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"The Benefits of Gaining Retail Experience at a Young Age"

Jun 29, 2024

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Having a job in retail can be a valuable experience for young individuals who have never worked before. Working in retail exposes you to a diverse range of personalities that you may not encounter in a school setting. It teaches important lessons about dealing with challenging individuals who may try to manipulate or push you, testing your emotional resilience and conflict resolution skills. While these situations may not be enjoyable, they provide invaluable life lessons that cannot be found in textbooks and can be beneficial for future career endeavors. Retail experience helps you learn how to communicate effectively, negotiate, and handle difficult customers, showcasing your ability to represent your employer professionally and efficiently. These customer relationship dynamics can be advantageous in your long-term career, enhancing your people skills and interview capabilities through exposure to various interactions and scenarios.



At my mother's former restaurant, I juggled multiple roles including waitress, bartender, food runner, and dishwasher. In the past, I used to be extremely shy and reserved, often finding myself at a loss for words. I was known as the quiet girl who preferred listening and observing rather than speaking up. It took me a while to overcome my social anxiety and learn how to engage in conversations by asking the right questions. This was a skill that didn't come naturally to me. If you struggle with social discomfort, I recommend gradually exposing yourself to those situations. Working in a restaurant forced me to interact with people, starting with simple tasks like taking orders and checking on customers. While it was intimidating, it served as a stepping stone towards more meaningful communication. When I was trained to wait tables and serve alcohol at 18, I had no prior experience with different types of alcohol or terminology like "on the rocks" or "neat." Despite my lack of knowledge, I was pushed to interact with customers without any preparation. Through trial and error, I learned the ropes of the job. Dealing with challenging customers who complained after consuming most of their meal was left to the managers. Running a restaurant comes with high costs and unique challenges, unlike simply returning a product to a store. Service providers often overcharge businesses, and landlords may take advantage of your need for essential amenities. You encounter individuals who present a facade of kindness but reveal their true intentions over time. Wealth doesn't always correlate with appearance, as some well-off individuals dress modestly while others face financial struggles despite their glamorous exterior. Waiters in the United States, at least during my time, earned a basic wage of $2.13 per hour, relying heavily on tips for income. Despite the lack of formal education, waiting tables could be lucrative, attracting students and professionals alike. Working alongside diverse colleagues exposed me to new perspectives and experiences, enriching my understanding of the world around me.


So if you are young, work a retail job in the beginning. It will also fuel your soul for wanting to get out as if it not for you, it will feel dreadful. Some people are meant for retail and enjoy it, but if you don't you will feel that clock move so slow you know that the place you are temporarily working in is not your purpose. Oh, and learn to put in a 2 weeks notice if you plan on quitting. When you work in retail or the restaurant business, you'll run into employees to just stop showing up, or tell you they are quitting and today is the last day. Type it out nicely and print it out, or maybe in todays time you can email it. That is something they do not teach you in school and not all parents remember to teach their kids in the workforce something like this as it doesn't occur to them if they usually don't quit jobs often. It's like people who simply do not know gym etiquette, people have to point it out to them or teach it.




#retail #firstjob #teenagers #workexperience #customerrelationships #careerdevelopment

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