Surviving Day One (On the Sales Floor)
At approximately 4:07 p.m. Monday afternoon, I power-walked out of the mall, feet aching, tears threatening, brain fried. But at least I was alive.
First of all, for those who are wondering, the lock didn't win. I conquered it on the first try.
So ends the old enemy...and so begins the new.
Upon entering the back room, I encountered my new trainer. She was the other assistant manager, whom I had heard about but never seen since being hired. The head manager, with whom I had spent two cozy shifts hiding in an office, was off for the day. My first day on the sales floor would be overseen by a stranger.
"Should I just head out there to wait?" I asked timidly.
"Um, sure, you can go out."
Okay, multiple times they have told me that sales associates are not supposed to just stand around. Look busy, look vibrant, look like there's something, anything going on, but for Pete's sake don't just stand there!
Mistake #1 of the day, ladies and gentlemen. I'm grateful that business was slow.
But what else was I supposed to do? There were racks to be straightened, brands to be learned, displays to be arranged, but they hadn't told me to do anything...so I didn't.
"Do you wanna show her around the store?" someone asked an associate. The associate was the woman who'd shown me the trash compactor the other night. Happily, she was easy to talk to.
"So everything's arranged by color. Over there's our warm colors--pink, orange...burgandy. In the winter we had a lot of red." She fingered a light pink shirt. "Then over here are the blues...green, olive colors are over there...These under here are called closets; these are, obviously, racks; and these up here are faceouts." She proceeded to point out each feature in the store, along with tips on what the job is actually like. "I know when you're back there learning all that stuff it can seem overwhelming, but once you learn it, you just kinda...do it."
"Yeah, it's actually simple." Having finished her duties, today's trainer joined our conversation. It was time to begin.
As customers came in, she demonstrated different ways to start conversations and various features to point out. Special deals, accessories, presentation--all were used to guide each customer's experience in the store. It had felt complicated when I learned it from the manual, but they were right--you just do it.
"So now you can greet the next person who comes in."
For some reason, my stomach still turned. What if I didn't speak loud enough? What if I embarrassed myself?
Too late. Here came the next person.
"Hi, welcome in." I projected so consciously I might have been on stage...but it was relatively painless.
"Hi, thank you." She smiled slightly.
"Is there anything in particular you're working--er, looking for today?" No, Jessi, you're working, she's shopping. Deep breath.
"No, just browsing."
"Okay, well, just so you know our jewelry is buy two, get one free." Whew, had to think about that for a second! "I'm Jessi, by the way, if you have any questions."
"Thank you."
Success! Except she didn't buy anything, but c'mon, it was only the first day and I didn't even have a sales goal yet. I called it a victory.
They turned me loose for the rest of the afternoon. I straightened racks, returned "go-backs"--items to be rehung--to their places, and tried to stay out the managers' way. I looked busy.
And then she walked in.
She was about my age, accompanied by her mother and sister. Judging by their conversation, it was her birthday. They lingered in the sale room while I was there, unsuccesfully scrutinizing racks for a place to hang go-backs. I offered to start a dressing room for her. Taking her clothes and her name, and using my very own dressing room key, I made her my first real customer.
And then, of course, I promptly messed up. I forgot that to actually get into her room, she had to have the key, which I was proudly wearing around my wrist and taking with me into the dark recesses of the blue section.
"Jessi," a manager called, "I let one of your girls into her room."
Oh, if only I could melt into a puddle on the floor! "Okay, thanks!"
I made sure to attend her the rest of the time, however awkwardly, and I was rewarded. They came to the register, and when my trainer (who had turned out to be a wonderful teacher, by the way) asked who had been helping them today, the customer's mother gestured to me: "This lovely lady right here."
Okay, yeah, that felt good.
The shift finished with a lesson in register functions and I was done. Exhausted but relieved, I made my way to the car.
Again and again, God proves Himself faithful. He has invited me into the face of almost every fear...and before Him they vanish. This job is no exception. Two days ago, I begged Him not to let it torture me. Today, I can hardly wait to go back. In Christ, as always, I will do more than survive--I will thrive, and you can too.
