Work as a personal sales shopper

Personal shoppers, also known as styling consultants or fashion advisers, give customers one-to-one advice in all areas of fashion, from beauty products and make-up to clothing and accessories. Taking into account the client's personality, lifestyle, body shape, hairstyle, preferred colours, skin tone and budget, they use their product and fashion expertise to select items and give honest opinions. Typical tasks include:
booking in client appointments
conducting an initial consultation to learn about the client's lifestyle and determine what assistance they require
carrying out colour compatibility tests
accompanying clients around the store as they pick out items they like
highlighting new fashion trends
selecting a range of items for the client to try, explaining how different items, colours and accessories work together
promoting store credit and loyalty cards
dealing with stylists and wardrobe assistants looking for clothing for TV, film and theatre productions
updating client profiles for future reference
contacting regular clients when something new arrives in the store.
Hours of work are varied and can involve some evening and weekend work. There are part-time and freelance opportunities. Some personal shoppers have luxurious lounge areas in which to entertain clients, with private fitting rooms and refreshments.
Starting salaries are around £16,000 to £22,000 a year. With experience, this can rise to around £30,000 or more. Those working with celebrities or film stylists generally command higher salaries.
Besides general retail and customer service skills, a personal shopper should:
have excellent organisational skills
be a good listener and communicator
be discreet
be sensitive, diplomatic and supportive, in order to put customers at ease
possess a genuine interest in fashion and be naturally creative.
Many large department stores and fashion houses offer a complementary personal shopping service. These are usually in large city shopping centres or High Street stores. Competition for posts is high. Some personal shoppers work freelance or specialise in celebrity styling.