Retail is on the rise. According to Industry Canada, the retail industry directly contributed $74.2 billion to the economy in 2009, representing 6.2 percent of Canada's gross domestic product. There are tons of opportunities for students to work in retail. 38.6 percent of retail employees are between the ages of 15 and 24 years old, according to Service Canada. This high energy industry allows for diverse opportunities in many different areas: from clothing and beauty and accessories to electronics and home furnishings.
Devon Domanski, who worked in retail on and off for nine years, began in the industry as a seasonal sales associate at The Body Shop. She eventually became the store manager and moved up the ranks to the corporate side, training and educating regional and national staff.
Domanski is now a marketing and communications specialist at Holman Exhibits, a Toronto company that specializes in innovative design solutions. Although she is no longer in retail, she feels the experience she gained played a role in her success in marketing. When I moved into a career in marketing, tapping into the skills I acquired in retail proved to be a true asset. I felt I was able to relate to my clients and their objectives and provide retail sales expertise to the team I worked with, she says in an e-mail interview. Working in retail also provided me with great insights into understanding retailer objectives, training and sales models, motivation and rewards, merchandising, business values, loss prevention, vendor relationships, multitasking, consumer buying habits, and venue and property relations.
Retail is a rewarding and lucrative career choice, especially considering all of the skills you'll learn on the job. Efficiency, customer service, time management, communication, and listening are skills that are transferable to careers in human resources, marketing, logistics, information management, and product development (to name a few).
Cassie Levy was a sale associate who turned her retail experience into a stepping stone. Levy, who works in sales support at a Canadian clothing distributor, started off by working at a maternity store in Montreal. As Levy pursued her undergraduate degree in industrial relations at McGill, she used her part-time job in retail to gain essential skills in sales and customer service, which helped her further her career goals.
Interacting directly with customers on a daily basis helped me to understand their needs and hone my ability to sell products based on the qualifications they desired, she says. I learned how to give excellent customer service, which is a skill you need in any career that involves working with others.
In her current role, she acts as the ÔÇÿmiddleman' between national retail distributors and brands, where she fields customer service requests and handles everything from inventory shipments to product knowledge packages. Although Levy's interactions have shifted from the consumer to a storeowner, her ability to effectively sell a product is still a skill that's being exercised and developed.
As a sales associate, I learned how to sell to people. The most important thing to remember is that it's not just a one-time relationship. If you just push a one-time sale and neglect the fact that you should be establishing a long-term relationship, the customer isn't going to come back to you. It's also important to never be deceitful. You need to gain their trust.
Levy's work in the retail industry also fuelled her interest in clothing, brand image, and the fashion industry as a whole. This was something she didn't expect when she first began her job as a sales associate. As a student, I took a job in retail in order to make some money while I was getting my degree, but I learned that nothing you do in life is mutually exclusive, Levy says. You are always learning and growing from your experiences.
Both Domanski and Levy emphasize how their customer service skills have played a pivotal role in the advancement of their career. Retail is certainly an environment where you learn that customer service is paramount. You must be able to think quickly on your feet to be able to satisfy the needs of the consumer, says Domanski. Knowing how to diffuse and deal with difficult situations has definitely translated into other professional aspects of my life.
Sally Ritchie, vice-president of communications and marketing at The Retail Council of Canada, notes the current thriving retail environment. There are a number of new American retailers that are coming to Canada and are going to be looking to hire. As well, I think Canadian retailers are really ÔÇÿupping' their game, so to speak. They know they have to really succeed and they are very competitive to begin with, so they are certainly looking to hire great students, and great people in general, she says. Ritchie adds that the ability for students to build a career while still in school is beneficial, and that retail's challenging, dynamic, and goal oriented environment looks for self-starters with strong interpersonal skills.
A career in retail can lead to opportunities you never dreamed of. With a variety of opportunities available and dozens of skills that can be applicable to other careers, retail is an excellent way to kick-start your career, create contacts, and make money along the way.
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