My brain has been full of ideas for blog posts lately and thoughts have been simmering like a slow cooked curry but today, my thoughts have been sharply focused on retail from the perspective of someone who has been on both sides of the counter. Retail as it was then to today and all the nitty gritty in-between.
The starting point is today, in the here and now and I'll just take little steps back to my beginning as I go. Today is Monday, my day to clean my house and get things in order after the usual fun of weekend and as I scrub the house, do the laundry and get everything tidy, I pause every now and then to look on social media and skim Amazon for interesting things and to order any household supplies I may need. Cleaning supplies, decor, personal care - its all there at my fingertips, ready to click and get what I need posthaste. Paper towels in bulk shipped in two days? Got it. Cruelty free shampoo for fine and limp hair? Check! And while ordering the essentials, if something cute happens to land in my cart like melamine dishes that look like paper plates, well so be it.
So as I go about my business, I ponder the convenience of this online shopping since I don't have to battle the stores and the people to get my really good goods. I just click and I'm done. But I'm always aware as I do so, of how this modern method of shopping takes a huge toll on the brick and mortar businesses, how stores across the globe both big and small are starting to die off and close their doors as online retail becomes more accepted method of how people get what they need.
I think back to how large malls affected small businesses, how big box grocery chains demolished the small family run merchants and how as people moved from small towns or urban areas into the more desired suburbs, all the little stores that were once a main stay just quietly whimpered into a non existence. And now, online shopping gets it's revenge on those big stores, those sprawling malls.....and at what cost? Now we are starting to end up with vast concrete ghosts, empty department stores that will decay and rot until someday they get torn down and something gets built over the top of these retail graveyards. Another store? A car sales lot? A church? A distribution centre? Who knows?
On a rather odd plot twist to this blog post - did you know that Harry Selfridge of the great Selfridges department store was the genius who came up with the concept for the perfume/cosmetic department being placed at the entrance to his department store? The logic for this was that back in the day when horse and cart was the method of transportation, the smell of the entrance to the store would mask the odors from the outside. In other words, avoiding the place from smelling like horse shit. Anyway, just a little retail fact for you - now you know.
So onwards (or backwards) in the story now. To my days in retail which is why I personally feel invested in the topic of stores and what has happened in the past to what will happen in the future. I realize that by shopping online, I am contributing to the demise of the retail giants and I do very much try to balance that out by shopping small businesses, by supporting privately owned stores and while I'd much rather do that than hit the big box stores, my own past in retail actually started with a chain store - the local AMCAL pharmacy where I was employed at the tender age of 16 to be a sales clerk. It's frightening to me to think of that being nearly 30 years ago now but it was the platform and beginning of a long career in retail (with the occasional dip into hospitality along the way) and while those days are a faint memory, it was my foray into the grown up and elite retail world at a high end department store where I feel like my story really began.
Considering my higher level education was iffy at best, there wasn't a lot of option for me in gainful employment so during my early 20s, I was meandering along as a nanny, a waitress - basic jobs that required not a lot of grace and spared a lot of time to party which many self respecting 20 somethings found highly important at the time. I don't recall the push that sent me in the direction of applying for a job at Myer Grace Bros but somehow, I found myself going for an interview. Dressed in black and white which was the requirement of interview and I somehow cobbled together a look that could only been described as "op shop chic" since my waitress wages didn't stretch to anything designer or fancy.
Amazingly I must have come across as half way presentable and I scored the golden ticket, a trainee position at one of Australia's most respected department stores (sorry not sorry David Jones) and thus my career in retail just went up a notch. This was back in the day when training was extensive and successful applicants actually had to attend a mandatory three day course where we were taught the finer art of being a sales associate. We had to dress the part, look the part, talk the part and become an upstanding representative of the store. Which for a country kid with a lousy history of education, well it was daunting to say the least. We were to count change back to the customers always, one simply did NOT point a guest of the store to the department they sought, one had to use the open palm gesture like a game show hostess and if time permitted, escort the guest of the store to the area they wished to be and find someone to assist them. Of all the countless things we were taught in training, these ones stuck with me like glue.
