At the start of this year, I had a goal. Well, I had many, but this was a new one: get a retail job after I graduate, learn something new from it, and try to make some spending money for college.
I had it all planned out in my head: I'd apply to my favorite clothing store, brush up my resume, and they'd take me faster than I could snap my fingers. How hard could it possibly be to get a job in retail? People are always leaving their retail jobs anyway; can't be that bad.
I was so laughably wrong.
I spent the last remaining 3 months of school working on job applications. Waking up early on Saturday and Sunday, I slaved through probably 15 different applications, answering all the repetitive basic questions over and over again, taking numerous assessment tests that each usually took at least an hour to complete, and only getting more frustrated. Weeks went by before I got my first call back. And it was only to hear that because I didn't want to work very long term, I was no longer a candidate for the position.
Moderately discouraged, I kept working on those applications. Went to an interview; got rejected that night. Rejected from another place. And another. And another. I think I'll always think of those months purely as "rejection months" as I was rejected from colleges and jobs alike. A truly difficult combination to stomach.
Now I was getting desperate. I was running out of stores I could think of, and I didn't want to fall back on coaching gymnastics classes. Finally, I got a call from a store I had applied to a while ago and forgotten about. I had a basic phone interview right then, and I was invited to come in for a real interview. I was hopeful, because this was looking like my best shot. Funny enough, the interview was on my last day of high school. To me, that's somewhat symbolic as an immediate transition into the "real world".
The interview was my best yet, and I was thoroughly excited to be contacted a few days later with a job offer. I accepted, and I've been working it ever since.
It's important to emphasize that I didn't really want this job for the money, because honestly, it's been somewhat negligible. Instead, I wanted to learn something new this summer, and there's no question that I have. As I resigned last week due to my upcoming class schedule and some other complications, I wanted to list some skills I've learned from working in retail.
1. Communication
Undoubtedly, the single greatest thing I learned this summer has been much better communication skills. I went from being the mildly shy, nervous girl who dreaded saying "Hi, how are you?" to customers to the girl who can deal with incredibly confusing, demanding, or somewhat unkind customers while keeping a smile on her face. Also, customers come in often saying one thing while actually meaning something completely different, and learning to translate that has proved very useful. Genuinely, I'm proud. This job broke me out of my shell very well, and this is a skill I'm going to carry with me for the rest of my life.
2. How to be a better customer
As someone who has experienced all kinds of customers, I understand the impact that being a good customer can make on retail employees. My second day on the job, I nervously asked a lady how she was doing, and she replied with "Oh, I'm fine. The real question is, how are you?" I was quite taken aback by this but it made my day so much better. Customers ask how I'm doing about 50% the time, and I still find it really nice to not just be treated as someone in the background. Anyway, asking employees how they're doing is just one way to be a better customer; other ways include not leaving the fitting rooms in a mess, trying not to mess up displays too much, and just being kind. It will all go a long way, I assure you.
3. How to fold clothes REALLY WELL
My folding skills before I started working were pretty darn mediocre. But now, after folding probably thousands of shirts and sweaters and pants, I have to say I am a pretty badass folder. There's nothing I can't fold. My closet and drawers are noticeably improved, too.
4. How to cope with very, very old technology
I'm going to make an extreme generalization: retail is extremely behind in technology. For example, the POS software on the store's registers is at least 5 years old, there are numerous flaws in the program, and the "touch screens" don't respond well to pressure, just to name a few. It usually takes about a month to train a brand new employee in retail, but 2 of those weeks could be easily eliminated with more intuitive software in the registers better integrated with company systems. There is so much time wasted fumbling with unnecessarily problematic technology that could be used to interact with customers and promote more sales. These experiences have motivated me even more to pursue engineering, because the retail industry could definitely use an overhaul, and fast.
5. How to stand in heels for 4 to 6 hours at a time
While this is perhaps the least useful thing I've learned, it's been great for endurance purposes. The first few weeks on the job, my feet hurt so badly that when I got home, all I could do was lie in bed and wish someone could massage my aching feet. The day before I graduated, I wore new shoes that cut up my heels so badly that there was actually blood involved. You can imagine the agony I was trying to hide as I walked across stage next day. Uggh. Anyway now I barely feel the pain, thank god.
So, as my last day approaches in just over a week, I'm grateful. I've learned so much that has greatly benefited me already. Perhaps this hasn't been my dream job, but it's been a great experience to learn from and motivate me to pursue what I'm truly passionate about in the future.
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