My dream job is something I’ve already done, sort of. Years ago, when I was in ROTC for the Air Force, between my two years of being enlisted and commissioning, I was back living with my parents and working in a sporting goods store in the footwear department. I loved every minute of that job. The first day I was supposed to be shadowing the lead associate, but we got swamped suddenly and he asked me if I felt I could just do it on my own. I said yes and jumped right in helping customers.
I remember the interview very well, actually. Even all these years later. The manager asked me a bunch of questions about what materials are used to make shoes, the difference between support and cushioning, what is (are) the difference(s) between running shoes and cross training shoes, and what I would recommend to a customer who wanted running shoes that were affordable. None of that rattled me, plus I had already worked at the store while I was in high school as a cashier. The manager said the lead cashier was Diane, who I had worked with years before when I was in high school/summers in college. As long as she had nothing bad to say about me, I would be hired.
He called me the next day and we scheduled my paperwork and orientation for the day after that. And he asked me why I knew so much about shoes. He said I definitely knew more than most of his current staff and maybe the lead associate. He had also looked up some of my answers and asked where I did my research. I told him the truth…I was a big runner, putting in a ton of mileage those days, and I was constantly looking for the next great running shoe. If I ran in a shoe and didn’t like it on that first run, I went back to the drawing board for something else.
I was the BEST in upselling without meaning to upsell ever. I didn’t usually upsell anyone who came in looking for something specific, generally because they knew what they were looking for. But if someone came in looking for a running shoe because they were going to start running, I would give them three choices at three different price points-sale/bargain, middle of the road, the very best we offered for THEIR foot type. It never mattered to me if they bought the bargain shoe or the very best, I just wanted them to be happy with their choice. I generally knew why the price difference existed, which was materials mostly and brand to some extent.
During the spring baseball/softball/lacrosse season, the manager always stuck me in cleats because I was the best with handling a ridiculous amount of customers. That side was swamped for about a month. I could take 5-6 people’s orders, come back with at least two sizes per person in the correct model they requested, and as soon as I had those passed out, I was taking 5-6 more requests. Sometimes I would tell the new people to link up with one of the current customers to see if they could fit one of the sizes I already brought out. When I brought out the next round, I checked on my first round and got them out of the way. Generally the sizes they didn’t buy could either help with the second round, or the third round that had appeared by then. Every 30 minutes or so, it would clear out for a minute and I would organize the stack of sizes that were left behind since I was bringing out extras. That would be my go-to pile for the next round. In general the manager didn’t like us leaving stacks out like that, but he made an exception for me during cleat season.
The only reason I quit this job was to go back into the Air Force. The pay was ok for the time, I was working tons of hours because I was dependable, reliable, and I sold (and upsold) tens of thousands of dollars for the store. I had dedicated repeat customers who knew I would be honest and if I recommended the top of the line shoe for them, it was because the shoe was THAT good and worth the money.
Honestly, I would love to develop my own footwear line or open my own footwear store as my real dream. I love sneakers, I still know a lot about sneakers, and I wish I had been able to work my way up to footwear department manager all those years ago. But I had a commitment/contract with the Air Force that I needed to honor. I miss those days selling footwear though. Some of the best working days of my life, honestly.
And Diane told the footwear manager I was awesome and that if he didn’t want to hire me, she would take me back in a heart beat. For one split second, she considered telling him that I was terrible and then calling me to hire me herself. But she knew I really wanted footwear, so she did the right thing for me.
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