Time of Your Life and a Retail Career
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by Valerie Lipow
Flexible hours required." When you see this in a retail job posting, there's a good chance it means: Long hours required as well as nights, weekends and holidays. Blah.
Working long and hard is standard procedure for many retail professionals. This is especially true for those who run their own store or are making their way up the corporate ladder. But is work all there is? Not according to the happiest retail pros. These men and women have been able to have their retail cake, eat it and wash it down with fine champagne. So how does a retailer balance a career with a personal life? Here are some keys:
Balance Takes Planning and Organisation
Remember this: Being in retail works against a balanced life. Your employer won't provide it for you; it's in the company's best interest to have you devoting more time to the store. So you must plan and implement your own work-life balance.
A successful retail manager and Monster message board contributor under the handle smac1954 says, "If you never set your goals, you never reach them." He advocates writing to-do lists on a monthly, weekly and daily basis. "Then, update and edit these lists every day to stay on track."
The problems can start on the job. Smac1954 often observes what happens to retail professionals who avoid planning and organising their time. "People who are not prepared have a tendency to spend too much time worrying where to start, and when they finally do, the day is half shot. If that's the way the workday goes, you're always behind and will never have a day to spend at home," he warns.
Smac1954 recommends careful planning at home, too. "The to-do list for the home gets longer and longer every time you waste your free time, so it's important to you and the family to be organised there as well."
Monster user sebago1130 has 22 years' experience as a retail manager. He also has been happily married for 20 years and has two school-aged children. He agrees that planning and scheduling are important, both at the store and at home. "Try to schedule and plan your time off and vacations well ahead," he suggests.
