Yikes! I went into this book only knowing that it follows a retail worker and was in for a shock. The unnamed main character has "Dexter like" tendancies and takes her frustrations from work out on various people. This short book was hard to put down and very disturbing. It also made me feel for retail workers. Definitely recommended for fans of revenge type stories.

I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a very quick and entertaining book. I’ve never worked in retail but heard stories-and witnessed some unfortunately- and this story not only depicts what it means to work in retail and what these people have to face day in and day out, but also it’s working in retail during the pandemic! Needless to say things go crazy real quick, but the main character’s voice is witty and fun to read so I enjoyed it.

If you’ve worked in this field, or just simply looking for some quick fun of a murderous story, then check this one out.

Retail
by Renee Miller
3 stars
If you ever hated your job in retail, you are definitely not alone just some take it a little too far.
I wasn't excepting it at all. She snapped and snapped she did over and over. Customers aren't always right and don't piss off the employees they have been there a long time and know most of what happens around the store. This was set in during COVID and during. I'm so happy the book was a short read I don't think I could have kept reading if it was any longer.

Thank you
Net Galley and Unnvering for the e-ARC for an honest review

I'm an outlier, again....

This is a short book, but it took me a week to read it and a month to review it!

This girl definitely snapped one day.

A little vengeance story for those who have worked in retail. She gets tired of being treated badly and takes matters into her own hands. She has a streak of evil that leads her to deliver karma to the worst of the worst.

Of course this story is over the top and takes things to a shocking level, I'm not sure I expected all of it.

A short book with a hellish message that left me feeling a little speechless. It just wasn't for me and not one I enjoyed.
Thanks to NG for my copy! OUT Jan 11, 2022

Have you ever felt homicidal? If you answered no then you have probably never worked retail. In Retail by Renee Miller you can understand the impulse. When one retail worker gets so sick of people treating her like human garbage and wants to just kill someone she at least tries to make herself only kill people who deserve it. She fashions herself the retail version of Dexter.

This novella feels like a series of short stories threaded together by all of these horrible people shopping in the same store. After all, what do all bad people have in common? They all shop. And probably mistreat the employees. The behavior continues to escalate and escalate. Just to take it over the edge, Covid arrives and takes all of these pretty horrible people right over the edge. It takes customer behavior and ramps it right up to the perfect climax to the story.

It also serves as a good reminder that all of the talk about how much more polite everyone is in Canada is total BS.

I’d have read this as a longer novel. I would have liked to get a deeper look at the characters in this darkest timeline Superstore. Loved it.

Retail is a treat of a read for anyone who has worked retail in the past, especially over the last two years. A dollop of wish-fulfillment, a constantly believable premise and narrator, and customers who., while not right, receive exactly the service they deserve.
Renee Miller has a real gift for conversational dialogue and narration that never sounds awkward or tries too hard, and the story is effortlessly contemporary while proving how little the experience stocking the shelves has changed over the years, All in all, Retail rings perfect to my ear after years in the retail salt mines, and the conversations between staff when out of earshot and off the floor... especially considering what the holidays were like.
Seriously, this is one to share and gift to coworkers, new and old.

If ever a book was written specifically for me than this is the one. What a hoot this is!!! I loved every minute of this novella!

There'll be swearing ahead. You've been warned. 😉

Let me begin with a little honesty. I hate most humans. I think most humans shouldn't be allowed to walk the earth much less procreate to bring more little assholes into the world. Every day I encounter rudeness. Every day I watch the news and my faith in humanity dwindles even more. So I have this simmering rage inside me whenever I come across an asshole or when I hear about an asshole or when I read about an asshole. I'm not a psychopath so I just grin and bare it and move on with my day. But the thoughts I have....oh boy! I am NOT a nice person. I should also mention that I've worked retail. And I've worked customer service. The customer is almost NEVER right and this book is the middle finger to every *Karen* and douchebag of the world.

Our unnamed narrator is a manager of a supermarket in a small town in Canada. She is subject to griping, rudeness, and verbal abuse every single day but she's starting to get sick of it. Then the pandemic hits and the lunacy that ensues brings it to a whole 'nother level and our narrator has finally had enough. Time to take these mofo's down to which I applaud wholeheartedly. You go girl! 👏👏👏

This book may very well be my savior. Whenever I encounter some dickwad that tries to ruin my day I will pick this book up and I will live vicariously through our narrator. It happens so often that I should probably just keep it on my nightstand. Better yet, maybe I'll take it with me everywhere I go just in case. Just in case I should ever get the urge to murder someone. This should scratch that itch. I hope. 😬

I guess the only thing left to say is....Renee Miller you are my new BFF and I would love it if you made this into a series as was hinted at the end of the book. EVERY. SINGLE. RAGING. STAR!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Unnerving for my complimentary copy.

