Retail jobs pack a punch with flexibility and employee discounts.
If you’re looking to break into the hourly workforce or simply want an hourly job with crazy flexibility, then a job in retail might be the right-fit hourly job for you. I should know. I’ve worked in the grocery industry for 23 years. I started as a bag boy, worked my way to assistant fish monger, and now I run the whole supermarket. Not to brag or anything…
Not only do a ridiculous percentage of hourly workers get their start in mall jobs, grocery store jobs and other customer service gigs, but many of them climb the retail career ladder to snag managerial and corporate positions.
Flexible Schedules Make Life Easier
One of the rarest treats about retail jobs is that they often double as a part-time job. Whether you want to work the graveyard shift stocking grocery shelves or want to meet the produce trucks at the loading dock when the roosters are crowing, you can do that too.
Heck, I’ve done all that and more. Retail gigs allow you to balance school, family and hobbies. And one day when you need to help your kids find their first summer job, that drug store down the street or the gas station behind your office is a prime choice.
And when the time comes that you want or need to work full-time hours, retail jobs usually have an open opportunity for ambitious hourly workers looking to kick their jobs searches into the next gear.
Employee Discounts Stretch Paychecks
If you play basketball, it makes sense to work at a sporting goods store, right? I mean, why pay full price for that peach basket, err, net, when you’ll likely be eligible for a discount within a few weeks of working at your new gig.
Just think how much of an advantage an employee discount can also be when buying gifts for friends and family come December. That’s why retail jobs make great holiday jobs. Not only is there more of a demand for workers come this time of year, but since you’ll be shopping anyways, you might as well parlay this benefit into something that will help your bottom line.
I’ll be honest, as a retail job veteran, it’s hard to focus when writing about these hourly jobs. They’re just so darn different. But if you can make change for a $20 bill and you don’t mind wearing a nametag, a job in retail might be a right-fit hourly job for you.
Guest post written by Thomas Wilson.