard way: forget about it. This isn’t your career, it’s your summer job. Focus on it  from 9 to 5 and the second that glass door locks behind you, use your time to enjoy your summer.

2. Set a budget for using the employee discount.
Whether or not its written explicitly in your employee handbook, most retail stores will allow some extra perks to employees and their family members. To you it’s only a measly 10%, but to an employer it adds up. I remember working at a convenience store one summer where I made all the neighborhood kids pay every last cent for their candy bars. Unbeknownst to me, my male co-worker on the other shift was handing out free cigarettes to hot chicks who would show off their ta-tas. Even in a classier, structured environment, moderation is still key. If you abuse your privileges, you can be sure that they will start to disappear. And why waste them on others when you can use ‘em for yourself, am I right?

3. Know when to take a break.
I remember one afternoon, 15 minutes into my shift, I experienced the worst-case scenario for retail. I had a customer screaming at me on the phone and a merchant in front of the counter demanding a check from me that I was not authorized to sign. As if that wasn’t enough, my register went haywire and started shooting out receipt paper like silly string. I took one deep breath, focused really hard, and fixed everything in 5 minutes. The small queue of people that had formed at my register cheered good-naturedly. In the next available minute, I vacuumed the floor. It wasn’t really a “break” but it did give me a moment to clear my head, cool down, and center myself. Even if you can’t run outside, kick your feet up and suck down a much needed Diet Coke after disaster strikes, doing something mindless has a wonderful calming effect.

4. Be glad they’re not your boyfriend/mother/sister.
Men, women, young, old – ignorance seems to know no bounds. Time will be flying, the store will be quiet, and suddenly that one loudmouth who thinks their sh*t is cream will come in and make life hell for you — just because they can. No matter what, service with a smile should still reign supreme; it’s just good business. To keep my spirits up after these terribly depressing people leave, though, I’ll think of my nasty customers’ spouses, or parents, or kids. No matter how rude they may be to me, I pity the poor people that actually have to live with them.

5. Wear comfortable shoes.
This may be the best piece of advice I can give you. After all, Ginger Rogers was the only woman who could glide through her days backwards in high heels. Without fail, the days I left my house wearing the shiny red pumps that matched my favorite skirt so well were the days I was climbing latters in the stock room, dusting off displays, and taking out trash. While looking good will make you feel good, being comfortable helps, too. Never underestimate the power of ballet flats!

I wish you the best of luck as you begin your battles. No mater how posh your store is or how nice your bosses are, the bell that rings when your door opens will give you a gag reflex by August. The way your wallet bulges, though (well, assuming you don’t abuse that discount), is sure to make you smile when you’re back on campus, soaking up your first Thirsty Thursday.

When I was 16, I needed an easy job that could fund my many expenses (like the two beers that got me drunk on the weekends and movie tickets for 7pm on Fridays). The mall was an obvious choice, since I’d always have someone to hang with on breaks (the place employed my entire high school) and I’d have a sweet employee discount.

This was a bad, bad decision. Little did I know when I started at Abercrombie & Fitch that I would come home every night nursing sore legs and an achy jaw from a 5-hour shift standing at the entrance asking shoppers to “try our new sexy fleece.” (WHAT IS A SEXY FLEECE!?) Then, it took me 4 days to wash the smell of boy’s cologne out of my clothes, and don’t even get me started on the hits my self-esteem took when I was banished to the stock room on bad hair days. The place was a hell-hole and to this day I can’t walk past the shirtless girls modeling the newest bikinis the storefront without shuddering (and it has nothing to do with the overwhelming scent of cologne). So it makes me beyond joyful to find out that I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Corporate Responsibility magazine (don’t worry – I don’t have a subscription either) is in the works to publish a corporate “black list” of the worst companies in America. Not surprisingly, Abercrombie and Fitch is on the top of the list. While Corporate Responsibility’s reasons for blacklisting Abercrombie are a bit more…er…corporate than mine, I’ve got a pretty good idea of why A&F is the Taco Bell meat of retail stores.

1. They’re grossly overpriced
$200 for a pair of ripped jeans and $89 for a simple sweater? And my personal favorite – $30 for a pair of plain flip-flops. Why should I shell out big bucks just for a moose logo? It’s a moose! In this tough economy I’d much rather go next door to American Eagle or Forever21 and find the same exact things for a third of the price.

2. They’re oversexed
Okay, so the giant walls of guys with 6-packs might be nice, but Abercrombie degrades their employees and over-emphasizes physical appearance. Did you know that everyone gets hired as either a “Model” (meaning you get to work the floor, cash register, and greet), and an “Impact Team Member” (meaning you’re in the back stocking shelves and pinning clothes)? Yep, since they can’t legally discriminate in hiring, they just stick the uggos in the back. And the tan shirtless guys in the front, taking Polaroids with customers.

