how to survive a summer in retail

Starting the summer I couldn't wait to have so much spare time to see all my friends and go so many places that I'd never been before and just spend so much time relaxing before going back to college in September. 

That was all great to think about before it hit August and suddenly I realised I was working 5 days a week due to a job working in back to school. At first I couldn't wait to finally have some more hours meaning that I would get some more money to spend, especially seeing as I would be getting it all once I was back at college so would be perfect to be spent on snacks throughout my day (which to be honest is where most of my money goes). However once I was 4 days in I was realising I was beginning to become exhausted and was losing motivation to get up in the mornings and go to work. This is why I thought I would share with you some of my top tips on how to get through work in the most stressful of times!

1. My first tip for you is to have such a good relationship with your colleagues, this is how I have managed to get through most of my days because even when I walk into the stock room incredibly stressed there will be someone back there to normally make me laugh or just give me the motivation to get back out onto the shop floor.
2. Another great idea is to always have some snacks on the side when you're at work, I always make sure I have a bottle of water with me when I'm working - especially in the hot weather. I've also realised how much a simple bag of chocolate can not only lighten your mood but the entire team you're working with because if you are feeling the pressure then everyone else most likely is too. 
3. Make sure that on your days off you spend them doing something that you will enjoy; whether that is spending the day relaxing and watching films or going out for the day and having a good time. Almost every day I've had off recently I have made sure I had something planned such as going into London and also spending a few days having cute days out which is something I always enjoy.
4. Plan something out that you can treat yourself with once you have been paid because you will have much more money than you normally would if you don't work full time. I am only on a 4 hour contract so most of the time I don't have that much extra money to spend which can sometimes be really disappointing but knowing that I will be receiving so much more means that I can go out and treat myself which I can't normally do. I have already planned a trip to Brighton to go shopping when I next get paid so let me know if you would like to see a haul from that trip!

That is all the tips I have for you for now but this is what's been getting me through my first summer with a job. I would definitely recommend getting a summer job if you feel like during term times you don't want to add an extra pressure by working because it will give you some experience to put on your CV and will give you a little bit of extra money. Also, many shops take on workers for seasonal times such as summer or winter sales and many of these places keep people on afterwards so that is always a way into a job if you are struggling to find one.

I hope this has helped some of you and I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted but as you can tell from this post I have been very busy at work and I am hoping that now it is calming down again I will have the time to post more on here because I do really enjoy it. If you have any requests for posts that you'd like to see then please let me know because I really want to start posting more and it would really help to know what sort of posts you enjoy. 

bethany x