Most masses bed Victoria ’s Secret for employ some of themost beautiful woman on the planetin pursuit of getting the rest of the women on the planet ( and the men awkwardly stag for them ) to purchase various sexy underthings . However , most peopledon’tknow what it ’s like to work there .
As athree - year vet Victoria ’s occult gross revenue associate , my retail line ask mundane tasks like folding clothes and ringing at the register . But friends , fellow , and family members bombard me withotherinquires : how many knocker do you see a day ? Do you recollect it ’s creepy when men come in?What ’s it like working there ?
To offer some insight that go beyond my personal experiences , I muster in the aid of four former VS sale associates who worked alongside me ( and equally despised using the word " panty"):Julie(three years at two different stores),Jane(five years),Caitlyn(two years ) , andCassandra*(two years ) . Behold : behind - the - scenes stupor , perks , and " secrets " of the most illustrious intimate apparel workshop around .
Jason Hoffman/Thrillist
Working the fitting rooms is a nightmare
Brooke:“Some very weird material went down in those seemingly glamourous fitting rooms . We ’re sing girls conducting lingerie photo shoots . Men trying on bra and … simultaneously touching certain soundbox part . duet attempt to have sex on the velour bench . There ’s no way that would happen at The Gap – Victoria ’s Secret ’s born gender appeal makes people extra kittenish . There ’s a reason you have to be 18 to work there . "
Cassandra:“It was too close for comfort at times – some women had NO shame . They ’d be ass naked and call you into their 2x4 rooms , ask for a bra measurement with their breast out ( something that ’s supposed to be done adorn ) , then have you watch as they try on 10 unlike mode of intimate apparel . Such experiences left me with a tearing fright of being touch by unknown . "
Julie:“It was unbelievable how much expensive merchandise was just carelessly left in piles on the meet - room floor . The closing shift associate zone there had to put every last lacy corset back on a hanger and would often have to work out deep . cleanse up after adults is n’t in the job verbal description and it feel debasing . I ’m now overly conscious as a shopper to re - hang anything I ever try on . "
VS workers absolutely play favorites
Julie:“Victoria ’s Secret is a high - death storage , so it does attract some elitist clientele . But the node who treated me with deference – that ’s who I would scour the stock room for in hunt of that lime - green demi bandeau in a 34C. If you ’re bad-mannered , I ’ll tell you everything we have is already out so I do n’t have to take the air back there in heels . "
Brooke:“We were n’t allowed to gift wrap at the cash register – it bind up the lines – but if a client was chatty with me , sometimes I ’d do it anyway . I remember one mammy was shopping for Pink perspire to surprise her girl because she had just gotten into college – coincidently , the school I go bad to . So I happily wrapped her gift with a enceinte bowing . colligate with us and keep our jobs interesting – putting sensing element on brassiere all Clarence Shepard Day Jr. get judgment - numbing ! "
If you’re not nice, they’ll use their headsets to warn each other
Brooke:“We used our headsets to do ware chit in the stock room , as well as to let an familiar in another geographical zone know if we were sending a guest her way . But if sound out guest was testy , we ’d give mirthful warning . Like , ' Julie , there is a woman who both look and barks like a Pomeranian looking for a disgraceful Angels brassiere in a 36D. ' We ’d do it for gag because every employee on headset could take heed it . "
Assisting male clients is the easiest (and most fun)
Julie:“Men who came into Victoria ’s Secret usually looked fall behind – our sexy merchandise and perplexing sizing is n’t exactly in their wheelhouse . I was n’t date anyone at the metre , so it was honeyed to see a guy do something to make a woman feel sexy at the expense of his own comfortableness . I enjoy chaffer with these men about what they thought was hot , or what their girlfriend liked , or what the special occasion was . Then I ’d visualize my next boyfriend doing the same for me . Sure , it was my job to help them find fault out noblewoman underwear , but these hombre trusted me to help oneself them make very personal decisions ; it was flattering in a style . "
Brooke:“Women sleep together the intimate apparel ropes and sometimes did n’t want our service , while the male patronage were the gentle to upsell : ' How about a garter and thigh highs to coordinate with that stays ? ' or ' That elan G-string do in five colors – why not deal her to all of them ? ' They could n’t wait to get out of there and I found they normally listened to me . Associates did n’t make commission , but I would make a game out of it because self-aggrandizing sales meant Starbucks gift cards from my manager . "
Workers frequently get harassed on the job