3. The atmosphere sucks
The place REEKS of cologne (we were required to spray “Fierce” around the store every 40 minutes!), it’s too dark to even see what you’re trying on, and you can hear the techno bumpin’ from the Food Court. Seriously, is this a respectable shopping establishment or the freakin’ Jersey Shore!? Not to mention that you often get stuck in fake trees while sifting through the racks. Seriously?

4. Seasonal confusion
Sometimes it’s winter, sometimes it’s summer, but at Abercrombie seasons don’t matter. Puffy vests with booty shorts and legwarmers? Winter jackets paired with flip flops? Flowy, flowery miniskirts with boots and hoodies!? As long as it’s got the brand name on it, it seems like anything goes. Until you step outside in the snow with your flip flops and soak the bottoms of your $200 skinnies, that is…

Some people are fortunate enough to have everything covered, but those college students who are on their own are forced to seek employment on or around campus. Usually for minimum wage.

I watched many friends as they sat in class all morning, in the library all afternoon and at their crappy work-study jobs all night, every night. They missed out on bonding time, parties and even student groups on campus, and still barely had enough money to get by. I know that college is all about learning, but it sucks to miss out on the rest of college life. There is a lot to be learned outside the classroom (like your drinking limit!).

But what if there were a better option? What if someone could make enough money to get by without sitting at the check-out desk of the library 6 nights a week? What if you could make enough money to learn and enjoy college without spending game-days serving burgers to drunk students?

It’s as easy as getting a sugar-daddy.

Melissa Beech, tired of working retail and waiting tables, did just that. “During my job hunt, I met a potential employer. He was in his early thirties, single and successful. He didn’t hire me, but he did suggest a position that seemed perfectly suited to my attributes and skills: he proposed that he become my benefactor.”

Some people consider Melissa’s “job” to be prostituion, but she doesn’t agree; I call it a ‘mutually beneficial arrangement’ that pays for my killer wardrobe.”

What do you think? Is this the answer we have all been looking for, or is this simply a real-life Pretty Woman?

If you’re tired of asking Mamadukes and Pops for some cash (or if they just plain won’t give ya any), a part-time job is necessary. Some college jobs can be a total buzzkill (hello scrubbing dishes at the dining commons), but others turn out not too shabby. Here’s a few I suggest:

1. Library. Every campus has one and there are TONS of jobs that need filling. It’s convenient, generally in the heart of the campus, AND it beats working for the dining halls. I spent my four years of college working for the Special Collections and Archives Department where I made around $10/hr, which was more than any other on-campus position around. I could work in between classes and I wound up making one of the best friends I have at that job, not to mention some excellent recommendations when real-life job time comes around. Try it, peeps. Head to the Circulation Department of your Library (or the college job website – there is one, if you didn’t know!) and see what departments are hiring.

2. Restaurants/Bars in town. Every campus has a “downtown” or “uptown” – the happening place on a Friday or Saturday night. If you can’t afford to spend money on drinks, get a job where your friends go; you can make loot and enjoy their company. It’s the best of both worlds. Just pop in to your favorite night hot spots and pick up some applications!

3. College Admin Office. Whether it’s the Administrative Office, the Bursar Office or another department in the Academic and Billing section of your campus, you can find a job that is accommodating to your schedule and pays decently. A friend of mine worked at one of the offices in the billing building and for graduation her boss got her a white gold necklace. Score!

4. Entertainment. Is there a movie theater/arcade/golf course by your campus? I lived in an apartment complex my junior year and a neighbor of mine ran a mini-golf and driving range venue a few miles from campus. He’d go to class then head straight to “work,” which consisted of him hitting golf balls and hanging out with his friends for a decent hourly wage.

5. Starbucks. This place is great because they’re always hiring and they are always around college campuses. And you get free coffee.

6. Delivery. Pizza delivery people – while stuck in a car for a decent time – get invited to the best parties dropping off pies and get to take home whatever he/she wants. Plus, if you’re a female delivery person, think of all the drunk, horny male attention you can get dropping those pizzas off at 2am. Wink wink.

7. Skilled? Got a special skill people on campus could benefit from? Are you an excellent diver and could give lessons on how to master than double flip pike dive? Send out a campus wide email, post fliers up around campus or take an ad out in the school paper and charge for your talent!

8. Parlez-vous le français? Speak French (or Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Latin, etc, etc, etc)? Language requirements can be a royal biotch and lots of students need help. If you’re a pro at rolling your tongue in the French language, tutor! You can make serious BANK and help someone out!

