Helping Customers Not To Buy

A retail job is a job of choice for a lot of college students because of the flexible hours, evening hours available after daytime classes, and a relatively stress-free job without a lot of responsibility. 

If you want to excel at a retail job, get preferred working hours and delight your supervisor, you can aspire to become a superstar employee.  One way to be a retail superstar is to know the buying habits of your customers.  With thousands of students going to college in the fall, a recent grad gone retail clerk is the best source of expert knowledge of what college students need before they make their way to campus.

A savvy retail agent can help save customers lots of money by knowing what not to buy as well.  In an article in Business Insider, “6 Things I Would Never Buy A College Student Today,” Jeff Somogyi lists things college students don’t need to make it through the semesters.  Helping customers avoid buying mistakes and wasting money can help delight customers and rack up points with the supervisor, too.

With so many campuses offering free or low-cost printing services, college students don’t need their own printer.  Printers are nice conveniences, but they require care and feeding, just like a pet or a plant.  Ink is expensive and seems to run out just when a big research paper is due.  And there’s the paper.  It doesn’t take long before word spreads that there’s a printer in the dorm and what the room number is.  The student with the printer has lots of friends until the ink or paper runs out, and then he’s on his own.

A tablet, like an IPad is a great device for checking email, watching videos or TV and taking pictures, but it’s frustrating when trying to write a research paper.  A pricy IPad may be exciting to have, but you can get a laptop for less with a lot of software and features better suited to writing papers and doing research.  And parents don’t need to spend $2,000 on a high-end laptop.   College students use their laptops mainly as word processors for writing papers, creating PowerPoint presentations or spreadsheets. 

Parents sending kids off to college want them to be comfortable and stylish, but spending money on expensive bedding is a waste of money.  Instead of the high-end comforter and 700-thread-count sheets, something less expensive makes sense when the bedding will most likely be used as a giant tablecloth or napkin for dorm pizza parties, popcorn with the movies and a variety of beverages. 

College students don’t spend much time in their dorm rooms, and when they do, they don’t spend it in front of a 47” HDTV.  That’s what the IPad is for.  Or their IPhone.  This is where you suggest a smaller, portable digital device that can be used anywhere, while commuting to class or between.

Irons and ironing boards may make parents think the kids will be well-dressed and pressed, but they will likely never be used.  Instead of selling appliances, investing in no-iron, tumble dry-and-wear clothes is a better suggestion. 

External hard drives sound like a good idea to guard against losing all those research projects and papers, but college students will back up their data as often as they iron.  Instead, the article lists a link where students can get up to 83 GB of free online storage in the Cloud.  Put the extra money into a gift card from Starbucks instead.

A smartphone is almost as basic for today’s college student as a typewriter was years ago.  Why would anyone caution against getting one of the most useful and essential digital tools of today?  Well,phones get obsolete very quickly, and upgrades are expensive.  The article even pointed out that prices go up right after the fall semester begins, targeting college students who have to have the latest thing.  Again, college students don’t need the latest.  They just need something reliable with enough features and a reliable service to be able to call home for money at any time.

Knowing your customers’ needs and how you can save them money by making smart recommendations can make customers and your supervisor happy, and make you more valuable to the company.  Helping parent send off their little darlings to college can be a smart way to boost your career as well.

Photo Source:  Freedigitalphotos.net