"Do I like working in retail? Sure do," says Daniel Lobo, 17. Crazy about all things to do with sports, Lobo is thrilled that his first job is as salesman in a sports goods store in Toronto. "I'd love to be a buyer of sports memorabilia and equipment. Or be a manager of a sports store."
For Lobo, what began as a summer job has set him on track towards a career goal in retail management. He intends to continue working in a sports store through school. His post-secondary studies will include business management and retail merchandising.
Still, for those whose career paths are not so clear, the many options in the retail industry can seem endless, raising question marks about the next steps from entry level.
Retail merchandising used to be a fancy term for pushing the product into the customer's cart and out the door. It still means the same thing, only the ways of doing it have gotten more specialized, more complex, and gargantuan in terms of scale of operations. Stores have morphed into department stores, chain, specialty, and online stores all basically doing the same thing ÔÇô buying products from a wholesaler and selling it to customers.
Though the aim of retail merchandising is the same, employees in the industry now find a myriad of career choices under one roof. A junior cashier could, with experience, training, and the right attitude, end up in corporate finance. Likewise, the career of a customer sales rep could take off in a score of directions: fashion coordinator, product innovator, market analyst, or the glam jobs of fashion buyer or designer. Many retail employees find their ultimate calling in self-employment.
Internet marketing has vastly added to job opportunities in the retail merchandising industry. Sales and marketing concepts of the brick and mortar stores have been altered for the virtual marketplace, eliminating some of the traditional jobs, but creating newer high-tech ones that are a great fit for the techno-savvy webophiles seeking employment in the industry today.
At the corporate level, a fresh graduate going into a management trainee program could navigate through the ranks of a large retail corporation to one day become its head honcho. That is the story of Paul Wilson.
Wilson spent 25 years in retail, working for Simpson's and Robinson's (major department stores) and Mark's Work Wearhouse, before becoming president of Mark's in 2006.
"He is a relentless student of retail, always attuned to the needs of our customers," said Tom Gauld, president and CEO of Canadian Tire (owners of Mark's), when announcing Wilson's appointment as president.
Because business success in retail is based on customer satisfaction, it follows that the individual employee's career success is hitched to making that happen. Wilson credits his success to the in-depth and varied training and experience he obtained from working in different departments, stores and cities.
"There is a great breadth of choice in the industry and you never have to leave retail," he says. "I realized early on that I wanted to be in management."
His advice is to take charge of your career destiny and set goals. Pick a job that's right for you and get the skills and training to do it well. If things aren't working for you, you need to re-evaluate your goals, know if the company is a good fit for your ideals and expectations. "Take a look at your expectations. Are they realistic? Are you putting in the hard work?"
Career success in retail, as with any line of work, is often a matter of finding your niche. So it is with Marina Condoluci, who finds joy in customer service. So much joy she's been doing it for over 30 years.
"I need the one-on-one contact with the customer," says Condoluci. She was a senior supervisor at a Tip Top clothing store for 30 years, managing a team of 45 employees at the time the store closed down. She then joined Suits U Fine, an upscale women's boutique in Streetsville, ON, as store manager.
"I am treated like family here," she says. "And for me that is important. I love coming in to work. Customers often ask me if I own the store."
Does she harbour ambitions of moving on and up in the retail world, starting her own boutique? The answer comes with a vigorous shake of the head and a dismissive wave of the hand. "I don't want that stress," she says. "I love what I'm doing. And that is enough."
For those mulling over a career move in retail merchandising, that could be the best advice. Follow your interests until you hit job satisfaction. That's when you know you've made it.
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