9. RA. Being a Resident Advisor requires some work – weekly meetings, one night a week doing dorm duty and some serious floor socials – but it has its perks too. For one, you get your own room for FREE (!!!!), as well as a bi-weekly stipend. Not to mention, you get to bust all the freshman for drinking in the dorms and hand out free condoms late at night to intoxicated teens who you know will regret their decisions in the morning.

10. Retail. When in doubt, you can always turn to retail. Clothing stores around campus can be local, a way to get great outfits for your nights out at a discount and a good way to socialize with people of the area. Who knows? You could wind up an assistant manager in a year or two and make some decent dough while cracking those books.

So, time’s a wastin’. Go grab those apps and get to workin!

(photo courtesy of wikimedia.com)

And guess what, they have also been voted as most unethical.

Flicking through the TV guide, I spotted a documentary titled ‘The Devil Wears Primark” showing that very night. I felt it was time to face up to the not-so-pretty side of my bargains. As I fine tuned the aerial and settled down, I was puzzled to discover that in the place of a nitty-gritty documentary was a “in a change to the schedule” apology, followed by a generic film.

It didn’t take much detective work to figure out that a company with such high turnover would have been less than happy too let such a documentary go ahead. However it made me angry to think that the truth was, effectively, being hidden from my eyes. Whatever content was in the showing, Primark obviously did not want us to see. Of course, what chance does a television station have against a multi-million pound company with more lawyers than sense? None at all, so it seems.

These people should be ashamed. Ashamed to use money as a weapon, ashamed to turn away from the truth with threats and lawyers, ashamed to be driven by nothing but disgusting amounts of profit. A televised program giving shocked viewers the truth about their £15 coat could easily make them think twice about another purchase. But isn’t that exactly what Primark deserves? Maybe then they would acknowledge the working conditions of those abroad who work tirelessly to receive absolute pennies. Better still, raise the price of my beloved t-shirt by a mere pound, put some profit back to the people who work so hard to help them make their precious money, and perhaps – just maybe – attempt to develop a conscience.

Where do you buy your clothing? How often do you think about the working conditions of those who make your garments? Should Primark have been allowed to stop the airing of a truthful documentary?

[photo courtesty of Burt Herman at daylife.com]

After spending more than a year of my college life in retail, I couldn’t bring myself to purchase clothing that wasn’t on sale. I still can’t. I was used to my standard thirty-plus percent discount. And so, walking back into that same chain which shall remain nameless, I am shocked and appalled to see that the brand’s prices have only inflated, and now there’s a handbag line that costs on average more than a Coach.

Perhaps it’s just me, but chain stores striving to be high-end is a huge pet peeve. Take J. Crew as an example, which has never exactly geared toward the sale shopper, but has always had great basics that last forever. Now this prepster Mecca is home to a pair of sunglasses that sells for $275.00. Do they say anything? Do they have an exclusively J. Crew look? No! They’re AVIATORS that every frat boy on the planet bought for no more than $12 at CVS on their way to the bar last weekend.

So when did all the chains start thinking they were Chanel or Dior? Why does Banana Republic sell leather bags that retail over $200.00? Why is Victoria’s Secret marketing million-plus-dollar bras made of diamonds in their Christmas catalogs? Slap the word “luxury” on any advertising campaign and you’ve got yourself a winner, apparently.

Personally, if I’ve got the money to spend, I’d rather my cause be a classic designer piece I can get some serious use out of. I’d have a damn hard time investing in a new Kate Spade wallet at present, but if the one at Banana isn’t that much cheaper, I’m splurging.

Is it just me? Tell us what you think about the high-end trend.

Looking at the photo on the link as a twentysomething chick, I don’t see much that’s obscene about it, but it does piss me off for other reasons.

Abercrombie & Fitch has been pulling the same shit for years; their entire retail strategy consists of selling clothes through barely-clad models. Excuse me, but if I’m buying a piece of clothing, I don’t want somebody to be taking it off in the ad unless it’s a Victoria’s Secret bra.

Abercrombie, are you selling me a naked man? No? Then change your freaking advertisements. New York & Company was able to run a highly successful ad campaign last year featuring Patrick Dempsey, a known hot man, but there was one key difference: he was actually wearing clothes.

Don’t get me wrong here. I like to see some skin from hot guys just as much as the next straight girl, but I like my ass with some class. A shirt with a few top buttons undone can be just as sexy as some dude who’s obviously stripping, and it’s a lot more elegant as well.

As long as I’m on a roll with slamming Abercrombie, I’d like to point out that a Google search for “Abercrombie & Fitch” turns up the retailer’s Web site as a first result, which pens itself as a clothing line “for aspirational men and women.”