Then it came time to actually start employment at the store I was hired by and through the first twelve months there, I was to be placed in different departments for my traineeship. I started off in the toy department which was fun but daunting as it was nearly Christmas, then on to shoes and accessories (didn't love at the start but finally enjoyed), then to books and stationary (loved) and then in a scary move - they placed me in Miss Shop where all the cool kids played and I was terrified!! The glamor, the chill music, the trendy jean wearing staff looking trim and terrific. I felt like a fish out of water and full of fear - this was the second coolest department in the store (music department being the coolest) and I felt like a floppy mistake - that I didn't belong and should be back in the shoe department cramming size 8 shoes onto size 10 feet.
But lucky for me, those fears were quickly abated as the girls in Miss Shop quickly became friends and took me in as one of their own. This also was rather exciting as it was seldom known that the landline on the one side of Miss Shop was one of only a few phones in the store that you could call long distance and out of the store. So my months there were spent cleaning out fitting rooms and trying to not cower when angry parents came in to return the trendy "distressed jeans" that their little angels purchased for $120. Three months in each department, 12 months of training and then the next move.....
Well, while the details/timing is a little fuzzy, I think I was oddly chosen to be a part of the Christmas section which was thoughtfully planned and put into place each year - a temporary department that for a short while glimmered with the joy and festiveness of the holiday season. I'm not sure who thought it was a good idea to put me there but it's a great memory and I had the pleasure of doing that a few years in a row. And then after the season had passed, I was then told of my newest and most permanent position in the store and well, needless to say, I was less than thrilled. Especially after being with the cool kids in Miss Shop and then the Christmas section....they wanted me to go full time into Cooks Kitchen! The kitchenware section of the store! GASP!!! WHAT? Again with the social suicide. Thanks Myer. I had two options - take it or leave it. So I took it unwillingly and oddly enough over my time there, it became my favorite place to be and probably explains my deep rooted addiction to kitchenware. Hence the melamine dishes mentioned in earlier part of the post.
Through all this, I gained a lot of knowledge about the wonderful world of retail, was taught so much and got a huge insight into people in general because like any business, some of the quirks come from the customers who ranged from the every day to the totally bizarre. And like many of my comrades at Myer, there are stories that could fill a book, stories that went on to become legend and oft discussed in the break room during the Days of our Lives commercials. Another amazing part of this retail journey were the people I worked with. During a time in my life when I was emotionally lost and often very lonely, these people along the way became not just friends, but also family. We were a team, we were there to support each other, a social network within a store and like many families, we bickered, we fought, we cried, we laughed and then got up and did it all over again the next day. Through my years at Myer, I found love, I lost love, I triumphed in many ways and failed in many ways. But unlike any job I'd had in the past or since, I truly loved that place and the people there and was genuinely sad to leave.
It would take me forever to cover all the memories, and how can I even begin to describe the people I worked along side? Since I'd spent so much time being a bit of a "floater", I had the adaptability to cover many of the departments and never minded being asked to cover a shift or break in areas that I was unfamiliar with. And of course it felt like I'd won the lotto whenever I got asked to get behind the music counter which rarely happened but oh wow I loved it when it did. One grand memory of the music department was entering to win a signed picture of the singer Shawn Mullins - even though staff were not supposed to enter, not many people knew of this artist and I had stiff competition of only three other entries. Despite there being a re-draw a few times, each time my name on the slip of paper came out of the box and it was decided that it was just meant to be. Much to the horror of my housemates who didn't want this hanging on our living room wall since Shawn's eyes followed them everywhere. Personally I was delighted. Born to shimmer, born to shine and all that! Don't know of Shawn Mullins? Look him up - terrific singer and musician.
Back in the day, the store had a restaurant (a cafeteria really) which was independently contracted by another company and somehow I started covering some shifts in there when they were short staffed which led to being employed by that company part time until it closed down. I also somehow ended up working for the cleaning company at the store (again, different contractors) so at one stage, I was working three different jobs under the one roof. There would be days where I'd clean the store in the morning, change and then work on the sales floor and then other days I'd work in the cafeteria and head to the sales floor after that smelling faintly like roast beef. It was a challenge but I was making good money and enjoyed the variety of work although the cleaning gig came to an end due to the boss being a grabby bastard who tried to get a bit too close for comfort.