First of all, for those who are wondering, the lock didn't win. I conquered it on the first try.
So ends the old enemy...and so begins the new.
Upon entering the back room, I encountered my new trainer. She was the other assistant manager, whom I had heard about but never seen since being hired. The head manager, with whom I had spent two cozy shifts hiding in an office, was off for the day. My first day on the sales floor would be overseen by a stranger.
"Should I just head out there to wait?" I asked timidly.
"Um, sure, you can go out."
Okay, multiple times they have told me that sales associates are not supposed to just stand around. Look busy, look vibrant, look like there's something, anything going on, but for Pete's sake don't just stand there!
Mistake #1 of the day, ladies and gentlemen. I'm grateful that business was slow.
But what else was I supposed to do? There were racks to be straightened, brands to be learned, displays to be arranged, but they hadn't told me to do anything...so I didn't.
"Do you wanna show her around the store?" someone asked an associate. The associate was the woman who'd shown me the trash compactor the other night. Happily, she was easy to talk to.
"So everything's arranged by color. Over there's our warm colors--pink, orange...burgandy. In the winter we had a lot of red." She fingered a light pink shirt. "Then over here are the blues...green, olive colors are over there...These under here are called closets; these are, obviously, racks; and these up here are faceouts." She proceeded to point out each feature in the store, along with tips on what the job is actually like. "I know when you're back there learning all that stuff it can seem overwhelming, but once you learn it, you just kinda...do it."
"Yeah, it's actually simple." Having finished her duties, today's trainer joined our conversation. It was time to begin.
As customers came in, she demonstrated different ways to start conversations and various features to point out. Special deals, accessories, presentation--all were used to guide each customer's experience in the store. It had felt complicated when I learned it from the manual, but they were right--you just do it.
"So now you can greet the next person who comes in."
For some reason, my stomach still turned. What if I didn't speak loud enough? What if I embarrassed myself?
Too late. Here came the next person.
"Hi, welcome in." I projected so consciously I might have been on stage...but it was relatively painless.
"Hi, thank you." She smiled slightly.
"Is there anything in particular you're working--er, looking for today?" No, Jessi, you're working, she's shopping. Deep breath.
"No, just browsing."
"Okay, well, just so you know our jewelry is buy two, get one free." Whew, had to think about that for a second! "I'm Jessi, by the way, if you have any questions."
"Thank you."
Success! Except she didn't buy anything, but c'mon, it was only the first day and I didn't even have a sales goal yet. I called it a victory.
They turned me loose for the rest of the afternoon. I straightened racks, returned "go-backs"--items to be rehung--to their places, and tried to stay out the managers' way. I looked busy.
And then she walked in.
She was about my age, accompanied by her mother and sister. Judging by their conversation, it was her birthday. They lingered in the sale room while I was there, unsuccesfully scrutinizing racks for a place to hang go-backs. I offered to start a dressing room for her. Taking her clothes and her name, and using my very own dressing room key, I made her my first real customer.
And then, of course, I promptly messed up. I forgot that to actually get into her room, she had to have the key, which I was proudly wearing around my wrist and taking with me into the dark recesses of the blue section.
"Jessi," a manager called, "I let one of your girls into her room."
Oh, if only I could melt into a puddle on the floor! "Okay, thanks!"
I made sure to attend her the rest of the time, however awkwardly, and I was rewarded. They came to the register, and when my trainer (who had turned out to be a wonderful teacher, by the way) asked who had been helping them today, the customer's mother gestured to me: "This lovely lady right here."
Okay, yeah, that felt good.
The shift finished with a lesson in register functions and I was done. Exhausted but relieved, I made my way to the car.
Again and again, God proves Himself faithful. He has invited me into the face of almost every fear...and before Him they vanish. This job is no exception. Two days ago, I begged Him not to let it torture me. Today, I can hardly wait to go back. In Christ, as always, I will do more than survive--I will thrive, and you can too.
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