Am I the only one with my eyes bugging out here? Aspirational? Are you trying to tell me, Abercrombie, that if I wear duds from H&M or Target that my aspirations are not as high as someone who shells out 75% of their daily income for a logo tee made in one of your overseas sweatshops?

Try again, Abercrombie & Fitch. I’m not going to drop a hundred bucks for a pair of jeans at your elite store for cheerleaders and preps just because you show me somebody taking them off.

A story by the girls over at Jezebel about swanky boutique owner and chauvinist pig Luciano Manganella recently observed that working in retail is similar to working in fashion because it subjects women to the worst of the sexual harassment world.

Call me crazy, but I always thought that retail sucked no matter how you strung it together.

It’s an unforgiving industry with crappy pay, pretty much no benefits, and a requirement to stand up for eight hours every day. I mean, that’s enough to make anyone hate shopping.

Let’s not assume, though, that sexual harassment is ubiquitous with working retail. Women can be harassed in in all professions, and looking cute behind the counter of a Juicy Couture boutique isn’t any more likely to get you groped than serving cheesecake at a restaurant or doodling all over your TPS report.

Why then, does it seem to be accepted in the fashion world? Harassment is just part of the deal, the industry seems to be saying with it’s compliance. Just one of the hazards of working retail in a high-end store.

I don’t claim to know why Luciano thinks he can get away with behavior that makes him look about as appealing as a cockroach, but if his stunts are exemplary of an average man in his profession, then maybe the problem isn’t about the connection between sexual harassment and retail jobs, but why so many douchebag guys are working in the industry in the first place.

It’s slightly embarrassing; yet much more comfortable than the back of my earring jamming into my ear.

It isn’t like this is my first menial job; I’ve been working them since I was thirteen. Retail, Food Service, Nanny, Camp Counselor; I have done it all. And after I graduated college, I expected to go through a bout of menial jobs and laborious internships to get there (there being a real job with salary and benefits). I just never expected it to go on for this long.

I mean, I’m a writer, so I kind of expected this type of unemployment. But with a totally kick-ass resume and some awesome experience to back it up, a girl still can’t get a job. So I landed this, a long term temp reception gig at a pretty chill event production company.

And I actually really like it.

I know I won’t be a receptionist forever. I mean it’s what I do for now, not what I am. But so many times, talking to girls I graduated with or when meeting new people they always ask, “So… What do you do?” It took me a long time to be able to confidently say “I’m a writer and a receptionist.”

Sure, it isn’t glamorous and it sure as hell doesn’t have benefits, but I’ve learned a few things along the way.

Working a menial job, although it can feel incredibly… I mean slightly… beneath you, can totally reap its benefits. It has given me stability and a reason to stop sitting around watching TV on the internet day after day. It has given me a real work environment where I am comfortable and appreciated instead of feeling degraded and ignored. I am working forty hours a week instead of sixty and one job as opposed to three.

And better yet, I know that every week there will be a paycheck waiting instead of wondering how this month’s rent money will miraculously appear.

So, ladies with menial jobs, UNITE! Be proud that you are working for your money and not sitting around leaning on the ‘rents. Right now, at our age, it doesn’t matter what we are doing just that we are always learning, always trying and always going for more.

I feel so damn inspired, I think I might just apply for a real job now.

Shopping for me is a pain at best, and traumatizing at worst. Unflattering lighting, three-way mirrors, and those damn stick-figure mannequins that seems to be modeled after the Olsens. It’s one thing to be jealous of impossibly thin celebrities—it’s quite another to envy the figure of a plastic, headless doll.

Well, it seems that I’m not the only one who feels this way, at least about the mannequins. The entire country of Spain agrees. The Health Ministry of Spain and major retailers like Zara and Mango have come to the agreement that the skeletal mannequins must be banned.

“We are aiming for a model of healthy beauty,” Angeles Heras, director of consumer affairs at the Health Ministry, told MSNBC. “There is a lot pressure, not just from the fashion world but society in general, for women to seek models of beauty that are unreal and even unhealthy.”

Amen to that. When inanimate objects start contributing to the pressure on women to be thin, it’s time to take a stand.

Mannequins in major retailers will soon be filling out pants no smaller than a U.S. size 6, which, in my opinion, is still quite small, especially if they intend on keeping the mannequins the same giraffe-like height.

What I’d like to see in the U.S. are mannequins that reflect the size of the average American woman—5’4” and 152 pounds. Maybe that would do something about the grown women shopping in the juniors department for belly-baring camis paired with tight jeans four sizes too small.