Ironic since I look back on those days where we all did and got away with things that would never fly in this PC world we live in now. Sexual harassment wasn't even something considered back then and I'd never even think of some of the things I saw then as being out of the ordinary. It was life - a bunch of men and women who blew off steam by photocopying bums, pulling pranks and even hooking up in the stock rooms. To those who read this, to those I worked with - its a safe bet to say we can all look back and not once think of a time when we felt uncomfortable? Maybe things got a bit gross at times (being in an elevator with farting brothers - yeah, you Smith boys) and having to smell it from the top floor to the bottom, but we were a family there and it was all just part of life. We worked hard and then when we were off work, some of us played hard.
Time moved along, things started to change and the store tried to adapt to the shifting needs of society. Departments moved around, some merged, some went away, the cafeteria became the book department and somewhere during this time, the golden age of retail lost it's shine and it was evident to all that things were no longer the same. While we tried to put on happy faces, the quality of what once was had shifted and was taking a very slow ride downhill. It was less time spent with the "guest" (customers) and more about making sales and herding them through checkout like cattle. I'm not going to lie, that was a tough transition and very hard to see, especially when I go back to my training where we were taught the importance of balance - treating the customer like a welcomed guest, subtly working the add on sales angle and catering to all their needs without being pushy or annoying. It really was an art form and it's held me in good stead over the years as really it was about reading people and knowing when to stop forward and when to step back.
My beloved Cooks Kitchen was no longer a happy place where I could work on end caps, display serving ware and talk to customers about the best fry pan to buy (and maybe some pretty dish towels too to make a practical purchase feel less unexciting?) - and in another bold move, I ended up in the security team which is another story within itself. Now that was where it got nitty gritty and while I'm not sure it was the best move for me, it was like delving into the underbelly - into the dark side with a team that included our fearless leader Bev - so tall and elegant but could instill the fear of god into anyone. The lovable joker Dave who went badarse in a heartbeat with his plummy accent and of course my Myer Mum Brenda who loved me despite me being a frustrating and immature shithead.
That last year at Myer was a juggle of still being on the sales floor in Cooks Kitchen from time to time, a not so stealthy ninja in the security team and on top of that, I went back to my hospitality roots when I nabbed a job at The Ambassador, a large motel/occasion venue that wasn't actually part of Myer at all. My day would start with serving breakfasts to old farts (good morning Rotarians) and holiday makers, I'd then run down the road with orange juice stains all over me, ready to get back to Myer and get to work there. Those were the days.......not much sleep, still too much party party.
The stories and the memories? I'll not go into too many of those otherwise I'll be here all day and not finish my chores. But here is an overview....
1. Customer tries to return white sweatpants and swears black and blue that she never wore them - regardless of the fact that there were obvious crotch stains and a lighter that fell out of the pocket. The good old days when we didn't have to say YES to every customer and management stood behind us on such things.
2. Customer tries to return a frying pan for a refund - regardless of the fact that she didn't actually have the frying pan on her, or the receipt. Yet she demanded her money back and it goes without saying, that she didn't get it. Nor did her imaginary friend.
3. Customer tries to return a toaster after claiming he cut his fingers when he tried to pull out the toast. Upon questioning, it was discovered he was putting thick slices of homemade bread into a standard size toaster. Reporting this to management, I'm told to go out there and tell him to stick a knife in to get the toast out instead (yes, sarcasm was needed in that circumstance) - its hard to file a return with a straight face when colleagues are all standing behind the man laughing their heads off.
4. Being made to wear customer service sashes which made us look like highly pissed off beauty queens.
5. Having a customer come to the Christmas section to buy one of the yearly christmas bears for her sister who'd just passed away. She'd got one for her sister every year and was so heartbroken - I chased her down in tears to give her a hug because I hated that she was walking through the store so sad and alone.