“I just want wrongs to be righted. I want vengeance for all those suffering in dead-end jobs in the service industry. That means I only kill when it’s deserved. There’s a sort of righteousness in that, even if it doesn’t fit with our laws or societal morals.”*

The protagonist of RETAIL is a manager at Valu Mart, a grocery store. Tired of being called names and suffering countless other indignities by customers behaving badly, she decides to hand deliver karma to the worst offenders. Each chapter introduces a new problematic customer, who makes the manager’s hit list. The protagonist of RETAIL becomes the patron saint of the essential worker as she delivers deadly retribution to a series of hellish shoppers.

Recipients of verbal abuse and rude behavior at customer-facing jobs are likely to experience catharsis as the body count increases, as will those subjected to creepy predators. The kills are creative, each customer brings their own brand of nasty, and the story moves at a brisk pace.

I liked how the pandemic is part of the story, amplifying the rudeness and disrespect, but is never used as an excuse for bad behavior. It’s been awhile since my own stint working retail, but the book triggered monstrous memories.

This was a super quick read, and overall it was enjoyable. Not a lot of character development for the main character, and there were a lot of plot holes that were left hanging out there. But it is an ok, super high-level book if you don't want to get bogged down in any details.

😬.


Retail may make "Karens" rethink being a Karen.


I really enjoyed reading Retail. I read this from start to finish in one sitting. It's a fast paced thriller set in a very uncommon setting!

It's unlike me to feel the way I felt about the main character. I kind of felt for her at some points and understood why she was doing what she was doing lol.

Thank you to Net galley for letting me read this as an ARC. I really enjoyed this story.

#rETAIL #NetGalley

If you have ever worked in retail you will definitely relate to the narrator of this book. Working retail sucks. Day in and day out, you are expected to deal with the Karens of the world, all with a smile on your face. However, the narrator in this book has had enough. You could say that she snapped. She describes various people she has encountered at her job at a grocery store and explains why she is going to murder these carefully selected people This gave off major Dexter vibes!

As the body count rises, and Covid hits, things really get crazy!

I flew through this book! I enjoyed the writing style and as someone who has experience working in retail, I could relate to the narrator.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

The story moves along fine, due to Miller's stream-of-consciousness style prose. It's lacking some more emotional impact, considering its subject matter (and how good her book Cats Like Cream is), but I give her credit for making it a fun and entertaining revenge story.

Thank you Netgalley, Unnerving, and Author Renee Miller for this ARC.

"I’ve simply had enough and I’m cleaning up the aisles of life by getting rid of these people."

I worked in retail for years, so the first couple pages of this unique and refreshing thriller resonated with me quite deeply. And I couldn't wait to find out more. I mean, a retail worker killing off horrendous customer? Delectable!

And it was . . .

The POV character is a strong woman you can't help but admire and appreciate. Though she's certainly no angel, that's quite evident. The setting puts these horrendous acts in such an ordinary place we all go to without even really thinking about it. It'll definitely have you thinking and feeling differently about your next shopping trip. It was well written with good pacing and characterization. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Who has ever worked in retail and not wanted to yell back at a customer? I know we all have gone THROUGH it with COVID especially this past year. However this main character decides to give into her desires and just start killing these customers. Don’t get me wrong. Well written and quite a read just very dramatic. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

“Retail” is a fantastic read. I finished it in one sitting because I did not want to put it down. “Retail” is about a retail worker/vigilante who dishes out justice to the extreme customer service nightmare. Set during the pandemic, it adds a layer of excitement that leaves you on the edge of your set.

It’s told in first person narrative which means the story flows well, and makes you feel as though you are apart of the actual conversation. It’s creepy, morbid, yet relatable. I also felt as though it was extremely realistic when the narrator was describing just how awful customers can be, especially during a pandemic. This even makes you reflect a bit, just what happens when you push someone too far?

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amazing, hilarious, and spot on! The narrator describes the horrors of working retail perfectly. The way she and her coworkers are treated throughout a pandemic is enough to make anyone crazy enough to act out on the wishes retail workers daydream about. You can sense her gradually getting more manic throughout the story as she maintains her “sanity”. I loved every dark and twisted moment…. And if it makes the Karens of the world think twice before they show their true colors, even better. Bravo!

What a fantastic protagonist - you can’t help buying into her way of justifying what she does, even as you weigh up what is right and what is wrong. It’s a disturbing book because it feels like it could so easily be a genuine autobiographical account of a retail worker’s life. I really enjoyed this. The pace is rapid, the dialogue sharp and credible and the action non-stop.