Baby Steps

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Yesterday, during my l-o-n-g shift at Macy’s, I shadowed a manager. Her job was to teach the details of my role. I became a student of cash register operations, dressing room inspections, unwanted clothing re-hanging, and how exactly to position hangers and precisely hang items. She was detailed, slowly and carefully stepping through activities as if teaching a first-grader. We sometimes frustrated one another, but despite that kept working and wound up okay coworkers.

Today, maybe I’ll be allowed to work more on my own. I can hope.

There is much to learn about selling clothing. Guess what, Macy’s stock is on the rise, a surprise to me. I haven’t much interest in the rather conservative items stocked in our local store, but Macy’s good employee discount nudges me toward purchasing there.

I’ve begun following retail sales trends. A couple of interesting biggies are Walmart’s stock rising and Target’s dropping. That’s making me wonder if most buyers do prefer items on the more conservative side. Actually, “pretty and familiar” are a comfortable combination, especially today when most folks run around wearing sweats ‘n sneakers.

The retail world might not be the most interesting topic, but it beats highly focusing on the current two wars concerning us all.

Dear Friends: My retro “Saddles” were a big hit with folks of a certain age. Diana