My Stint in Retail

For those of you who don’t know, I’ve worked at Streamline Swimming for the past two summers. Streamline is (slightly obviously) a swim shop—the only swim shop in Albuquerque, and possibly in all of New Mexico. For clarification: a swim shop is not to be confused with a pool store, of which there are plenty in NM. We sell competitive swimming apparel and gear, not backyard pools or chemicals. And no, we do not have a pool somewhere “in the back”.

While not all of my hours spent behind the counter were enjoyable (actually, some of them were downright awful), I definitely learned a thing or two during my tenure as a saleswoman. For example, I learned that Speedo can be incredibly unreliable and that backorders suck for everyone. I learned that a C.O.D is sometimes something other than a very salty fish. I learned how to squirm my way out of awkward fitting room confrontations, such as “Augh, will you look at these thunder thighs!” or “I’m pretty large in this general area, got anything that will work?” and “No, the 34 doesn’t fit…or the 36…or the 38…do you have a 40?” I’ve learned to smile and let it go when being yelled at for something that couldn’t (in a hundred million years) be my fault. I’ve learned to be outgoing—to make fun of myself—to be honest and open all in an attempt to win the customer’s confidence. I’ve learned about the different suit fabrics and which last the longest; I’ve studied the different levels of racing suits and sold a few LZR Racers (the gods of the swimsuit world); I know which type of fin the customer needs; and how to fit the customer with their perfect goggle fit—I bet you had no idea that there was a science to a lot of this stuff…

I now know all of the Club, High school, Metro, and Sundance teams in the area; I know which team suit goes on which wriggling kid; I know how to deal with our primitive register; I know when to decide for the customer and when to be quiet and let them decide for themselves.

I am Saleswoman.

I came. I saw. I conquered (or at least wasn’t completely defeated).

However, this is the end of the line for my stint in retail. It’s over, folks. The summer has ended and with it, my career at Streamline. As of last Thursday, August 12, 2010, I, Hayley Huber, will never again work in retail! Maybe next I’ll give restaurant work a try—or something to do with children (maybe I’ll try swim coaching again)—or cabinet making… but retail? No, sorry. It’s time to move on. Time to test new waters.

I am very thankful for the job, really I am. But I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t skip to my car after I locked the door behind me for the last time.