One of several strips to import the workplace comedy sitcom into daily panel form, Retail was born out of the experiences, tedium, and torment of one former retail worker Norm Feuti. Debuting with the New Year in 2006, right from the start it set itself up as a comic of catharsis, not only for Feuti, but for anyone who’s ever worked in customer service. The strip’s been around for twelve years though, and it couldn’t have lasted if it was just mocking and bemoaning terrible shoppers this whole time. What’s kept it continuously investing is a real devoted interest in its characters and storylines, as well as the same level of heart and humour that characterizes the very best sitcoms.
The strip follows several people employed at a Sears-like department store called Grumbel’s (a not-so-subtle play on Gimbel’s) located in a mall somewhere in the American North-East. Primarily it’s focussed on Marla, the ever cynical, put-upon assistant manager supervising an intellectual clerk and aspiring writer Val, and the stockroom goof-off Cooper; all while under the watchful eye of the stern and obtuse by-the-books manager Stuart. Though Grumbel’s remains the focal point of all their lives, the strip isn’t afraid to expand their worlds, personalities, interests, and relationships.
Retail certainly gets a lot of comedy mileage out of the drudgery and inexplicable occurrences of everyday retail work. But as anyone who’s worked in a public service job (myself included) can attest to, there is a limitless bounty of material in the tedium of specific tasks, the idiocy of corporate overlords, and what entitled, inconsiderate, or ignorant customers will say or do. In addition to these joke-a-day strips, there are theme weeks every so often with a series of one-panel gags built around a certain idea or concept relating to the work (Field Guide to Customers, Inventory Survival Tips, etc.), and running storylines based around an event or character development. Sometimes they revolve around something dramatic, like the threat of the store closing, the evolution of Marla’s family life and relationship with her partner Scott, or Marla’s many feuds with an abrasive Stuart –some of which can get quite serious. And sometimes they’re something comedic, like Cooper creating a secret rooftop lounge, Cooper dating a woman who looks exactly like Marla, or the many overblown build-ups to holidays. Halloweens are the
And these are fun to read because Feuti’s characters are wonderfully relatable and (for the most part) really likeable. Feuti also knows the reality of retail work, and thus the cast continually changes. The four central characters have remained the strips’ mainstays, but some supporting staff have left while others have joined the Grumbel’s family. This fluctuating supporting cast has included Amber, Lunker, Josh, Arthur, Brice, Donnie, Courtney, Heather, Alan, Craig, Marisa, and Crystal -many of whom bring their own approach or idiosyncrasy to retail work. 
As their matriarch, Marla is a fantastic source of stability, as much as she suffers for her job. You really sympathize with her as someone who never really wanted it, but accidentally wound up with a career in retail management. But she works hard nonetheless, cares about her work and her friends, and is brave and willing enough to stand up to Stuart, District Manager Jerry or whoever else is pushing inane corporate bureaucracy on behalf of herself or her employees. She’s the true heart of the strip.
Cooper however, may be the soul. Most of the time he’s the strip’s funniest character, the typical clown who perhaps isn’t quite as responsible as he should be, riling Stuart up through his stockroom antics –the two have a particular dislike for each other. His station in life however elicits pathos from time to time. He’s the average retail worker with no real direction, barely able to get by. But he still has enthusiasm, sarcasm, real insight, and an affable nerdiness as his great defences.
Val for the most part is a foil, a confidant and best friend to Marla, and an eventual love interest to Cooper. But she has a great degree of wit as the character most often interacting with customers. She like Cooper, is in something of a rut, with dreams of being a writer, but can’t quite commit to it or escape the monotony but security of her Grumbel’s job.
Stuart is the only one who actually likes Grumbel’s, being in a position where he gets plenty of perks and has never had to work the front line. He’s uptight, stubborn, and insufferable, and he’s also needed for the strip to work. Not only because of how great a butt of jokes he is and how he creates a lot of conflict, but because Retail needs to be reflective of real workforce environments. And while they may not always be the boss, there is a Stuart at every public service job. Even if he’s not immediately present at Grumbel’s for one reason or another, there’s usually another character to take his place as the uncompromising, uncaring source of dismay for the other workers. Once in a while though, Feuti does imbue Stuart with a little humanity. It’s never quite enough to redeem him, but it does give the sense he’s a more layered person than the horrible boss he’s usually presented as.
Another advantage of Retail is that Feuti’s cartooning style is very easy on the eyes. It’s characterized by vibrant definition that wouldn’t be out of place in flash animation. In fact, in recent years it looks particularly inspired by animation as much if not more than traditional cartoons. Like with many comics, the look of Retail has evolved over time, rather starkly if you compare todays’ strip with those of its first couple years. The character designs have gradually shifted more rigid, the backgrounds more richly detailed. And it’s benefited the humour greatly, by allowing for very nuanced or exaggerated expressions.
Though it does well enough in syndication, Retail hasn’t caught on much as a newspaper strip and I kind of understand why. Though its gags and characters are funny and its artwork appealing, it’s not a strip that’s best suited for being read one at a time or entering it at any point in its run. Retail is a strip that’s made to be read in bulk, to better absorb its world, characters, humour, and drama. Which makes it work terrifically as a webcomic. It’s worth reading from the beginning, or even perusing randomly at your own digression (though you may miss some engaging storylines if you do). Its full archive is at Comics Kingdom.
Retail’s cathartic appeal is evenly matched by its quality appeal. Incorporating mild serialization and entertaining characters, fleshing them out, and doing a pretty good job building his mirror world, Norm Feuti’s comic is an unsung gem of the modern cartooning landscape. I hope it continues to build in story developments and character growth while also providing more of the same in its terrific humour and spirit.
But if Retail is the great comic strip variation of the modern workplace comedy, what about the family sitcom?
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jordan_D_Bosch
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/jbosch/
Comments
Post a Comment