Are Fake Nails Good for Retail?
Working in the world of retail, there is a part of your job that involves presenting yourself in a professional and approachable way. You are a representative of the business that you work for, and you have to be approachable to customers.
Does the world of retail offer many opportunities for wearing fake nails? It’s a question that we get asked frequently by people who want to know if our nails are suitable for their shift at the checkouts, and we want to make sure that we provide a comprehensive answer. That being said, let’s take a look at what you need to know.
Context is Key
As is the case with any type of work setting, the key consideration for wearing fake nails, as always, is what type of job you are doing and how that may affect your ability to do said job.
There are some situations where fake nails are perfectly acceptable for working in retail. If you were working on the checkouts, and your fake nails did not impact your ability to use the till or pack items for customers, then there is absolutely no reason why you couldn’t wear false nails. Similarly, anybody working in a customer service department would find fake nails are probably acceptable because you’re not interacting with produce or other items, such as handling issues and helping customers to find out information.
Some Areas Not Suitable
However, it is worth noting that there are many settings within retail that are not going to be suitable for fake nails, and it’s important to understand the difference. If you were working on replenishment, which saw you putting new produce on the shelves for customers, fake nails wouldn’t be acceptable because you may constantly worry about chipping or breaking a nail. It’s also not practical to try and lift and pack large numbers of items with false nails on, especially longer ones.
Obviously, we have to frame any use of false nails within a certain context. If you are trying to work in the warehouse, then false nails would definitely not be allowed because they would be both incredibly impractical and possibly a health and safety concern. We understand wanting to use fake nails in the workplace, but we have to recommend that you limit them only to customer-oriented roles where you’re not doing large amounts of physical labour. These types of roles just don’t require fake nails because looking approachable is less important.
Final Thoughts
Fake nails are a fantastic resource and definitely a good idea if you’re looking to work in a customer-oriented role in retail. However, if your job is stocking shelves or working in the warehouse, then fake nails probably aren’t as relevant for you, and that’s perfectly understandable. It’s important to match up your nails to the job at hand, so think twice before making a purchase. After all, the last thing you want to do is put your performance at risk by not dressing appropriately.
