Sales Associate 

(Female, Age 27) from Prairieville, LA

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 27 who works as a Sales Associate in Prairieville, LA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Sales Associate
Salary $12,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week
Company Size (not answered)
Location Prairieville, LA
Years Experience 3 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
Large retailer operating hundreds of locations, here and overseas, offering a variety of merchandise and services to members of the Army and Air Force.

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Selling clothing and accessories to customers, answering questions about individual products and store policies and addressing customers’ concerns (often making independent decisions about how to do so), stocking the sales floor, building seasonal and permanent merchandise displays, making and changing signage, being alert for potential shoplifting situations.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
401k, paid vacation and sick leave, health insurance (medical & dental), disability

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes, both customers and fellow co-workers in a variety of positions. This is both the best and the worst part of the job. It feels really good to be able to help someone when it makes them happy, especially when they were having trouble or had lost hope that they would be able to find what they wanted. I never knew that little things could make such a big difference to people. However, there are also customers who come in just looking for something that they can say is wrong in order to get a discount, who treat their kids badly in public, or who are very rude, shopping out of other people’s carts (even grabbing things right out of their hands) and shoving people out of the way.

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Large retail store, stockroom, office. I like that it is a varied environment. You don’t get bored, looking at the same thing all day. And, it allows the freedom to change your routine around. If you don’t feel like being around people, you can work on the things that need to be done in the back, and if you need to sit down, you can do the things that need to be done on the computer in the office, etc.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 6
Benefits: 7
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 2
Supervisors: 3
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 1
The Actual Work: 4

A day in the life of…

Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:

5am to 6am
6am to 7am
7am to 8am Sleep.
8am to 9am Get up, get dressed, go to work.
9am to 10am Turn on the computer, sign in to the system, and start the database software we use to look up prices. Go to the office and sign out price guns and a Telxon (handheld price/info lookup thingie). Put them in the cabinet in our work area unless needed. Change trash bags. Check dressing rooms for merchandise left overnight. Check returned merchandise for correct price and start putting them out. Put markdown stickers on any that have been marked down. Find price and make new price tag for any missing prices.
10am to 11am Continue putting out returns (if left). Straighten sales floor, respond to calls from front checkout or customer service, and help customers as necessary. Check dressing rooms for merchandise or evidence of theft every 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how busy it is. Put back clothing left in dressing rooms.
11am to 12pm Work with mid-shift to determine which fixtures need to be filled. Go upstairs and see what brands of merchandise are available to go to the floor, and how old they are. Select items to use, take them downstairs, remove plastic or paper wrappings, and put them out. This may involve folding hung clothing or hanging folded clothing. Put prices on anything that doesn’t have them.
12pm to 1pm Continue stocking. Help customers and respond to calls from front checkout as necessary. Continue to check dressing rooms and customer service periodically.
1pm to 2pm Go to lunch for 30 minutes. Come back. Check customer service for new returns. Put out returns, finish stocking and any other projects left over from previous days.
2pm to 3pm Department meeting. Discussion of new sales goals and how well we met the last ones. Hear about upcoming event(s) and promotions, and what we need to do to prepare.
3pm to 4pm Work on any special projects assigned by supervisor or manager. Rearrange fixtures or make displays.
4pm to 5pm Go on break for 30 minutes. Come back and contiue working on last-minute projects or stocking.
5pm to 6pm Start cleaning and preparing to close, if busy (on sale days or holidays). This entails folding clothes that have been gone through, stacking pants back up neatly, re-hanging clothes that have fallen on the floor, straightening rows of hangers on each fixture.
6pm to 7pm Straighten belts and wallets. Replace hats or socks that have fallen from the wall. Find any trash left by customers and throw it away.
7pm to 8pm Start cleaning and preparing to close, if normal. This entails everything mentioned above, and sometimes dusting and polishing. Find hidden shopping carts left by customers, put their contents back where they belong, and take them to the cart rack at the front of the store.
8pm to 9pm Make sure all customers have left dept before the gate at the front of the store is closed. Ensure no clothes are left in the dressing rooms. Take trash bags to dumpster and empty boxes to crusher. Sign all price guns and Telxon back in to office. Turn off computer.
9pm to 10pm Go home.
10pm to 11pm
11pm to 12am

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
An acqaintance of a family member mentioned they were looking for someone.

What was the application process?
Online application, no resume necessary.

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. I had one individual interview with the manager of my soon-to-be department in person, in her office. I was notified soon after that I had gotten the job.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Basic- about my education, personal background, ability to use a computer, ability to lift objects, etc.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. I felt that I was very well trained and equipped to handle anything.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes. Informal, on the job training. For the first few days I was there, I came in at the same time as a more experienced co-worker, and worked with them doing whatever it was they were doing for the day. They showed me how to do things or gave me tips to make my job easier whenever necessary. For the first few months, I shared a small department with another person who had a very good reputation, and we worked together. Periodically, my supervisor would take me aside, and quiz me on store rules and policy.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Somewhat. I feel that my education prepared me better for life in general.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/a

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
It isn’t a job with a lot of qualifications or requirements. You just apply for it, and if you seem reliable, hard-working, and personable you’ll probably get it. You should be good with computers, be able to be on your feet all day, and be able to lift large boxes.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Definitely social skills, because you constantly deal with people, often ones who are upset. You don’t have to be a “people person” or outgoing, but you do need to be polite and willing to listen, and to be able to keep your temper when someone is upset and taking it out on you.

Organizational skills, because you have a limited area to work in, and many people near you with many projects going on at once. It’s essential that there’s a place for everything where it can be kept neatly, and everyone is able to find (or get to) what they need.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
No, but a degree or previous experience can help.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Work hard, but don’t wear yourself out. There’s always the next day to finish things. Always take care of the customer first and as quickly as possible. Don’t be afraid to make your own decisions rather than taking 30 minutes finding someone to ask. Often one solution is just as good as another, and if it it doesn’t turn out well, at least you know better for next time.

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
I don’t have a career plan, but I believe that the wide range of experiences and many things I’ve learned here have been invaluable.

What are your current career goals?
I would like to find a job whose goals are more personally meaningful to me. Encouraging people to spend, spend, spend, when personal debt and its effects on families and relationships is such a huge problem in our society bothers me more and more.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It’s a good job for someone who works hard, likes to be around people, and wants to make some money without having a high pressure career, although it can be a stepping stone as well.

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 Kennel attendant 1 month $7/hr Fed, exercised, and cared for dogs and cats left at the kennel for the length of their stay. Washed kennel enclosures and dirty bedding.
Prior Job 2 waitress 3 days $5.45/hr Took orders, served food and drink to customers, ensured their satisfaction, prepared drinks and vegetables, wrapped silverware, cleaned up at the end of the day.

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:3.1

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
3.1 Fayetteville State University B.A. Political Science
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)

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