What I Learned in Sales, Pt. 1: Getting to Know The Joneses

I only have 12 days left in retail sales (hopefully forever!) and as my time here comes to a close, I’m reflecting on what I’ve learned in my years here.

For the first time–when I finished college and started working at the cell phone store–did I really understand how different from me some people could be.

I had been, up until that point–unbeknownst to me–cradled in a cocoon of moderation. I grew up in the suburbs, went to nice schools, took vacations with my family every year. We went out to eat a few times a week and had practical cars. We exchanged thoughtful gifts at birthdays and Christmases, but didn’t really ever shop much otherwise. We weren’t poor, certainly, but we weren’t uber wealthy either. We were fine, happy, content and fulfilled. I was never denied anything, but I think that’s because I was raised to be grateful, never craving extravagances. Whatever. “Normal.”

Fast forward to my time in sales at the cell phone store. Let me tell you, I have learned that this is the perfect breeding ground for young, arrogant, “hotshots.” That’s not to say I haven’t made some great friends here–I have. But the turnover is very high here at the cell phone store and for the most part, people come and go and rise to glory and then crash and burn really quickly. That’s the nature of sales, from what I’ve seen.

The Story of a Setback: Stupid IRS and Stupid Me

I had a bad day yesterday.

I was going to go in to work an hour early, but my hubby and I were snuggled up so warmly together, I couldn´t bear to leave him and brave the cold. He asked me to make him breakfast, and I did. It was a sweet morning.

I showered and got dressed and as I was about to head out the door, I popped open my laptop to see my paycheck for Friday (they post the paystubs online two days before we get paid).  I was so excited to look at it, all these extra hours I´ve been working, and I´ve been saving and living wisely and I´m paying off debt!  Yeah!

And well then, my eyeballs almost fell out of my head. My paycheck was severely lower than what it should have been. I inspected it closely and there was a large “tax levied.” What is this??