Landing a job as a sales associate at rue21 can be a great way to kickstart your retail career. The popular fast fashion brand offers opportunities to work in a fun, youthful environment while learning valuable skills in sales, customer service, and fashion retail.
However, with competition high for these roles, you need to properly prepare for the interview to stand out Understanding the types of questions you will face and crafting thoughtful responses can make all the difference
In this comprehensive guide, we reveal the top 25 most common interview questions asked for rue21 sales associate positions We provide tips and sample answers to help you craft your best responses
How Familiar Are You With rue21’s Products and Target Audience?
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This is one of the most frequently asked questions in a rue21 interview, for good reason. The interviewer wants to gauge your knowledge of and enthusiasm for the company.
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In your response, highlight your understanding of rue21’s brand identity and product range. For example, mention their trendy, affordable fast fashion and accessories targeted at teenagers and young adults.
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You can mention having browsed their website and stores to familiarize yourself with their merchandise and style. This demonstrates initiative on your part.
What Strategies Would You Use For Upselling?
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Upselling is a critical sales skill in retail. rue21 wants associates who can boost profits by convincing customers to purchase more.
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In your answer, provide examples of upselling techniques you would implement, such as suggesting complementary accessories to complete an outfit or highlighting current promotions on select items.
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Emphasize making personalized recommendations based on the customer’s needs and initial selections. This shows you can upsell tactfully and enhance their shopping experience.
Can You Discuss Your Experience With Visual Merchandising?
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Visual merchandising involves creating eye-catching, appealing displays of products in-store. rue21 values creativity in presentation.
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Provide examples of instances where you developed captivating window or in-store displays, while adhering to merchandising guidelines.
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Describe any strategies you employed, such as color coordination, signage, or lighting to make the products stand out and excite customers.
How Does a rue21 Sales Associate Contribute to Business Goals?
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With this question, the interviewer wants to know you understand that sales associates do more than just ring up sales.
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Explain how sales associates directly impact profits and customer retention through selling, product knowledge, and maintaining brand image.
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You can provide examples of how you contributed to sales targets in previous retail roles by providing excellent customer service.
How Did You Handle a Difficult Customer Situation?
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Dealing with unhappy customers is an inevitable part of working in retail. rue21 wants to know you can diffuse tensions and solve problems.
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Use the STAR method – describe a Situation where a customer was upset, the Task at hand, the Action you took to resolve the issue, and the positive Result for the customer and company.
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Emphasize patience, empathy, active listening and your commitment to achieving a win-win solution. This showcases your customer service skills.
How Do You Stay Updated on Fashion Trends?
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Working at fast fashion retailer rue21 requires keeping up with the latest trends. Demonstrate this interest and ability.
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Mention following fashion influencers on social media, reading blogs or magazines like Teen Vogue, and seeing what’s popular among your own peer group.
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Share any experiences you’ve had in past retail roles that required you to learn about trends to assist customers and make sales.
Can You Discuss Your Experience Using POS Systems?
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rue21 uses POS systems for daily sales transactions, so familiarity is a plus.
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Provide examples of having used POS systems in prior jobs to process sales, track inventory, manage returns/exchanges, and access pricing/discount information.
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Mention any specific POS software you have experience with, especially those used in the fashion retail industry. This showcases your technical abilities.
How Would You Engage a Disinterested Customer?
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Part of working in retail is interacting with customers even when they seem aloof or hesitant. rue21 wants to see your approach.
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Share strategies like asking open-ended questions about what they’re looking for and listening for cues about their needs.
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Emphasize being friendly but not pushy, and focusing on making their experience positive even if they don’t make a purchase.
What Unique Selling Points Make rue21 Stand Out?
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Here the interviewer is testing your knowledge of rue21’s brand identity and what makes them different.
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In your response, highlight details like their trendy and affordable clothing catering to youth/young adult demographics.
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You can also mention aspects like their focus on inclusivity through extended sizing, strong ecommerce presence, and enjoyable in-store shopping experience.
When Have You Exceeded Sales Targets in Past Retail Jobs?
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Success in sales is critical for a sales associate role, so rue21 wants to know you can deliver results.
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Share an example of when you were given a sales target or challenged to improve sales, and what steps you took to surpass expectations.
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Provide metrics showcasing the tangible impact of your strategies. Demonstrating you can boost the bottom line is important.
How Would You Manage Customer Traffic During Busy Times Like Black Friday?
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Retail gets extremely hectic during seasonal rush periods. rue21 wants to ensure you can handle this pressure.
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Emphasize strategies like preparedness, prioritization, working efficiently, and collaborating with your team to get through the chaos while maintaining high service levels.
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Share any experiences of successfully managing high-volume customer influxes at past retail jobs. This proves you can take it all in stride.
If a Customer Was Unhappy With a Product, How Would You Respond?
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Managing dissatisfied customers is tricky but critical for maintaining rue21’s reputation. Show your approach.
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Express empathy for their dissatisfaction and willingness to find a resolution. Reference rue21’s policies around returns/exchanges while also highlighting your commitment to keeping the customer happy.
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Provide an example of when you effectively handled a product complaint and turned the situation around into a positive outcome.
Could You Discuss Working in a Diverse Team Environment?
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rue21 prides itself on workplace diversity. They’ll want to know you value collaboration and inclusivity.
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Share experiences working on diverse teams, either in retail or elsewhere. Emphasize the importance of respect, communication, and leveraging different perspectives.
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Provide a specific example of when you embraced diversity to achieve a shared goal, such as boosting sales or enhancing customer satisfaction.
