Recently, I called it quits to my retail job at a larger corporation after four and a half years. Although I still work at a smaller sized boutique, it is hard to compare a corporate size to a boutique sized business. But that is beside the point. Over the course of the years I have learned many, many things that have shaped me into the person I am today and influenced me to choosing my career path. I learned the importance of good customer relationships and how your co-workers can become your family.
When I first started out in retail, I was just a 16-year-old girl. I was intimidated by the fact that I had to go up to random customers and greet them with what specials we had going on and tell them I was here if they needed anything, even if I did not know much yet. Over the course of the years, I became more confident with talking to my customers and in what I knew about the store. I was able to maintain relationships with customers where I almost would see them on the weekly basis. One of my favorites came in every Friday afternoon and would always hold a conversation with me. Those relationships I held with customers were my ABSOLUTE favorite parts of my job. I got rude customers, but the customers I was excited to see always made it worth it.
I also learned how important your coworkers become to you. I was extremely blessed to have some of the coworkers I have. Many of them became friends to me and I am sure will continue to be my friends throughout my life. I feel as if they became more than just friends, they were my family.
Lastly, working retail helped me define my career path. At one of the retail places I worked, we had to sell credit cards to customers. I had excelled beyond words in this position and enjoyed the competitiveness of this. It helped me narrow my way to my marketing degree, specifically in sales. I was always curious about the ins and outs of the stores and the analytical features that came with it. I was curious to why payroll would be one way or how we would market some things one way or another. I found myself pondering this stuff often while I was at work. And it all makes sense now to me, I have always had a passion for business.
I have retail to thank for a lot and how it made me the person I am today. It helped me find my career path. Although, the retail ship may have sailed for me, it may be just a see you later. We will see where life takes me.