Have you heard the tale of the magic beans that grew into a fantastic career in retail? Well, let Jenn McAllister reveal all.
“I was working as a part-time sales assistant in my local supermarket when a customer asked where she could find cannellini beans. I’d never even heard of them before, but I knew the aisle and the location of the baked beans, so it didn’t take me long to track them down them.
“I asked what she would be making with them as I’d be interested in the recipe. When she told me they were for a sausage and bean casserole, I showed her to the fresh and prepared meat section, and we got chatting about her recipe.”
So far so good. But it turned out the ‘customer’ was, in fact, the regional manager.
“She said she was immediately impressed by my positive attitude to customer care and had I thought about signing up to the management trainee programme. I jumped at the chance.”
Jenn spent nine months undertaking several shop floor roles, all designed to allow her to experience various fields of retail expertise. The programme also offered a chance to appreciate how the business operates at a regional and national level.
Almost three years on and Jenn is now the assistant manager of her own superstore.
“It still seems strange,” she says, “because I only took up the sales assistant job part-time while I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do in life. I guess retail found me rather than the other way around.”
So, is there still magic at work in her job?
“I don’t know about that!” laughs Jenn. “But I do still really enjoy it. Probably the best bit is meeting customers. This is a really large store so there are many different people coming through every day – but there are also familiar faces. People do tend to shop weekly at their favourite store so making sure we enjoy customer loyalty is a top goal. Repeat custom is the lifeblood of retail.”
Having started out stacking shelves and helping customers find the right beans, does Jenn have any top tips for job seekers wanting to succeed in the retail sector?
“Well, there are certain fundamental rules to begin with. Number one is being on time and being presentable. Staff must be ready before the doors open. My advice is always plan to turn up early – not only will you not miss the start of your shift, but you’ll look super-keen to management too.
“A personal top tip: I banned the snooze button on my phone alarm years ago!”
Jenn has two more words of wisdom to show your boss you’re made of management material: ‘product knowledge’.
“If a customer asks where an item is, go one better than showing them to the correct shelf by being able to talk about the product and even suggest alternatives. It builds a connection with the customer, but it also allows you the opportunity to upsell an extra or more expensive product to the customer . . . and your own talents to your manager.”
If you’re feeling full of beans to jumpstart your career, check out the latest Retail vacancies on s1jobs.