Retail Therapy

If You’re Working On Thanksgiving, Be Thankful

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

FullSizeRenderMy first day on the job at Kohls was Thanksgiving.

2 years ago, and just a few months out from stepping away from a full time youth ministry job, I decided to take a part time job at the retail giant to make some extra cash for Christmas.

I did a few training shifts in the week before the holiday but my first official shift on the register was Thanksgiving night at 8 PM.

This was the first time Kohls and many other stores would actually be open on Thanksgiving night itself instead of opening in the early hours of Black Friday – a trend that is only continuing to grow.

I remember staring at the clock at dinner that night, counting down the hours, dreading the moment I would have to leave the pumpkin pie behind to go risk being trampled by a sea of crazed customers busting down the doors seeking half-priced Keurigs. Continue reading →

11 Lessons From My Resume

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

photo 2-7As I enjoyed the Labor Day holiday this past weekend I had a chance to read an article in my hometown paper where the great columnist Bill Kirby shared lessons from some of the many jobs he worked over his life. I thought it would be interesting to go back and do the same for my years in the workforce.

Though I’m only 29-years-old at the moment I’ve amassed a good size resume and I believe there’s at least one lesson to be learned from every job I’ve had over the years. So, with full credit to Mr. Kirby for the idea, here’s one lesson from every job I’ve had since I started working at age 16:

1) The Masters Tournament (First week of April 2002):

The Job – 4 straight 14 hour days in a concession stand at the most popular golf event in the world.

The Lesson – The paycheck is not always worth the work. Continue reading →

Monday Morning Music: All Your Favorite Bands

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

It’s Monday.

Your mind is consumed with all things you have to do for all the things you have due.

After a weekend full of forgetting all your cares, the alarm on your phone reawakens all your troubles.

If only there was a simple solution. If only there was a way to stop worrying about all your problems. If only there was a way to take your mind off of yourself.

Maybe you could use a little Monday Morning Music.

dawes-albumOver the past few years Dawes has been churning out raw and honest music that hearkens back to the glory days of Jackson Browne and other west coast songwriters. While many of their songs tell long and intricate stories, the title track to their latest album tells a simple one. Continue reading →

God Of Customer Service

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

CaptureOne of the pleasures of moving to a new city is the always wonderful experience of dealing with the cable company. (Specifically Comcast, in case you were wondering. Or is it Xfinity now? I have no idea.)

Wanting to trim my budget in my new apartment, I made the decision to drop cable television and only purchase internet service.

After 6 months of getting by just fine with Apple TV and a digital antenna, I got a call from Comcast saying my promotional price on internet service was about to expire. If I did not update my plan, than my rate would more than double.

The customer service rep explained to me that basically it would be cheaper to upgrade my internet service and add on a basic cable package than it would be to remain at my current plan.

After going around in a circles with the sales rep on the phone I finally agreed. Of course once I received my new cable box in the mail it was not as easy to setup as the salesperson made it out to be.

So I was forced to do my least favorite thing in the world: contact customer service on the phone. Continue reading →

7 Things I Learned From 7 Months At Kohls

/ Alex Doriot / 10 Comments

photo 2-7Seasonal. I was just supposed to be a seasonal employee.

In November of 2013, a few months after leaving my full-time position as a youth pastor, I began working at Kohls part time to help me earn some extra spending money for Christmas.

I thought I would work here for a few weeks.

Today, over seven months later, I’m clocking in at Kohls for the very last time.

Life has not panned out as I planned it in 2014. I didn’t find a full time job as soon as I thought I would.

But now, as I prepare for a new working opportunity, I’ve been wondering how to sum up my experience with Kohls.

Diving back into the world of retail after a 7 year absence has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life.

I’ve complained. I’ve cried. I’ve whined. I’ve moaned and groaned to my closest friends. I’ve screamed at God, wondering why He would let me flounder in a dead-end job without any hopeful prospects on the horizon.

I’ve struggled to figure out exactly what I’ve learned from this detour in life.

Maybe it is still too soon to tell what all my time at Kohls has taught. But I have come up with a few things that have surprised me along the way about myself as an employee, about consumer behavior, and about the retail world. Continue reading →

Feed My Sheep

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

I wish The Bible wasn’t so specific. 

A lot of people may not agree with me on that one. They’d rather The Bible go ahead and spell out everything about God and life and the afterlife.

You see, I’m ok with a little mystery. And I’d be ok if there was a little wiggle room as well on some of these commandments we’re supposed to live out.

But sometimes Jesus spells things out for us so there can’t be any misinterpretation.

Take this verse for example: Continue reading →

The Only Coupon You’ll Ever Need

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

IMG_3235There’s a sale going on this weekend.

The coupons are out there circulating around.

You may not be a charge card holder. You may not have gotten any in the mail. But if you search around you can find a good deal.

Yet some people will make their purchases this weekend without a coupon.

I don’t get it. When I work at the cash register I just want to scream at people to wait until there’s a sale or go find a coupon before making their big purchase.

Because believe me – if there’s not a sale today just give it a few days. There is one coming.

97% of the time what you think you need to buy today can wait until there’s a sale. I think Dave Ramsey told me that. Or maybe I just made it up. But it’s true.

Why would you buy anything without a coupon?  Continue reading →