Anyway, this is how it all began, so fast, so quick. I spoke to my parents about finding a job since knew I wasn't going to attend varsity or college straight away. I updated my CV and sent it off to potential places or otherwise just dropped it off at the prospective places I selected. I wanted to keep my options open as much as possible. I also got a few heads up from my cousin who works at a certain head office. My timing (God's timing) was perfect for one position that was open as a sales assistant. I spoke to the floor manager of the store and she told me she would give me a call to set up an interview as soon as possible. I got a phone call from her the next day to schedule an interview later in the afternoon. I was in awe. I tried to keep my composure to answer all her questions with confidence, but as soon as I left her office I felt uncertain of how it went. I wasn't completely satisfied. Needless to say I had a restless night of sleep. Long story short, she called me the next day to say I go the job. I rejoiced with happiness.... and the rest is history.... yeah, not so much. There's always a "but".
Since the beginning I felt a little uneasy being the new kid on the block and having to adjust to my new surroundings. The environment which I'm in consists of a lot of women (and one guy) and where there's women involved there's bound to be animosity. From the start I felt a little unwelcome as if I had invaded their space. Considering that I was a regular customer before, I knew these women by face and a few by name long before they knew me by name. I was stunned. One event I clearly won't forget was when I went on lunch with another girl in the canteen, at the same table - she sat on the one end and I sat at the other end and we never spoke to each other; not one word. she didn't even bother get to know me or maybe she wasn't interested. We just sat in complete silence eating our food and checking our phone's. I felt like somethings got to give!
The 5th of August will mark my fourth month as a permanent employer. I'm happy and grateful for this opportunity. It's not always easy, I have to deal with a lot of garbage sometimes but it gets better with time if you have a positive outlook on things. I've gotten to know everybody better and have gained a few friends in the process. Patience, is what I have learnt to be the key to moving forward and learning. I know for sure that I don't want to be saddled there for the rest of my life, I'm not content with that. This is only temporary. I don't want to be stuck in a rut forever. I want to expand my horizons and grow. Working in retail is not everyone's cup of tea. You have to have a strong head on your shoulders, have a passion for fashion, pay attention to detail, have excellent communication skills, be a team player, be confident, work hard, be able to advise customers on wardrobe building (this isn't always easy since everybody has different taste and all come in different shapes and sizes and different ages) and finally; always have a smile plastered across your face even if you don't feel like it. Something you're robbed of is free time. Me (you) time. You work your fingers to the bone and what you do isn't always appreciated. Another thing is the gossip. Somebody always has something to say about everything and this bothers me a little bit. People watch what you wear, what you eat, etc. Your business is their business but sometimes its always good to give them something to talk about and to keep them guessing. My daily mission is always to kill them kindness and a killer fashion sense of course. Something I have learnt which is positive is the value of money. Earning your own salary is the best means of independence but its also a huge eye opener. You're forced to be savvy and frugal with your money. This is something I never used to worry about since it always rested on my parents shoulders. On the plus side, working in retail does have its perks, you get to see and inspect the clothing before the customers do and you also get employee discount and who doesn't love discount?
P.S. You just have to roll with the punches and live and let live. That's all!
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