Next Step

Everything in life has steps, and we are constantly trying to reach the next step in our lives.  We take the step from high school to college (well, some of us do); and we take the step from dating to engagement to marriage.  I started in retail as a part time customer service rep, and I have held many positions in different retail stores.  Sometimes the moves I have made in my retail career did not make sense to others.   I went from regular associate, to supervisor, back to associate, back to supervisor, to unemployed (by my own choice), to assistant manager, to department manager, and back to regular associate.  Every step I took was a part of my plan.  I took my steps to take care of myself and my family.  I was getting ready to do whatever I had to do to get to take my next step into corporate training.  I have always loved training new employees, opening new stores, and being able to share the little tricks I’ve learned along the way; and I was going to become a corporate trainer, I was determined.   Then I went to work on a Saturday morning, and the 40 employees of my store were all told that the company was closing.  In that moment, my next step changed, but I had no idea what my next step would be.   I had no plan.  The job market is tough; there are not many options out there, especially if I would like to continue earning anything close to what I earn now.  Now, I have to find my next step.  I am not sure where I will go, or where my co-workers will go, and I am sure in the long run all of us will be fine, however it is the initial first step that terrifies me. 

                I have received lots of advice, but this is an experience that is like none other I have experienced before.   The most frustrating piece of advice is “This is your chance to get out of retail!”  My normal response is “And do what? This is what I’ve been doing for 12 years!”  I’m not just a sales person who can sell anything; I am a true retail grunt.   I understand this business, I know what goals I am trying to achieve, I understand my acronyms, and this is who I am.  This experience has left me feeling as if I am standing in a dark room and I am stumbling around running into potential steps.  My fear is that if I choose the wrong step then the bottom will fall out and I will end up even further behind than I am right now.  I do not know if I am the only person to feel like this, but I do know that I am not the only one who is angry and scared about what is happening.  This company has employed and still employs some of the most talented and intelligent people I have ever worked with, and from what I can tell, most of us are still looking for our next step.  Good luck to any and all fellow retail grunts going through this process with me!