If my 16 year old self saw me writing this, I am positive that she would be throwing a fit.
I remember hearing someone say a while back, “every person should experience working in retail .” And although off the bat, this is quite a general statement, I couldn’t agree more. Let me break down what working in retail as taught me and how I still utilize it all till this day, 6 years later.
My first ever job was part time as an associate at Banana Republic Factory Outlet at age 16 and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I loved clothing, fashion, and putting outfits together. (Oh and having a hefty 40% off employee discount was icing on the cake.) I later worked for Francesca’s Boutique, the Fragrance Outlet and then a small women’s clothing boutique. It’s interesting that while I worked at all of those different places at a fairly young age, each place taught me so much and were stepping stones to where I am now – working for an LA based women’s clothing brand as the e-commerce manager. Total surreal full circle moment, my 16 year old self would be jumping up and down with joy!
So that is my background and where I am now, but how did working retail shape me to who I am today? Well, simply put, it threw me into the “real world,” real fast. As a teenager who was growing up in a small town, working in retail placed me into an environment that was a constant with a physical space but with an ever-changing customer. So I was constantly faced with the challenge of working with new people and personalities every single day. And as someone who is fairly reserved and introverted – this is a huge gift to have now! From being able to diffuse an intense situation with an angry customer, to seeing how the power of kindness or a simple smile could change the energy/aura of someone, and everything in between. Furthermore while working in customer service, these jobs have simply taught me the importance and gift of serving others. Yes, they were jobs to provide some income (and don’t get me wrong – I didn’t love them all the time) but they really did provide me the ability to collaborate with inquiring customers. And truly one of the best feelings is being able to help someone.
On the more silly side of things, another way that retail shaped me is by exposing my tidiness tendency. When you walk into a store, of course you want things or be organized and esthetically pleasing! And part of my jobs was to keep everything tidy – and if I didn’t already know that about myself at age 16, well, I learned real quick. Banana Republic’s folding clothing guide was no joke and till this day, the clothing in my closet is still folded accordingly! Call me crazy, but I love a clean room and tidy closet.
And lastly to wrap this all up, working in retail provided me experiences to learn more about myself. It was quite the journey, and I can’t say that I will ever go back necessarily, but I am so glad that I had those experiences. Those experiences taught me what I liked/disliked, who I wanted to be/didn’t want to be, what I wanted/didn’t want in a future work environment/situation. This all transpired within 5 years of learning and growing and it reminds me of exactly that – that we are ever-changing and evolving. So if you are a young person and are unsure of the direction to take, please know that everything you are doing now is a stepping stone, and that working retail can teach you really valuable lessons to carry with you. Like, ya know, folding shirts. Just kidding, kind of. 🙂
So to whoever mentioned that everyone should work retail, for these reasons above, I conquer.
Now And Then With Jen 