If you watch t.v. for more than 5 minutes you'll see a Macy's commercial. The most popular ones feature all kinds of "stars" - pop icons, actors/actresses, etc. Every Macy's commercial ends with the big red star filling the screen and the line, "That's the Magic of Macy's". What you probably don't realize is that "the magic of macy's" is not just a slogan.
The first thing you learn in training is the art of Magic Selling. Magic is not just a word at Macy's. It is an acronym, which stands for:
Meet and Make a Connection
Ask Questions, Listen
Give Advice, Give Options
Inspire to Buy More
Celebrate the Sale
We are supposed to imagine each letter of the word "magic" on a point of the red star. Big red stars are strategically placed all over the store. To unknowing customers, the stars look like decoration. But to us, the sales associates, they are constant reminders of magic selling. Also, research shows that the color red inspires customers to buy more. I've decided that pretty much everything in life is a calculated science, and the science behind the color red leads people to make irrational decisions to buy clothes they probably don't need and most likely won't wear.
I've never been much of a shopper so when I told my mother I applied to work at Macy's she laughed. In all honesty, it was the first job I saw on Monster when I typed in Cincinnati as my area of search. They were hiring seasonal help so their ads were everywhere. I applied because I knew they wouldn't reject me. I applied because I thought it would be an easy job. I applied because I wasn't ready for rejection from the real world.
The first few weeks were truly magical. Every day felt like a new adventure. I never knew who I'd meet or what I'd say or how the store would look because they were shifting things around like crazy to accommodate the increasingly cold climate. I said hello to every customer. I asked what they were shopping for. I showed them our newest merchandise. I suggested complimentary pieces to go with things they had already picked out. I told them colors looked great with their skin tone when they were unsure. I told them the brands they were trying on run a little large to make them feel better about going up a pant size. I wished them good luck with their company dinner, interview, family reunion, wedding or night out on the town. I told them to come back and shop with us again soon! In short, I made certain I was making M.A.G.I.C. with every customer I encountered. And then Black Friday hit and I sold over $4,000 in about 4 hours and I went home and thought what is wrong with the world?
Every time I see family and friends I do not see on a daily basis they ask how my job is. I know that it is just a common courtesy and that they don't expect more than a typical response of "Good." But sometimes I want to tell them how i really feel; that I work in a fast paced cut throat environment where I am constantly watching my back for other associates who would [seemingly] like nothing more than to see me fail; that every day I am reinforcing society's materialistic monster by selling mass produced over priced merchandise and that I am grossly overqualified for this job.
When I meet new people they ask where I work. I say, "Macy's downtown." Nine times out of ten, they say, "At corporate?" And I have to say "No, at Fountain Square." (Macy's headquarters and the downtown department store are only two blocks apart.) Most older ladies will say something like, "Well surely you're in management!" to which I respond, "No. I'm just a sales associate." Then they stare at me trying to remember where I said I went to college and wondering what degree I am not using while I wait on impatient people in a department store. Sometimes I try to offer up an excuse or make a joke about passing the time with this job until the perfect "real" job comes along. But usually, I don't say anything because the shame of it all is written across my face.
The point of this post is not to be a debbie downer. Actually, I'm not really sure what the point of this post is... I suppose I just sort of went off on a rant. But I don't hate my job. I don't love it, but I usually like it. As I said, retail is cut throat. But after a few months I decided not to care. I realized that my co-workers didn't hate me. - They just thought I was a goody-goody overachiever. I realized that the world would not end if I did not reach my sales goals or open at least two credits per 40 hours worked. I realized that the worst that could happen is that I would get fired for failing to meet my goals. But that has yet to happen and my manager keeps asking me if I will apply for the next available full time position which tells me that they have no intention of getting rid of me. Last week my manager told me that I am good at my job. It was a simple statement but meant a lot - it meant someone has noticed. And after all, isn't that what we all crave? to be noticed?
I am learning to love the crazy people that shop at Macy's (and the crazy people that work there). Being downtown, we get a varied crowd of shoppers. I have toned down my magic selling a bit. It helps me sleep better at night knowing I assisted customers without shoving merchandise down their throat. I have been able to make friends this way. Customers have told me that I am so helpful without being in their face. Because of this new found approach to selling retail, I have several regular clients now - all of which come with stories that I'll save for another time.
Sometimes I still come home from work saddened by how much people spend on clothes when there are so many people in this world in actual need of clothes. But then I look in my closet and realize I am hypocritical. I have a lot of clothes, yes, but after having a job in retail I am much more reserved with my spending on material things. I won't buy an article of clothing if I can't get it for less than 10 bucks now and i regularly sort through my closet and give clothes I don't wear to good will.
I am currently searching for another job. I've had a couple interviews that I haven't even told my family about because they haven't gone anywhere. When I start looking at jobs online I just feel restless. I feel like nothing fits. Maybe that's what all people feel like. But I have an inkling that I will not figure out what I really want to do until I'm 40. I guess that gives me a lot of time to dabble in a bunch of jobs that I don't really love until i find my vocation. And that's ok. I plan on having several part time jobs until we start having kids because I think if I just do one job I'll get bored. That being said, I plan on staying at Macy's part time for a long time. It's too interesting working there for me to leave just yet.
