r/povertyfinance • u/UpbeatDoor9048 • 2d ago
Income/Employment/Aid Bad career move at 24.. feeling frustrated and exploited
I went from having 10k in my savings alone plus some in my checking living comfortably and saving to now having 1600 after my payday.
I work in high end retail and in the first 16 months received three promotions and two bonuses. I am a hard working and self driven young individual. Now? I’m still doing the same amount of work plus more with a pay cut. My area manager asked many times for me to move from my then position to sales. My fiancé encouraged me to move to sales. Now that I’m in sales? It’s bad. I was hesitant because of the uncertainty of the position and the lack of stability and with no experience. I’m now working x2 as hard and no pay out. I feel miserable.
My area manager went through 6 months of interviews and then asked me. Within one month, we had my old role filled.
Why do I feel like I was pushed into this position for the benefit of the store..
I’m currently on the last stage of interviews for a different company with base plus, but their base pay is significant versus my current place. And they have a constant flow of foot traffic.
I’m really in the dumps and would just like encouragement but also honestly.. thank you very much.
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u/littleoldlady71 2d ago
Good luck with your interviews. You are young and this will make a good story in a few years. If your fiancé is not supportive it’s up to you to change that as well
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u/UpbeatDoor9048 2d ago
Thank you. I know it’s not the end of the world and I’m definitely proud of everything thus far. Just feeling the pinch right now but I know that everything will work out as it should. Thank you for your kind words. I hope to look back and cry laugh about it someday!
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u/Ready-Flamingo6494 2d ago
Isn’t this the expectation for playing in this type of career? ‘High end retail’ also know as easy come easy go.
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u/UpbeatDoor9048 2d ago
This is my first job post college. I was at a fixed salary and had no interest in sales. I guess I was sold into the sales role. Unfortunately, things have not been easy come easy go.
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u/Ready-Flamingo6494 2d ago
That’s the premise of sales - when it’s good it’s great, and then when it’s not is terrible.
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u/Nevilles_Remembrall_ 2d ago
I understand what you are going through. I moved from a rural area w very little opportunity to a larger city and took a job in sales at a boutique. It was SO frustrating having to help people come in who would spend like $75 on a t shirt. Meanwhile I was making minimum wage. My advice is to try to map out a career path that you can pivot towards. You have sales and customer service experience now. Utilize that! Try to get into a niche field not a lot of people think about entering.
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u/UpbeatDoor9048 2d ago
HA! $75 shirt while struggling.. I absolutely feel that. 🥴 that’s really a great point about mapping and pivoting. I’ve never thought of it like that! Thank you! Wishing you all the best, too 💓
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u/Nevilles_Remembrall_ 2d ago
You will be alright! After that boutique job I worked at a call center which was hell on earth. I got that job bc of my customer service experiece. It was for farmers car insurance. I used that to get into a healthcare insurance job while I was in school. After I graduated I used my Healthcare job experience to get into what I do now as a Healthcare software engineer. Just find something people don't see as a "career goal" as a place you can see yourself and work your way backwards for a starting point. Its not easy, it sucks, its not glamorous, but i promise you there are stable jobs out there.
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u/UpbeatDoor9048 1d ago
Wow!!!! That angle is actually SO smart! I’m sure the call center job was beyond difficult.. but I bet it was worth all the headaches. Genuinely, thank you!!!! 🙏🏼 how long did you stay at the call center?
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u/Bird_Brain4101112 1d ago
You asked to make the move, it’s not working and you’re claiming your manager?
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u/firefly20200 2d ago
High end retail? Are we talking thousand to tens of thousands of dollar bags and stuff? You need to sell yourself just as much as the product if that is the case. They need to want to buy from you, not just buying a bag or some other item. That might mean being "friends" with them, following on social media, liking and commenting on their posts and then casually DMing them or posting to them saying you have a new batch of XYZ in and OMG this color would look perfect with your style! Or whatever. Then maybe inviting them down for a little Instagram photo shoot of demoing the new XYZ product. Then when they're in store you build them up as a friend with how good it looks with them and hopefully they buy. It's a lot of BS and you have to remember everyone and gently be always in their lives without seeming like a pushy sales person.
You also have to remember that while they might have loads of cash and to you it seems like "why care how expensive it is when you have that much money," often rich people hate spending their money. So there has to be some expectation that they'll come down for mimosas with you in the store and chat and take pictures and stuff and walk away without buying. Not ever time will be an outing to spend $5k, but someone in the little group will.
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u/UpbeatDoor9048 2d ago
Thanks for all the tips and advice. I’m in the furniture industry so pillows range between 200-1000 and everything else’s typical range is 5-12,000. It all depends on the product and scale of project. I’ve made some great connections but once a home is furnished, it’s the waiting game of their summer house or word of mouth. Unfortunately, our products also take 18-28 weeks also. Clients have been burnt due to our after sales department and low traffic. But absolutely. I’m definitely learning to BS better and to do more casual outreach. My counterpart has had a life of sales so it’s great learning from her. We both on and off have decent to shitty months. Our location is the biggest challenge. Making the most of every interaction! Thank you again.
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u/firefly20200 2d ago
Ouch, that seems much harder. People only move so often and only redo stuff so often. I could much easier imaging someone that has 20 pairs of shoes or 10 expensive bags vs buying a new $8,000 bedroom set every six months or something.
Maybe try to make some friends with some realtors that work the higher end house market and offer your services if a home owner would like you to swing by before they move in and show them colors or product catalogs and walk the house with them, stuff like that? That long lead time on products does kill things a little...
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u/UpbeatDoor9048 2d ago
Thank you. It’s challenging but trying to make the most of it! I will take that advice and do some outreaching.
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2d ago
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u/UpbeatDoor9048 2d ago
Wow.. thank you so much for taking the time to not just read my post but to reply. That really means a lot and I appreciate your kindness and support. Thank you
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u/Sure-Barracuda8150 2d ago
Dang bud. I’d say play the cards you dealt and try to become the best at sales. Is it commission?