What came next shaped the next 15 years of my life. I landed a part time job at a local discount store to earn some money to supplement my DJ job. Well as it turns out they gave me more of an immediate opportunity to grow into a department manager. Since I really had no idea what I wanted to be any way it looked like a great opportunity.
So I began my career at 19 running sorting goods, hardware and automotive departments. It was my first headlong dive into managing people, doing inventory, stocking and shelving and waiting on customers. The first real taste of retail wows was a real eye opener. We sold guns and rifles in the sporting goods department. One of my "genius" employees sold a pistol to a guy who shot someone. There was a waiting period back in that day and during the time we were waiting for the background check to come through so that we could give the customer his gun the box and the gun somehow got switched. We only noticed this after the crime was committed and the police couldn't rightly identify the serial number. Needless to say the stuff hit the fan. On another occasion a guy had bought paint from us and was painting his house. Well he didn't buy enough so when he returned to our store to buy more we were sold out. Since we were a discount store the paint was closeout so we couldn't get any more. The guys was all hot and sweaty and he did not want to here that. He threaded to kill me if I couldn't get hem more paint (which I could not). So here come the same police who were still pissed off about the gun incident.
Retail, low pay long hours and not a prestige job. But at least it wasn't a dull job driving a train.
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