Tell Us About a Time You Went Above And Beyond for a Customer
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Stellar customer service is a trademark of a great sales associate. rue21 wants to hear you are committed to exceeding expectations.
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Choose an example that highlights your ability to anticipate needs, solve problems proactively, and deliver exceptional experiences. Quantify the impact if possible.
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Share details about the situation at hand, the extra effort you put in, and how your initiative delighted the customer and benefited the company.
How Would You Promote rue21’s Products on Social Media?
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Retailers today rely heavily on social media for marketing. Demonstrate you can represent rue21 positively across platforms.
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Suggest tactics like collaborating with influencers, encouraging user-generated content, and leveraging platforms like Instagram and TikTok specifically.
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Emphasize how you would tailor content and engagement to connect with rue21’s youthful audience. Creativity is key.
How Would You Handle a Potential Shoplifter Situation?
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While not a frequent occurrence, sales associates must be prepared to handle shoplifters appropriately.
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Emphasize following protocol by not directly confronting suspects, but rather alerting management and keeping watch discreetly.
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Share any prior experiences dealing effectively with suspicious behavior while ensuring a safe environment.
What Tactics Have You Used to Build Relationships with Regular Customers?
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Forging connections with repeat shoppers is invaluable for sales associates. Demonstrate your approach.
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Suggest strategies like remembering customer preferences, consistently providing excellent service, and proactively informing them of new arrivals they may like based on prior purchases.
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Relate any examples of when you strengthened rapport with regulars, leading to increased loyalty and sales.
How Would You Distinguish rue21 From Competitors?
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In the competitive retail space, understanding what makes rue21 unique is key. Showcase this knowledge.
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Highlight differentiators like their focus on the teen/young adult demographic, trendy and affordable product mix, inclusive sizing, strong omnichannel presence, and vibrant in-store atmosphere.
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Share how you would convey these points clearly to customers when explaining what sets rue21 apart.
How Do You Handle Stress in
rue21 Stocker Interview Video
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties. rue21 Employee: For rue21, I basically just worked as a stocker. I folded clothes and helped them open the store when they moved to my area. I worked there for a little while, just folding clothes and stocking.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?rue21 Employee: The work environment… it was very friendly. A lot of the other people were very outgoing. Everyone just seemed excited to work there. I think that was one thing that really resonated from the people I worked with. They all just seemed pretty happy to be there. It was a very positive environment.
Interviewer: What was your favorite thing about working there?
rue21 Employee: My favorite thing about working there was making friends and seeing people who were happy and excited about their jobs.
Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee. rue21 Employee: It was a normal day at work. I would say there was a lot of stock that needed to be counted and sent out. There is always new stock coming into clothing stores like rue21. The staff has to make sure that items that are on sale have tags that say so, and that items that were just received are put away. They also have to decorate the walls and mannequins to create a style that people would be interested in.
Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process? rue21 Employee: I walked into the mall and filled out an application for rue21. I had an interview and I would say the feedback process was maybe about a week or so.
Interviewer: What questions did the person interviewing you ask?
rue21 Employee: They asked if I had worked in a store before. They also wanted to know a lot about me, so they asked me about my weaknesses and strengths and how I got along with other people. Several times, they asked me how I handle different kinds of anger that might come up at work in retail.
The interviewer asked, “What else would you tell someone looking for work?” The rue21 employee replied, “If someone wants to work at a place like rue21, I would just tell them to be excited about it.” People are more likely to hire you if you go in with confidence and a smile on your face. This is because working in a mall can be fun, but it can also be stressful. If they see that you believe in yourself, they will probably hire you. They also like it when you wear their clothes, so I wore a shirt from rue21 to that interview.
rue21 Sales Associate Interview Video
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties. rue21 Sales Associate: My main job… I was a sales associate. There are different duties that come with that. Some of our most important jobs at rue21 are to meet our fragrance goal, which means we have to sell fragrances. There are three zones in the store: Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3. Almost everyone does it. People see you first when you’re in Zone 1, so you need to sell a scent to them there. Zone 2 and 3 also help back you up. It’s that, and you fold clothes, normal retail environment. That’s one thing different about rue21.
Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee. When I come in to work at rue21, I clock in and then have a five-minute meeting with the manager on duty to talk about the day’s sales goals, fragrance goals, and any new promotions we have going on. You get assigned to your zone. In Zone 1, you work with fragrances, which is usually the cash register. Zone 3 is for clearance and fitting rooms. And that’s about it. Usually you get scheduled to five hour shifts, four hour shifts. You might just get a whole day, you never know. Just depends. When I worked there, our hours were based on how many fragrances we sold. If you sold more fragrances, you got more hours.
Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?rue21 Sales Associate: I filled out the application. It asked me questions about why I was interested in the job, and things like that. The interview process, I interviewed the hiring manager and the store manager. It was two interviews. They called you back if they liked you for the second interview. After that, you got hired. It was pretty simple.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask about the job?
rue21 Sales Associate: Most of them were about retail. I think there was a cute little section where you could say why you wanted to work there and answer fashion-related questions, like if you were interested in fashion. Most of the questions were just normal interviewing questions, and the application questions. Everything was pretty much normal.
When asked what other advice you would give to someone looking for work, rue21 Sales Associate replied, “I think they should just get ready to work hard for the company and be a loyal associate.” I believe that the job doesn’t really require much; it just needs you to be dedicated all the time and things like that. And just have a nice personality to communicate with the customer, and things of that sort. I feel like when I applied, I did a follow-up call to make sure my application was reviewed. I feel like that was another aspect that helped in the hiring process, as well. I showed dedication to the job, things like that, which would be my advice for someone.
rue21 Interview – Sales Associate
FAQ
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