Update on my new job

I have never worked retail before. I did work for a short time in a furniture store but it was as more of a personal assistant to the owner than anything else. The store was owned by the proverbial little old lady. She had run the store for over 50 years and continued to run the store until she no longer could. I drove her to and from work, did her personal shopping, and ran errands for her. I also stayed at the store with her so that she would not be alone. The amount of retail experience that I got from this job was minimal as the store was not very busy. When a chance for a full time job at real wages came up, I took it.



That job ended in November. I was not aware that it was really ended until February. I started seriously looking for a job and, in March, went to work for the giant mass-market retailer in our town.



In the course of 1 week, I went from part time to full time and was cross-trained in lots of areas, including cashier. It is EXACTLY like playing store when you were a little kid! I love it.



There are parts of it that make me insane. There are decisions made by management for no discernible reason. It finally occurred to me that these decisions do not need to make sense to me. They are NOT my responsibility. Following directives is my responsibility.



Being friendly, courteous, helpful and conscientious is my responsibility. I excel at all of these things. I think I have found my niche.



I was not prepared for being on my feet for eight or more hours a day on concrete. The first few days I thought I had died but then I realized that if I were dead, I would not hurt so much. A friend of mine, who also works at the same store, wore a pedometer his first few weeks. His most strenuous day? 9 miles. Average? 5 miles. At least there was a reason that I was in pain.



I invested in some good insoles and life got better. I learned to schedule myself to two fifteen minute breaks and a lunch hour. I learned how to ask for help, from my coworkers and from my family. I learned how to say “no” to those people to whom I always used to say “yes”. I used muscles that I have not used in years. I familiarized myself with our products and their locations. I had my first days off and came back. I refamiliarized myself with our products and their locations. I got used to everything being moved on a regular basis.



I got my first paycheck last week. It was not what I had been making last year. On the other hand, it was a part-time paycheck. My next one will be better. There is already talk in the department where I work of a promotion.



I am still tired at the end of a day but it is a good tired. It is a fatigue brought on by hard work, some manual labor, and a LOT of walking. It is not the mental fatigue with which I had recently been plagued.



This job is not the job I thought I wanted. This job is the job I applied for while I tried and tried and tried to get the job I really wanted. This job is the job that I love.