6. Scrounging through the sanity napkin bins for merchandise that a shoplifter had shoved in there.
7. My first call as a first aider was a woman pregnant with twins. They taught us burns, snake bites and CPR in first aid but NOTHING about child birth. After the pregnant woman bleeding profusely on the floor and getting whisked away safely by medics, we (other first aiders and I) were called upon to rummage through the trash bags to look for placenta. Barf. FOUND IT!! Kate deserves the credit there, she rummaged way harder than I did.
8. Spying a known offender shooting out of the store with a "liberated" DVD player, I hoofed it and chased him up the street despite being off duty and about to head out on a date wearing high heeled boots. Another time, chased an offender down the main mall escalator whilst in casual gear.....and high heeled boots. Why? Because as I often did, I'd go into Myer to hang out during my off hours. Because it was home.
9. Walking past the electronics department and coming to a stand still as people all gathered with tears in their eyes, watching the news report on the big screen TVs announced that Princess Di was killed in a car accident.
10. Sitting at Jamaica Blue which was in the food court right outside the store and hearing the news of the Port Arthur massacre. One of Australia's deadliest mass shootings.
These are just the memories of working at the store. The memories of all the social events that Myer staff attended when off duty, well those remain sacred and remembered by those who were there. Some of these events were arranged by the stores social club, other memories are from non work related events because despite the fact we all worked together, we also got together in our off hours to celebrate special occasions....or just for a good night out. Because we were friends and in our own whacky way, we were family.
I still remember the sadness of handing in my two weeks notice as I got ready to start my new chapter in life. So many of my Myer family were so supportive of what I was about to do - to fly to another country and marry the man I met and fell in love with. Without their encouragement and support, I'm not sure I'd have made this journey but just as they were there to boost me up and guide me through my years at the store, he was waiting across the pond to get me through the next chapter in my life and that is a story that still has many chapters to go.
My last day at Myer, the sounds of Jeff Buckley playing on the overhead "this is the last goodbye" and John Denver's "leaving on a jet plane" still rings in my ears. The farewell party of all the faces I'd come to know and love was epic. The giant card signed by this retail family still safely stored away 17 years later. I may forget names now, some people I knew well and some not so much but they all played a big part in my life.
Much love to all that worked there with me, you are all amazing humans who I think about often and thanks to the joy of social media, I still get to catch up and see how your lives go on. Tim - I haven't forgotten that "talk" we had in the food court downstairs. I can't fathom how difficult that task was for you and I'm sorry you had to give me that kick up the arse. Jayne, sorry for slamming my fingers in the register and bleeding all over the place. Thanks for the love you gave during one of my darker times. Kate, thanks for teaching me so much and for being the strong one as we rooted through those trash bags. Smith boys and their lovely ladies, thank you for letting me be in your family outside of the workplace and for all the farts. Go Blues! Shilo, thanks for the zit squeeze memories and for making me not feel so weird about hanging with the cool kids in Miss Shop. Brenda, thank you for being my Myer Mum and for caring for me so much. To all those not mentioned here, you know who you are - I loved you all then as family and still do. You are part of my memories and nothing can change that.
So that concludes my journey in retail for the most part. I moved overseas, went back into retail at a few places and continued on that course for some years until my amazingly supportive husband saw what I could do in other fields and allowed me to pursue those dreams. I learned a lot at all of these stores but Myer was always my Holy Grail and my home. The one place I'd gladly walk into on my days off to hang out and get suckered into working an extra shift. I may have whinged at the time but secretly, I was glad to be an asset to the store and part of a team.
And now this takes me back to the story of retail overall. As the big stores start to close, I wonder how the story ends for the staff of these places, I wonder if their lives were any way enriched or changed by their place of employment? I wonder what is to come for retail and will there be a shift back to the smaller business that are independently owned? Or will online shopping replace all? It's hard to say and while I miss the golden era of retail where customer service was considered an art form, the lack of proper training and the drive for sales and quantity over quality sadly has reduced that art form to the basic tapping of a key board instead and the click of a button.
But on the bright side, those melamine dishes that look like paper plates are sure going to look damn cute and I'll have enough paper towel to survive a zombie attack thanks to online ordering. So if thats the future, so be it.
Thanks for reading and to all the good folk still in retail out there - I salute you.
Sam. 41877 - Myer 19?? to 2001.