I’ve talked about it a few times – that my first job(besides picking strawberries) was in retail as a cashier at a small town grocery store. I was hired just days after my fifteenth birthday and I ended up working in retail for 13 years. Some years were good, some years weren’t. A lot of times as I was in my early twenties I believed I had “outgrown” this first job. But you know what – it taught me so many things that have shaped me today. And I 100% believe that everyone should work in retail/customer service for a minimum of one year.
As minimum wage is set to go up in Nova Scotia in April to $12.95, it has me thinking back to what I made in those early days of retail working and what lessons I learned.
1. You Make Friends with People You’d Never Otherwise Meet
I worked with some amazing people over the years. It’s amazing what conversations you’ll strike up when working with someone for an eight hour shift at front end or in the break room. I met students from other high schools where otherwise our paths would never have crossed. I’ve made so many friendships that I am grateful for. Not every co-worker was a good one, but every one had something to offer and a story to tell. And I’m grateful that I got to get to know them.
2. Your First Pay Cheque will be Disappointing
Oh, that first pay cheque. You’ve worked SO hard. You’ve put in the training hours, the hours on your own trying to prove your self. And finally, Pay Day comes, you’re issued your cheque at your next shift and you eagerly tear it open. Let’s see, you worked 30hrs in two weeks while going to school full time and managing your homework. You make $6.40 an hour. You should have a few hundred in there right? Ummmm… no, do the math kiddo! That’s less then $200 and when the taxes and EI deduction gets done with it it’s even less. *SIGH*. So you work more hours and ask yourself – is it worth it? But after a while, you learn to save that money and save and save. And it may take a while, you’re able to say, I earned THAT myself – that’s a moment to be proud of.
3. Not all Bosses are Created Equal
I was hired for my first job by the nicest people! Mardy & Maureen – I’ll never forget them. They were kind, patient and always made time to talk to you, no matter how busy their day was. After a few years, they retired and the business was managed by the former grocery manager, Joe. He was a neighbour of mine and very nice as well – though he ran on the stressed side of things. He eventually left as well and that’s when I realized how good I’d had it. What followed was a revolving door of managers who were removed from the ground floor of things. They came and went without interacting with staff. Things to help staff moral started to get cut – Christmas parties, summer bbq’s, etc. It was discouraging. But it was a great life lesson that you have to be ready to deal with many personalities.
4. Don’t “Just Take It” When It Comes to Rude Customers
The customer is always right – until their not. Abuse to retail staff is not ok, no matter the situation. I remember at the age of 16, a customer berating me for the price of banana’s. I stood there wide eyed trying not to cry. Years later a customer felt that I had looked down on them over the top of my glasses as I packed their bag. They reached over to me and *I KID YOU NOT* pushed the glasses up my face. I was stunned and I stepped back from where she could reach me and kindly asked her not to physically touch me, that that was not ok! Slowly over the years I learned to stand up for myself and when I became a supervisor at that store, I stood up for my colleagues. No one should have to take abuse in their job. No one.
5. Ask For What You Deserve
I’ll never forget the day in 2008 when I was cleaning up the customer service desk and found a co-workers paystub sitting in a drawer. I had been working for the grocery store for seven years. I’d missed a total of one shift in those seven years. I was a supervisor. I worked in two departments. I was a model employee – on time, stayed late when asked, etc. The co-worker had been working for three years. She was a front end team lead, but not a supervisor. She didn’t handle office duties. And her rate of pay/hr was higher then mine. I was stunned. I wanted to cry. I blamed myself – what had I done that she deserved more money then I did? Well – she had asked for a raise. I hadn’t. That was the end of that. When I collected my thoughts I spoke to my boss and pointed out the situation. I asked him, did he think it was fair that after all the time I put in that someone with less experience and responsibility made more then I did? I was given a raise on my next pay. That’s the key lesson though – you have to ask.
What lessons did you learn at your first job?