This had never crossed my mind. I have never stopped for more than 5 minutes to think about the essence of a shoe. I had never used the word "essence" and "shoe" in the same sentence!
You'd think that to sell shoes all you need to do is go up and down the stairs bringing people the shoe they've asked for. I certainly did. But 40 days later, I can say I have changed. I have more English than Portuguese vocabulary on shoes. I know materials and how much they stretch, which are the best, what a last and an overtoe are. That some brands also have width sizes. That Asian people adore Ferragamo and will not buy shoes made in Asia. That shoes can be hand made or hand assembled or neither. I know how to stretch shoes, how to soften leather edges and which type of pads to use and where to make a shoe more comfortable.
When a costumer asks for a shoe I can bring 6 similar styles from 5 different brands in less than 5 minutes. I know that when people can't explain what they are looking for and like everything I show them, they won't buy anything. I know how to charge one sale to two different credit cards and cash.
I've had people handing me a shoe and a roll of bills and nodding effusively. I had a person asking if they could maybe scrape the shimmer off of the $350 Prada tennis shoes because she was really looking for white ones. I've had people asking "I'd like this Ferragamo shoe, but this one has the symbol crooked, I want one that is centered". I had to bring the mate so she could see it was actually supposed to be crooked.
I've had all this in 40 days. So it's not learning about a possible cure for cancer, or teaching people how to read. It is not adding much to my CV and I have to touch strangers' feet. But I haven't been this happy for some time now.
I like my colleagues and have fun with them, I exercise going up and down the stairs, I have a reason to leave my house and I am earning my own money. People might think that I don't get as much respect as if I had an office job, but the fact is that I feel more respected at my workplace now (especially now that I am getting good at it) than I was as a volunteer in my last office job, or as an intern in Portugal.
Don't you sometimes wish you had a defined job, where you knew what was expected of you, and you didn't have to create anything? No big responsibilities, no long hours, no brainstorming. Just the simple life. I got to try it out, and it's been fun!
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7 comments:
I love this blog entry and I'm really happy that you enjoyed this experience.
I had the same feeling a long time ago when I was working in a sea food restaurant in a nice hot summer in Portugal when I was 17.
It was one of the most hard-working but also fun summers of my life. I met huge quantities of people, everyone in the nightlife new who I was (serving them a bottle of champaingn at 1am in the morning has its advantages) and I had my first hard earned cash. Most respectful.
Hi Henrique. Good to hear from you. Don't you just love the simple things: sun, good food and interesting people?
Keep in touch! And send pictures, we'd love to see what Jade looks like now.
That last paragraph really got to me.. I do sometimes wish that I knew what was expected of me, I do wish that I didn't have to leave the house at 6h30m and be home by midnight, I wish that I didn't have to make ends meet so that everybody gets their wages by the end of the month at the company. But then I remember that I'm one of the lucky ones, that I have a job, that my boss likes me despite being in a bad mood most of the time, that people at work are great, that customers are sometimes difficult but they like and respect me and that my family (my "old" family and my new ones) loves me... And I'm happy that you're happy - that makes my day!
Hum...como te compreendo: depois de 5 horas sentada numa secretaria sem conseguir produzir uma ideia que seja, a ler e reler artigos sem fim, nao me importava nada de uma tarefa mais directa, mais imediata, mais compensatoria! E ja agora: como fazer com que os sapatos novos deixem de magoar no calcanhar? :)
Watched this talk http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/97
and thought of your blog entry.
Dan Gilbert says that happiness is something you make, not something you find.
Yes, it's a great talk and I agree completely. Some may call it low expectations, but if the end result is happiness, who cares?
How is your life going? Drop us an email, we'd love to hear from you.
Rita e vasco:
Só hoje tive conhecimento do vosso blog através da mãe Zé que passou por casa dos meus pais. Falou tão emocionada de vocês e do vosso bolg que não resisti a espreitar. Do pouco que ainda consegui ler, adorei.
Rita, fiquei emocionada com o teu artigo sobre os sapatos. De facto às vezes empregos com nome pomposos e com boa reputação não nos dão tanto como o que tu descreveste sobre o teu emprego actual.
Admiro-vos muitos pela vossa atitude positiva em levar a vida. Não adormeceram como tantos de nós que por comodidade se mantiveram por perto.
Um beijinho muito grande.
Prometo voltar mais vezes.
Márcia
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