Stuck in the retail trap

flutterbyuk25

I did retail part time through 6th form and uni (so 5years) and worked full time for 9months after uni til I joined civil service. I did 5 years in civil service - working in a contact centre - I really disliked the job towards the end as there was a lot of 'face fits' and being passed over for promotion etc.

I've now got my dream job in youth work, which I started in Feb this year, just before I turned 27. I only realised that youth work was what I wanted to do when I was 26.

So keep perservering, you will get a job you want if you put the effort in!

x

paulwf

OP I know how you feel, I joined a supermarket as a Christmas temp job and before you know it a year has passed, it is very easy to get "comfortable" there and even if you don't particularly like the job one day passes then the next and before you know it that's another month gone.

If you just want better money then people do swap between supermarkets to get promotions, there are unlikely to be many management positions going in the current climate though. A few people I work with at M&S started out at Sainsburys, for general customer assistants Marks seem to offer the best overall package.

The best way out may be to find a field that you are passionate about then work for a small company (small businesses are generally less concerned about qualifications and care more about ability) and work your way up, you are only 24 so hopefully you will feel you can still start at the bottom and work your way up.

An alternative is to start your own business, in some (but by no means all) fields this may require some capital, once you have the goal you'll find it much easier to work hard and save the money even if you have to keep working long hours for a few years to get there it will feel worth it.

Good luck!

fakeplastictwee

Thanks for the posts guys, some really helpful and encouraging stuff there

Flutterbyuk25, it's good to see not everyone knows what they want to do early on! It makes me laugh that schools expect you to know what you want to do when you're 15. I thought I knew what I wanted and it completely didn't work out and I never had a back up plan. I guess that means I'm free to try and do whatever I decide next though!

trevormax

I used to work in Sainsbury's. It started as a part time temporary thing which turned into 5 years. The job itself wasn't very good but I found the people working there to be brilliant. I got a bit comfortable and before I knew it I had been there too long.

In my time at JS I had advanced to a band 3 and ran the health and beauty and toy dept for about a year. I spent time on the regional development team as a chief display assistant (sounds important but it isn't) and I did a stint in code control and stock control.

When it came to doing a CV or applying for other jobs, I was able to put lots of different things down, even if I did exaggerate a little. I had managerial experience while supervising the H&B dept, I had admin experience from the stock control bit even though it was really just an hour or so a day on the computer and I had front line experience dealing with the public as a customer service assistant. This all sounded better than just putting "I worked in a supermarket" lol.

To get out of JS, I managed to find an admin job with HMRC as a data entry monkey. It was part time 25 hours per week but the wages were the same as 40 hours with JS. Keep a look out for public sector admin jobs. In my experience, the starting pay is better than private sector, the work is more interesting and promotion prospects are also very good if you get into a big office.

Edit - forgot, here is a couple links to some public sector job websites you might find useful:

http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/jobs/
https://www.civilianjobs.mod.uk/

also check your councils website too.

fakeplastictwee

Good point, thinking about it I have done stints in Personnel etc. I have put that on my CV but maybe should make a bit more of it. I'll keep my eye on the Lincolnshire county council website too! There really seems to be hardly any jobs around here at the minute though.

DCFC79

OP i spent years thinking what i would like to do, i went to college and it was good but it wasnt what i really wanted to do so i ended up a sainsburys for 5 years until i decided what it was i wnated to do and my position has still not moved from when i was at sainsburys except i detest my current job,

redrolo

OP I think like Trevormax has said there are many activities you do that are potentially transferrable. I worked for a supermarket chain for several years, including post degree and at several Managment levels. I have found that since leaving many of the skills and attributes are in sync with other organisations.

When I was an assistant I had to do lots of health and safety compliance, legal compliance, customer relationship management, sales maximisation, innovation, shrink management, decision making, and development of others. I am sure you can think of more example.

You possess more transferrbales than you realise.

Best of luck.

coffee_prince

a lot of people are similar to you. I am at retal atm after graduating, i just stuck with my that job after my degree, and for a while retail was all i could get. I do have another job which I start soon now, it isn't retail, but the the experience from my retail work meant they offered me this job.

cazziebo

I started off in retail too (after a degree). For what it's worth, I think a retail background gives you a great grounding in business. Don't get too disheartened by lack of progress. Like the other posters. I believe your time will come.

In the meantime, use your time to improve your chances of another job/promotion. I'd suggest seriously considering the OU - I believe it gave me the hike up I needed. I studied for a Masters degree while working a 50 hour week and also being a single parent to two toddlers. It's not for everyone but worked for me. You could also hone your interviewing skills - there's a really good book I recommend to people http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/0749451963/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

Have you spoken to your line manager about how you feel? They may be able to push for a more interesting role for you. I know you may not want to stay there for ever, but the more you learn now, the more marketable you are to future employers.

Best of luck - and keep at it!

paulwf

Thanks to everyone for all the lovely positive posts on here

I'm trying to set up my own business (one of my suggestions above) and was more or less embarrassed to tell bank managers etc I'm a supermarket customer assistant but was met with a very positive response.

The thing is I've demonstrated I can stay on my feet for a 13 hour shift, have worked every pattern from shifts that start at 7am to others that finish at 6am, can still be positive to customers after 4 hours with a non-stop queue on tills, can deal with a constant stream of demanding customers on the shop floor, and know a great deal about workplace H&S and legal compliance.

Showing you have stamina and can keep calm under pressure are skills a qualification on its own can't demonstrate, but are what you need in many small businesses or when starting out on your own.