Retail Clothing and Shoes Department

Almost all department stores focus on clothing as one of the biggest departments. In addition, think about the non-anchor stores in your local mall – probably well over half of them are clothing and shoe stores. Everyone needs clothing, and because there are multiple styles available, there are multiple opportunities for a position in clothing retail.

Working in the clothing department at most stores simply entails cleaning up after customers, which can be a huge task in itself. People who decide that they don’t want a particular piece of clothing after all will often stick that clothing back on a random rack, usually nowhere near where they got it. People who work in the clothing department of the retail stores have to seek out the clothing that is out of place, find (or remember) where it came from, and put it back. They often have to refold stacks of sweaters or pants, and reorganize clothing by size when it is taken out of order by customers seeking out a particular size or several sizes and then changing their minds.

People in the shoe department also have to seek out the locations of the shoes that they find scattered on the floor, sometimes simply putting boxes back in the right section and sometimes having to seek out the empty boxes that are left on the floor.

The clothing and shoe department employees are also the ones most likely to be in charge of the dressing rooms.

This means keeping them clean and free of litter and clothing in the stalls, taking back clothing that does not fit and restocking it later, and counting items before issuing cards to people and letting them in. It can also mean watching customers closely as they come and go to ensure that they are wearing the same clothes that they went into the rooms with.

This can be a challenge, but it is one that is worth the effort if you report a thief to your retail manager, retail loss prevention officer or retail security before they can leave the store.

Clothing departments are often so large that there are departments within the department. Working in clothing, you may specialize in baby, children, junior boys, junior girls, women’s formal, women’s casual, women’s plus sizes, men’s sportswear, men’s business suits, coats, shoes, accessories, or undergarments…and that’s just scratching the surface. Some stores narrow down their departments even more or have special sections for sale and clearance items.