“This summer I decided to enter the work force and get a full-time job. I figured working 40 hours a week would keep me busy, and it would be a breeze. I was wrong! My job has been fun, but it’s also been difficult and stressful.
My dream job was to sell clothes at my favorite department store, but the day before my interview there, I got a position at a small boutique. It was a tough job. I had to stay on my feet all day and most of the time I was alone so I didn’t get any breaks. I also closed the store late at night. Two weeks after I started at the boutique, a manager from the department store called me and offered me a job for better money, more hours (which I wanted) and commission. Of course I wanted the position, but I agonized over quitting the job I already had. The boutique was short-staffed, it wasn’t making very much money and in my two weeks there, two people had already been fired. On top of that, my boss was hysterical because her grandmother was in the hospital, her baby had a fever and her car was totaled. How could I let my boss down?
I wanted to quit the right way
After talking to my mom, I formed a plan for how to leave in a polite, professional way. After I had closed the store for the night, I called my boss at home. I gave her the customary two week’s notice and briefly explained that I had been offered another job. I apologized for leaving and thanked her for hiring me in the first place, since I’m only 16. She wasn’t happy, but I was able to leave on a positive note.
At the beginning of July, I began my new job at the department store. It was a whole new ball game. I had to learn about all the clothes in my department, handle lots of picky customers, and get along with other employees who were a lot older.
The store policies were strict. I had to dress up to go to work; no sandals, no sneakers and if I wore a dress I had to wear pantyhose (yuck). For the first week I was completely paranoid because, on my first day, security called me and told me they were watching me on their cameras, and my purse was bigger than regulation size. There was a myriad of complicated policies I had to know and follow. They have so many rules, I didn’t even want to include the store’s name in this article, because they would have had to approve it.
Every day when I came in, I’d walk around the department, looking for new merchandise, checking to see if anything went on sale that day and seeing where the clothing went on the floor. I had been taught the “Four Points of Selling:” 1) greet customers within 30 seconds of their arrival; 2) suggest clothing they might like; 3) close the sale by encouraging the customer to use or open a store credit card; and 4) thank the customer. Sounds pretty easy, right? But then a little old lady would come in and want to tell stories about her osteoporosis and her 17 cats. Someone else once asked for jeans that are tight at the waist but loose in the legs, but not flared—excuse me, that doesn’t exist. But I did my best to help them, because the customer is always right. Plus extra sales increased the commission I earned (see box for explanation of how my commission worked).
I was the only teen in my department, so it was a little hard to relate to the other employees. All of them were older, and most had children already. They would stand around and talk about doing the laundry and finding new recipes. One woman constantly talked about her boyfriend, “He’s so wonderful… He’s so gorgeous… He got us half-price on a great toaster… When he worked on a shrimper he wore a little red Speedo!”
I got commission and discounts
Because my entire department was on commission, we fought over customers sometimes, but I made as much as $120 extra because of commission. And that 20 percent employee discount was great too. Once I bought a $70 pair of pants on sale. After the sale discount and my employee discount, I only paid $30. I got a $25 pair of pants for $8.
At night when I got home, I’d be drained. I’d have to lie down and get off my feet. I’d listen to music and talk on the phone—anything as long as I didn’t have to walk around. It was more stressful than I expected it to be, but I liked working this summer. I liked having some extra money. I learned a lot about the working world and how hard it is to get and keep a job. Summer jobs prepare you for adult life and teach you about responsibility.”