Narrative Essay about My First Job: Plato’s Closet

I can't stress enough how important it is to love your career and find something you're passionate about. Don't accept anything less than what you're worth. I wish I had known this when I applied for my first job at Plato's Closet when I was 17 years old.

A friend was working at Plato’s Closet and the company was looking to fill some spots so, I filled out an application. They were severely understaffed; so when a bright-eyed, witty, and gregarious person applied, they hired me on the spot. I was in dire need of work. I had a financial emergency.  There were several good and bad aspects. It was close to my home,  I had friends there, and I would have acquired fresh experience as I had never worked in retail before. Even though the shop was located in a dangerous neighborhood, I was ecstatic to start! Soon, it had become a living nightmare to work there. This store kept me on my toes. Whether it was restocking, cleaning up the always-messy floor, tagging clothing, buying items, generating sales, or servicing clients, it seemed like there were a million things to do from the time you arrived at work. With the other staff, there was constant competition. Everyone has a strange power complex. This work was incredibly unpleasant for me, both metaphorically and practically. I was required to climb large ladders and hoist 50-pound denim totes where I would then shift to stabbing myself with their broken/cheap tagging gun. I realized, occupations will always have advantages and disadvantages, and you will learn plenty from them anyway. One thing I did learn quickly is I have no desire to work in clothing retail long-term.

I used to be quite aware of what other people thought of me when I was younger. Because of this, working in retail was challenging for me, especially at first. Anyone who has ever worked on a sales floor or operated a cash register understands how unpleasant clients can be. Many, on the other hand, complain, criticize, yell, and vent their frustrations on service workers simply because they can. They feel that you have no choice but to stay and accept it; therefore they believe in themselves. I took everything personally at first since that's how I'd always done things. However, I gradually understood that others were just as caught up in their own emotions as I was. I discovered that some of my more challenging clients were either having a terrible day or were anticipating a negative encounter for purposes ranging from me.

At that store, I learned how to effectively handle customer service, which was quite stressful. Not to mention the fact that the consumers are really rude to the employees.

At minimum wage, the speed was much too rapid to be compensated for. Platos was a chain store that bought and sold fashionable used clothes for teenagers and young adults. As a result, many individuals would come in trying to sell their old clothing. People would bring their unwashed clothes in, and the things that would fall out of them were ridiculous... it would vary from dog turds to chunks of marijuana.

Throughout a lot of it, I had to remind myself that I wasn't getting paid enough.

Our whole crew was between the ages of 16 and 18, dealing with clients who threatened to shoot up the store if we didn't buy their pants with unexplained stains. 

It got to the point that I didn't want to go to work.

Even though working at Plato's Closet is one of the most challenging retail professions, we were underpaid. I had to learn to communicate with strangers, conquer my ego, be kind even when I didn't want to be, and do everything I didn't want to do. It Aids in developing Personality: Because of it all, I learned that I was capable of compassion, generosity, tolerance, and cooperation. Despite the fact that it was a trying time in my life, I learned a lot from it, including the value of pursuing what I genuinely enjoy rather than settling for something less meaningful and underpaid.