I grew up being told I was too shy, too quiet and need to speak up more. I would rehearse in my head what I was going to say when the waiter came to take my order in a restaurant. I would stutter and mumble while talking on the phone. I would be the girl at the party sitting with a plate of hors d’oeuvres rather than dancing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a terrible dancer and still won’t bust a move no matter how catchy the song is. But since getting a job in the mall a little over two years ago, I’ve made leaps and bounds in my ability to confidently talk to people.
When I first landed my sales associate position, I was, admittedly, super awkward. My manager wanted me to go up to customers and advertise what sales we had going on and to offer my help in finding their perfect outfit. I would slowly approach customers with a smile plastered across my face and upon making eye contact would mumble, “Hi, how can I help you?” I was anything but conversational and the moment the customer would say, “Oh, I’m just looking,” I would bolt to the opposite side of the store.
Going home and being able to say I had helped one single customer was a huge accomplishment for me. Gradually that one customer grew into three customers and those three grew into five. After a few months of working in the store, I earned a promotion.
I was as shy as one could possibly come, but working in the mall forced me to change. I loved the store I worked in and was super excited to be a sales associate there. I knew if I didn’t break out of my shell, they would let me go. I obviously wanted to keep my job and knew I had to make a change within myself. It was a very hard thing for me to do but I pushed through my self-doubt and slowly but surely became a more confident version of myself.
Now when I go in to work, I’m able to casually walk up to every customer who comes in and talk to them like they’re a long-lost friend. I can ring people up at the register without my hands fumbling to fold their clothes and I can answer the phone without a single doubt of what I’m saying. Being able to get to know a customer while also helping them with their shopping experience is an amazing feeling.
If you struggle with being shy, I can’t stress enough how amazing a retail job can be. Being forced to step out of your comfort zone is hard but when you can see how much you’ve grown and how much you’ve changed, I can guarantee you won’t regret it for a second.