Four Lessons Learned From A Decade In Retail
Long before I ever even considered a career in HR, let alone Talent Acquisition, I did the same thing that so many people have done before me while trying to find their niche in life; I worked retail.
This was at a time when I had incredible difficulty in convincing anyone to hire me to do literally anything else, so I kept working and climbing the ladder, going from a part-time sales associate to a full-time manager at two different stores. While I didn’t necessarily hate every second of it (thanks entirely to the amazing teams I had alongside me), I always knew that even if I didn’t know what I wanted to do in the long-term, retail wasn’t a forever career for me.
It really wasn’t until about three years ago, after almost a full decade in that world, that I was able to make the jump into something new. I’ve found that working in HR, specifically talent Acquisition, suits me so much better than even the best retail job ever could. But, I’m far enough removed from my day-to-day as a retail manager to realize that it wasn’t the colossal waste of time I had once thought it to be. In fact, I learned so many valuable lessons from my time in retail, many of which I still carry with me to this day; lessons that have helped shape me into the leader that I currently and, and lessons that will inevitably help shape me into the leader that I want to eventually become. And while I can’t necessarily list every single lesson learned, here’re four that have stuck with me to this day.
Don’t Take it Personally
Anyone that’s spent an afternoon working in retail knows just how customers can be. Some will act rationally, others with kindness and empathy, but so many more will simply complain, criticize, and vent their frustration at you just because they can.
When I first started in retail, it was hard not to let angry customers get under my skin. I’d stand there, taking their abuse trying to remain calm, but I could feel my face turning flush emotion - anger, confusion, and sadness. I’d stammer my way through a mealy-mouthed excuse or explanation, hoping it would assuage any concerns they may have, but more often than not, it only served to fuel them. They’d see someone who simply couldn’t function under extreme stress, and would use that to their advantage.
One day, something shifted and everything soft of clicked for me. I realized that these customers were often having bad days, or were anticipating something horrible to happen. Either way, none of it had anything to do with me specifically. With those customers, a little patience, active listening, and empathy went a long way into diffusing the situation. I was using the same tools as before, but it was my understanding of the situation that helped me to change the outcome. Others, however, were still just as mean and enjoyed treating others poorly, but again, that wasn’t about me either.
Once I came to this realization, it was significantly easier to get out of my own head. I stopped walking into the backroom in order to cool off after a particularly heated conversation with a rude customer. It became easier to see them for what they were - people wrapped up in their own emotions. If you compare me from today to me from 10 years ago, you’d never know that I was once this incredibly nervous individual, shying away from all forms of criticism and confrontation. Now I know that it’s all just a part of life.
A good work ethic can take you places
When I first started out in retail, my manager wasn’t entirely sure about my ability to be effective on the sales floor. Truth be told, I don’t blame her for that assessment. So, she stuck me in the stock room with the only other guy they had on the team. The two of us were responsible for processing the three-times-a-week shipment of 10,000 units of product, replenishing the sales floor, and ensuring that our coworkers on the sales floor had everything they needed to be successful when selling to customers.
Around 3 months in, my manager realized that I was actually responsible, reliable, and trustworthy, but more importantly to her, someone that customers enjoyed interacting with. So I was eventually moved out onto the sales floor, and eventually the cash register. While those moves didn’t come with a pay increase, it did help to build my sense of self-confidence over time. When my family moved north of the city, I was transferred to another store and had to go through the whole process again. It was almost a year into that new location before my new manager saw my value. When she did, I was eventually made responsible for the entire men’s department (that or it was because I was once again the only guy they had on their entire team the three years I was there).
At the end of those three years, I was having a career conversation with my manager. I was fresh out of university and wholly unsure of what I wanted to do, so I thought why not take a stab at retail management. I had been working retail for four years at that point and built up a repertoire of knowledge and skills, and it just so happened that my company was opening a new location and thought I’d be a great fit for their management team. I ended up growing that team over two years before I was moved to another store for another three years as their Talent and Development Leader.
While I wasn’t making a lot of money in retail, really just enough to get by, that wasn’t really ever the point for me. I mostly saw it as a way to grow my transferrable skills, and as a way to better understand what I’m good at and how I can use that to my advantage. With a god work ethic comes opportunities, and for me, that was a little later than those around me but it eventually paid off. And for me, that was turning nearly a decade of retail into a successful career in HR Talent Acquisition.
Be Kind, Rewind
I’m what you may call an extroverted introvert. I can turn on the charm when I need to, but most times, I tend to enjoy keeping to myself and doing my own thing. So when it comes to the world of shopping, I never really need nor want help from a salesperson as I’m fully capable of finding and determine if I want to purchase something. It wasn’t until I started working in retail that it dawned on me that other people might have different needs or approaches than I did.
Most days while working, I thought that because I was a sales person I was insignificant or meant to be a punching bag, and that most days what I was doing was of little importance. But working the sales floor made me realize just how many opportunities I had to shed a little light onto the lives of others. While I can’t necessarily remember many, if any, of my horrible customers, I do remember all of the amazing, kind people I met while working. I even wrote about one of those interactions years ago because of how profoundly she impacted me. From the elderly woman who would ask for help purchasing items over the phone (who would in return bring us homemade beef patties and amazing stories) to the middle-aged man going through a heart-wrenching divorce and needed to somewhat restart his life to the young teacher trying to make a positive impact on his students.
Retail is often a thankless job, and I think it’s because of those memories and experiences that have stuck with me that I try and be a model customer myself. It’s not enough to just say “please” and “thank you” - that’s table stakes. Instead, I try to look people in the eyes and talk to them like we’re actually friends. I want to make sure that at the end of each day, they can look back and remember at least one positive interaction. And for those that go above and beyond, I try to leave positive feedback both online and in-store so that they are recognized for their efforts.
This isn’t to toot my own horn and say, “look at how great I am.” I know from personal experience what a difference a single positive comment can make, or how a great customer can turn your entire day around in an instant. It’s honestly such a great feeling knowing that I can be that customer for other people doing what I used to do.
No experience is ever a waste of time
I started working in retail when I was 18, and didn’t leave until I was almost 28. I used to compare my career to those around me in my early 20s and would think to myself, “what am I doing?”
Looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I learned so much about myself and others in those 10 years that I now think everyone should spend at least one year working retail. It will absolutely knock any notion out of you that you are smarter, better, or “worth more” than those around you. How? It forces you to interact with all sorts of different people; everyone from the nicest individuals who genuinely care and want to make your life easy to the nastiest monsters who feed off your misery. Some customers will humble you. Others will push you to your limits, and in some cases force you to stand up for yourself (and if you’re a leader, stand up for your team) potentially for the first time in your life. It’s a serious education in building your own self-esteem and sense of self.
There’s nothing wrong with working retail, even as a lifetime career choice, but for me, it was always a point of contention with myself. I didn’t find a great deal of satisfaction with the work, and at times, didn’t know if I could do anything else but work in retail. What I wasn’t seeing, however, was that I was learning so much about myself through all of that; my wants, needs, beliefs, and values. My time in retail taught me that nothing is ever truly a waste of time, especially if you’re learning something from what you’re doing and using what you learn to do and be better the next day.
