Since I turned sixteen and was able to start working, I’ve worked in retail. I’ve had numerous part-time positions, working two at a time on occasion. I started working as a cashier at a grocery store after school, adding on another part-time summer gig as a sales associate. In university, I started picking up some small seasonal sales associate roles at other stores. Each position was quite a unique experience in which I was emersed in different atmospheres and able to gain new life skills. I can honestly say I’ve grown as a person from the time I walked into my first job, and I owe a lot of the lessons that I’ve learned to them.
Before I started working, I was a pretty shy person and I absolutely hated being put in situations where I had to talk to people that I didn’t know. As a result, I tried to avoid these situations as much as possible. It wasn’t until I started working in retail that I was ultimately forced to step outside my comfort zone. At first, it was pretty difficult, but before I knew it, I found myself genuinely engaged in conversations with strangers. At the same time, I started to notice myself engaging in conversations outside of work more easily. It gave me a new sense of confidence and helped me feel more comfortable in my own skin.
Although talking to customers was something I tended to enjoy, not all of these ‘conversations’ possessed the same pleasant undertone. If you’ve ever worked in retail, you know that there will always be people who get mad at you for things way beyond your control. My first experience with this left me quite dumbfounded. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that a grown adult couldn’t fathom, that I, a sixteen-year-old high school student, didn’t price the items in the store. I learned pretty quickly that trying to explain my responsibilities wasn’t of any use. Being in situations like this helped me learn, that first, the customer isn’t always right, but either way, to deal with tough situations in a composed way.
Another thing I found myself improving at was adapting to different environments. Although all my jobs were in retail, each specific store I worked at had a different attitude. Some were more laid back and relaxed while others had a faster pace and were more assertive. Being able to integrate myself into these environments was really important because it made things move a lot smoother. I noticed that this was also a key part in helping with the scenarios in which conversations took place. Not only at work but also in external social scenarios, I was able to integrate myself into social circles that I wasn’t too familiar with, and it made me feel more comfortable with myself.
If you told me back in high school that my part-time jobs would help me out in the long term, I definitely wouldn’t have believed you. Looking back at all my experiences, though, I’m grateful that I had these experiences, even if some were pretty cringey. Without them, I wouldn’t be who I am today!