Oh, and have I mentioned my husband is a saint? He listens to all my stories and tells me not to get too upset when I have a bad day at work. "After all," he says, "it's just retail."
The first thing you learn in training is the art of Magic Selling. Magic is not just a word at Macy's. It is an acronym, which stands for:
Meet and Make a Connection
Ask Questions, Listen
Give Advice, Give Options
Inspire to Buy More
Celebrate the Sale
We are supposed to imagine each letter of the word "magic" on a point of the red star. Big red stars are strategically placed all over the store. To unknowing customers, the stars look like decoration. But to us, the sales associates, they are constant reminders of magic selling. Also, research shows that the color red inspires customers to buy more. I've decided that pretty much everything in life is a calculated science, and the science behind the color red leads people to make irrational decisions to buy clothes they probably don't need and most likely won't wear.
I've never been much of a shopper so when I told my mother I applied to work at Macy's she laughed. In all honesty, it was the first job I saw on Monster when I typed in Cincinnati as my area of search. They were hiring seasonal help so their ads were everywhere. I applied because I knew they wouldn't reject me. I applied because I thought it would be an easy job. I applied because I wasn't ready for rejection from the real world.
The first few weeks were truly magical. Every day felt like a new adventure. I never knew who I'd meet or what I'd say or how the store would look because they were shifting things around like crazy to accommodate the increasingly cold climate. I said hello to every customer. I asked what they were shopping for. I showed them our newest merchandise. I suggested complimentary pieces to go with things they had already picked out. I told them colors looked great with their skin tone when they were unsure. I told them the brands they were trying on run a little large to make them feel better about going up a pant size. I wished them good luck with their company dinner, interview, family reunion, wedding or night out on the town. I told them to come back and shop with us again soon! In short, I made certain I was making M.A.G.I.C. with every customer I encountered. And then Black Friday hit and I sold over $4,000 in about 4 hours and I went home and thought what is wrong with the world?
Every time I see family and friends I do not see on a daily basis they ask how my job is. I know that it is just a common courtesy and that they don't expect more than a typical response of "Good." But sometimes I want to tell them how i really feel; that I work in a fast paced cut throat environment where I am constantly watching my back for other associates who would [seemingly] like nothing more than to see me fail; that every day I am reinforcing society's materialistic monster by selling mass produced over priced merchandise and that I am grossly overqualified for this job.
When I meet new people they ask where I work. I say, "Macy's downtown." Nine times out of ten, they say, "At corporate?" And I have to say "No, at Fountain Square." (Macy's headquarters and the downtown department store are only two blocks apart.) Most older ladies will say something like, "Well surely you're in management!" to which I respond, "No. I'm just a sales associate." Then they stare at me trying to remember where I said I went to college and wondering what degree I am not using while I wait on impatient people in a department store. Sometimes I try to offer up an excuse or make a joke about passing the time with this job until the perfect "real" job comes along. But usually, I don't say anything because the shame of it all is written across my face.
The point of this post is not to be a debbie downer. Actually, I'm not really sure what the point of this post is... I suppose I just sort of went off on a rant. But I don't hate my job. I don't love it, but I usually like it. As I said, retail is cut throat. But after a few months I decided not to care. I realized that my co-workers didn't hate me. - They just thought I was a goody-goody overachiever. I realized that the world would not end if I did not reach my sales goals or open at least two credits per 40 hours worked. I realized that the worst that could happen is that I would get fired for failing to meet my goals. But that has yet to happen and my manager keeps asking me if I will apply for the next available full time position which tells me that they have no intention of getting rid of me. Last week my manager told me that I am good at my job. It was a simple statement but meant a lot - it meant someone has noticed. And after all, isn't that what we all crave? to be noticed?
I am learning to love the crazy people that shop at Macy's (and the crazy people that work there). Being downtown, we get a varied crowd of shoppers. I have toned down my magic selling a bit. It helps me sleep better at night knowing I assisted customers without shoving merchandise down their throat. I have been able to make friends this way. Customers have told me that I am so helpful without being in their face. Because of this new found approach to selling retail, I have several regular clients now - all of which come with stories that I'll save for another time.
Sometimes I still come home from work saddened by how much people spend on clothes when there are so many people in this world in actual need of clothes. But then I look in my closet and realize I am hypocritical. I have a lot of clothes, yes, but after having a job in retail I am much more reserved with my spending on material things. I won't buy an article of clothing if I can't get it for less than 10 bucks now and i regularly sort through my closet and give clothes I don't wear to good will.
I am currently searching for another job. I've had a couple interviews that I haven't even told my family about because they haven't gone anywhere. When I start looking at jobs online I just feel restless. I feel like nothing fits. Maybe that's what all people feel like. But I have an inkling that I will not figure out what I really want to do until I'm 40. I guess that gives me a lot of time to dabble in a bunch of jobs that I don't really love until i find my vocation. And that's ok. I plan on having several part time jobs until we start having kids because I think if I just do one job I'll get bored. That being said, I plan on staying at Macy's part time for a long time. It's too interesting working there for me to leave just yet.
Oh, and have I mentioned my husband is a saint? He listens to all my stories and tells me not to get too upset when I have a bad day at work. "After all," he says, "it's just retail."
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