My December was fairly slow.
Now January is usually the month for lots of returns. All those gifts that didn't fit right or looked dreadful on (or off, in some cases). Those impulse buys. And even those holiday outfits that were worn once (don't think we don't know) for that very special occasion and are now being slyly returned (yup, we get plenty of those).
But surprisingly, my January has been great. In fact, I'm up 22% in net sales for the first four weeks vs. the first four weeks in December. The store hasn't been particularly busy, but there seem to be fewer sales associates. But whatever the reason, I'm not complaining.
Aside from the money, it's a satisfying feeling to work hard and actually get paid for the effort. In retail, it's all about the numbers. And when my numbers are high, I feel like I'm doing a good job. Like getting that A on a report card. But unlike that report card A, I work just as hard on days I don't make any money than on days I do.
I think the company I work for does not value its associates. In general, the pay is dreadful. The benefits practically non-existent. And the paid days-off a joke. But oh that discount!
These past few weeks, we could buy designer items that were on clearance for a total discount of 82% off. And surprisingly there were still some great pieces showing up on-transfer from other stores.
Staying positive, I also very much like most of the people I work with.
The other day, the beautiful, 6-foot, incredibly nice Paige wanted us to take a group photo. She looked like she had just walked off the Rick Owens runway. When it came time for the photo (taken by Kareem, who had even brought his Nikon DSLR to work that day), it was just three of us, including a nice guy I'll call H.
(And in case you're wondering, I'm the short, ghostly white person on the right.. not the far right, that's a mannequin).
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