[minimonster17]

Yeah, don't be surprised if you get put on as a cashier at first, and then get moved to paint, lawn and garden, or somewhere else later. Appliances on the other hand is a department that is very difficult to get into. I have been working for Lowe's for six years, and haven't gotten back there yet. The advanced product knowledge comes with time, management knows this. They look for willingness to work hard, and a desire and capacity for learning.

For example, prior to working for Lowe's I had no heavy machinery training. Over the past six years working lawn and garden and lumber, I have probably accumulated over 2,000 hours of forklift training.

[DLN001]

I like music and anime and other animated things. I also like to collect stuff like vinyl, video games, and other things.

[AladdinsGenie]

Even when you don't know anything about appliances and all that? I can mix paint and gives artsy advice

[minimonster17]

Well, the company I work for, Lowe's hires people in on as seasonal/temp workers with a set termination of employment date. If you are a good worker, you are kept on and put into a permanent position somewhere in the store. If you are a marginal worker who does the minimal to get by, you'll probably be the first to be let go when your season ends up.

Lowe's doesn't require any prior retail experience to be hired in, so maybe you might want to look into working there. I'm not going to glorify it, they're still a shitty corporation to work for, but if you need/want the experience you can get it there.

[AladdinsGenie]

Yeah, when I was at Disney, something was horribly wrong when my schedule was below 40 hours a week and I had more than two days off a week. I've been told restaurant experience can be even better than retail, but it still doesn't replace. People want to see you did some, but you can't get any without the experience already. It's kind of ridiculous

[minimonster17]

On a somewhat related note, I have often heard of retail and restaurant being compared by coworkers of mine who have served as employees under both fields. Both fields require relatively unlimited work schedule flexibility for full timers, are fatiguing on workers, and are very hard on personal/family life. The turnover rate also tends to be fairly high.

Restaurant also tends to rely heavily on customer service and presentation, both in the atmosphere, and the final product the customer is purchasing. As noted before, these are the main things that other industries idolize retail for.

[APK]

Why not?? It's not wholesale!

[AladdinsGenie]

I was in Food and Beverage, and the restaurant kind, too, so I can't even say I sold the food and pass it off as retail

[minimonster17]

Yeah, but Disney has many retail shops, right? Or were you not involved in that aspect of working at Disney?

[AladdinsGenie]

Well, I didn't sell anything, but it still felt like I had to deal with the guests as if I did

[minimonster17]

I find that highly strange that working for Disney does not count as a form of retail experience as well.

[AladdinsGenie]

You have no idea how much I don't want to, but they all seem adament about it. You'd think the year I worked at Disney would replace that considering I dealt with more than anyone in customer service has had to deal with in 30 years, but it's all about the lines on the resume, I guess

[minimonster17]

AG: You said you needed the experience, but let me warn you, retail SUCKS! I've been stuck doing it for the past six years, one year of which in high school, four to support me throughout college, and now yet another year after college. I graduated with a B.S. in business management, and I was forced to resign from another job I got hired on at making 45k a year. I "only" spent a year getting hired, and was only given a whopping two days' chance. So I wound up getting my job back in hardware retailing (Lowe's,) and am currently looking for something better.

I would not manage retail for the pitiful increase first line supervisors are given compared to what I am making now. When upper/middle management says "Jump!" first line managers are always forced to say "How high?" as well manage to leap through hoops and rings.

This being said, it sucks paying back on student loans when I'm making the same 25k a year I was before I entered college. I know that these are rough times though, so I just grit my teeth and bear it until I have something better...

In your response to having to have retail experience for your field, yeah, it does seem ridiculous, but many industries look to retail as a model for floor presentation and customer service. It sucks, but that's the way it is nowadays...

[Princess of Agrabah]

That's so true. I love reading but honestly I draw/write more than I read books

[APK]

I love strategy video games. I used to love reading and writing, but it seems like the older you get, the less and less you do read books that aren't assigned to you, or write stuff just for the sake of it. Sigh