retail jobs

[andy ngeci 18]

those of you who ever looked for retail jobs as sales associate/ customer services how long does it take to get them? i want to work in the mall or in the military post. i started to apply last week and patience is not by myside having stayed at home 4 months waiting EAD ,SSN etc ughhh will life ever be easy!!!!!

[JTB11 1,079]

hey

No it won't...life is hard that is what makes it fun ? I guess ? hihi

Now seriously: I had applied for a number of jobs in retail and have heard from one place only. I think you would be better off actually going to the place directly. Present yourself and talk to the management at the store, give them your resume and if they like you they will call back. That is what I would do. Hope this helps. At least that is what I am doing as soon as I can.

Edited February 3, 2014 by JTB11

[andy ngeci 18]

hey thank you! i have only heard from 1 place too... they wanted someone who would work all shifts including evenings(upto 10Pm) weekends and holidays but i did not take it. my husband thought the same about going to apply in person but he was suprised coz everywhere we went they sent me to their computer room to apply online and we figured its much easier to apply from home.

[agnesb 47]

I think you'll struggle to find retail job that does not require you to work a fair amount of late shifts, weekends and holidays..

[andy ngeci 18]

honestly right now am regretting why i did not take that job!

[christeen 966]

What you are looking for are "mommy hours" which in retail is the kiss of death... Flexibility is what retail jobs want to see... Not accepting nights or weekends (when stores are their busiest) I am afraid will pretty much diminish your chances of landi g a retail job... Retail= nights and weekend hours... Good luck and once you start and pay your dues with nights and weekends, you might have more say so as to your schedule... But you need to get your foot in the door first...

[Merrytooth 5,748]

christeen is being honest and right.

Beggars can't be choosers in this lousy US job market.

Get the first job, any job is good job, build up your resume with US work experience.

Then slowly look for better ones.

[christeen 966]

Thoroughly rude and un called for response to someone trying to tell you the reality! Sorry if it is not what you wanted to hear (and I am typing on a mobile so some misspellings) I worked for HR in retail and I am telling you what the retail industry sees. There are moms who apply for mommy hours (days only, no nights or weekends) so they were not called back. Weekends and nights are when it is busy and when we needed clerks. If you want to work in retail, you need to be flexible (and seems you need an attitude adjustment too) I won't say good luck because you are obviously above that... So enjoy more time sitting on your bum waiting for a job to call.

[Darnell 8,478]

those of you who ever looked for retail jobs as sales associate/ customer services how long does it take to get them? i want to work in the mall or in the military post. i started to apply last week and patience is not by myside having stayed at home 4 months waiting EAD ,SSN etc ughhh will life ever be easy!!!!!

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[NikLR 13,228]

I work retail but have done so for the last almost 9 years. For the first 5, I worked overnights, for the next couple I worked a variety of shifts during the day (from open to close) and every other weekend. I was able to transfer to early mornings but that was due to some serious personal issues and the fact I'd been with the company for over 6 years. My next job was as a supervisor and the hours were the worst yet (10 hour days, every other weekend) but I found the benefits to be worth the effort. Right now, because of all my experience, work an early morning shift. There are also a lot of immigrants who work putting stock out and their shift starts at 4am since we do not do overnights at our store.

Even with all my experience I only had 2 call backs out of 6 online resumes submitted to various retail outlets. Target called me within the hour, Walmart took 3 weeks. I was surprised to get a job so quickly, but like I said, I have a lot of retail experience from stocking, to sales floor, cashier, supervisor, pricing etc...

right now is probably the WORST time to be looking for a retail job. Hours are cut back from Jan to April and stores rarely hire at this time.

You may want to try some local corner stores/gas stations to see if they're hiring. The hours generally aren't any better but they normally have a large turn over. You could also try some fast food restaurants like McDonald's who may be more willing to work around your hours since they normally have a lot of teens in the evenings to fill in the gaps.

I also don't believe Christeen was rude to you in any way, shape, or form. Simply was informing you, as I am, that you will need to have rather open availability to get a job here in the USA. Telling them you only need it for the next 4 months will not help your case at all. Stores want long term employees. They'll pass you over for someone who wants to work there for a year or two because it costs them more to be continually hiring and training.

[TBoneTX 45,571]

One post removed for open rudeness. OP, please exhibit courtesy (or restraint) if you want people to try to help you.

[nightingalejules 678]

Are you living in an area that has tourist activity during the summer? That would be the perfect type of job for you right now (retail, hospitality, whatever) - but apply at places that specialize in the tourist market. Then they're probably hiring in April, and only looking to hire for a short term (exactly what you're looking for, so that you can go back to school)!

If you want to work specific hours, find places to apply that are only open during the hours you want to work (small boutiques, etc, that aren't open late and might be closed one day a week already...

[andy ngeci 18]

Thank you proudly Canadian and nightingales your answers have helped me and agree with you. I live next to the mall and in December they were hiring like crazy so I believe they arent hiring again until Easter .. Good thing is the mall here operates 10am to 9pm so no worries of overnight shifts. On early January old navy was hiring for dayshift but i didnt have my EAD card so all those jobs opportunities passed me... Il keep my head up to other places though.

[Hotter Otter 1,211]

Sometimes if you think about it you can find a decent solution. When I was at college I needed a job and couldn't work weekends due to other commitments so found it really hard getting anyone to take me. But then I had the idea of thinking of places that were not a typical retail environment and went and handed in my CV at places that had a huge Monday-Friday demand and quiet weekends(retail outlets at college campus, commuter rail stations etc). One week later I had a part time job at a retail outlet on campus with 9-5 hours. Maybe worth a try?

[andy ngeci 18]

Thanks otter! Monday to Friday job would be perfect for me coz I want a job that gives me a chance to spend time with my husband on weekends/ holidays. I thought retail (part time) jobs was one of a kind but now I see how wrong I was lol.

Edited February 4, 2014 by andy ngeci