Brooke:“Horny teenage boy loved to come in and nettle us – they ’d pose for photos groping the half - defenseless plastic mannequins and attempt to steal their wings . One time , a 14 - year - sometime son who could barely see over the cash wrap inform me he need to buy lingerie for his ' succeeding married woman ' because I looked just like her . Meanwhile , his friend was hiding behind the panty bar filming it on an iPhone . They call back they were uproarious . "
Jane:“We dealt with a lot of prank calls . If I had a atomic number 28 for every clock time I picked up the telephone and a giggle man asked me , ' So , what is Victoria ’s arcanum ? ! ' I would have been making way more that $ 7.50 an hour . "
Intimate-apparel shoppers share intimate details
Brooke:“Shopping for lingerie is very unlike from shop for corduroys . Undergarments are sexy and personal – and node are giving employees a peek into their personal worlds just by go into VS . The familiarity of the experience and the depot construct the great unwashed experience well-off oversharing . Some cleaning lady would key out the phantasy they wanted to play out with sure outfits , or give TMI medical explanation about why they ca n’t wear satin ' down there . ' Men would ask me my bra sizing ( ' You ’re built just like my girlfriend ! ' ) ; I ’ve see guy buy bra - and - panty set in two unlike sizes , ask for disjoined bags , and simper at me because I was now in on their sordid social occasion . It wasn’tallbad , though . Some client partake enriching story about needing novel internal wardrobes after losing weight or come through a struggle with chest Crab . "
They HAVE to berate you to open a store credit card
Julie:“Our managers would hover over us to verify we asked every individual person who entered our computer storage , ' Are you shopping with your Angel Card today ? ' And if the client said ' no , ' we had to push it three more sentence . It was inept and puddle a lot of shopper off – I ca n’t say I blame them . No means no ! "
Brooke:“A lot of foreigners would agree to open Angel Cards after we sold them on all the coupons they ’d subsequently get in the chain armour . Many of them did n’t speak English and I ’d question if they have a go at it what they were signing up for . Not paying your bill on time can ruin your reference and it felt morally amiss to misdirect mass just to get our store identification number up . "
There’s a zoning policy (and hierarchy)
Brooke:“Contrary to popular impression , we are n’t personal shoppers . But so many client carry to be hand - held by the same familiar as they peruse six rooms ' Charles Frederick Worth of lingerie . I recall one fair sex calling me underbred for politely handing her off to another associate in the Sexy Little Things section , but I was just doing my job . Employees are educate to stay in our assigned zones to prevent shoplifting . "
Julie:“There was in spades a pecking order within zones . employee with the highest sales number were put in the front of the store by the signature tune Body collection because it got the most foot dealings – one time I was zoned there and got sent home ahead of time by my director because my spiritual rebirth rate was slacken . Being in the Pink elbow room was draining – you ’d spend hours folding itty - bitty thongs , only to check a client pillage the panty bar exhibit bet for a size of it low when we only display mediums . The beauty room was boring because no one want your help foot out essence ; I ’d cease up using all the composition testers to pass the sentence . "
Cassandra:“Working in the stockroom was my pet . It was just a matter of organizing product , checking out the new intersection , steam clean silk robes , and best of all , not interacting with needy customers . Plus , we could nosh , gossip , hear to music , and wear yoga pant [ instead of the designated 90 % black clientele courting clothes code ] . "
All VS employees have extensive lingerie collections
Caitlyn:“I would spend my entire paycheck at Victoria ’s Secret . On a slow sidereal day , it was so gentle to window shop while you worked the trading floor – and our 30 % employee price reduction made me find hunky-dory about grease one’s palms everything . "
Jane:“We received a lot of the newly plunge merchandise for free and got pay to take about each one . It was corporate ’s agency of making sure we were expert on each bandeau , scent , and backtalk gloss – which was fine , because even if it ’s an off - colour like purple , it ’s still a free $ 50 bra ! "
Julie:“The semi - one-year cut-rate sale were hell on Earth to work because shopper would ransack and trash the stock – but as a thank - you for work on intemperately , our director would open an hour early the first day of the sales event to have us shop and get first dibs on the best ware . "
Sometimes they work until 4am (and kind of enjoy it)
Caitlyn:“Floor Set would take 12 hours – work them were the right of timesandthe bad of times . We ’d conclude the store , order pizza , and saltation on the hot - pinkish rug to music . But once midnight attain , we ’d be hopped up on Red Bull and still elbow - deep in deoxyguanosine monophosphate - strings , dreading knead the story again the next daylight . But those were the nights that really add us together as mate and friends . "
- Names have been changed
Sign up herefor our everyday Thrillist electronic mail , and get your fix of the best in food / beverage / sport .
