Wednesday, April 03, 2019
Side gigs part 7, or...
Retail is dead; long live retail...
Before I begin, it's important to note that New Balance occupies a special niche in the sneaker market, seen more as orthopedic devices recommended by podiatrists to correct one's gait rather than fashion statements or top-flight athletic gear. There's at least some truth to this. Depending on the sneaker model, the shoe will be designed to correct the tendency to pronate, supranate, etc. If you have plantar fasciitis, or major ankle issues, there's a sneaker for you as well. Not everything we sold does all that, but the higher the model number, the more corrective the sneaker usually is. I didn't really understand all this, but I was always able to ask people, and the customers were very patient while I tried to help them.We also have a broad selection of sizes. If you're like me, and have a extra wide foot, chances are New Balance can fit you. We have bigger sizes for women as well, which is why Carolyn likes to shop there too. Not all the styles had all the sizes, but when I got my free sneakers, I was able to get the best shoe our store sold: the 993 in 10 extra wide, light blue , and I could have needed a size 15 extra wide and I would have been fine. The fact that they made my feet look like giant rowboats was acceptable, if unfortunate. They're not called dad shoes for no reason. Now, if you wear one of these orthotic sneakers for the first time at 47, and you have a couple of these issues listed above, your body may have difficulty adjusting, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Working over the Christmas season can really be separated into two parts: Black Friday weekend and everything else. I say this with the benefit of hindsight, as what happened could not have been predicted in the moment, nor did I have all the relevant information need to understand what was occurring until much later in the season.
As implied, Black Friday was a zoo. I expected this; the store expected this, Woodbury management expected this. To allow for as many customers as possible, employees were not allowed to park at the outlet mall; we had to park at Harriman train station instead, which is 3 miles away, where we took a school bus to one of the entrances. Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to give myself plenty of time to get to work. I wasn't sure where to park, so I spent 30 minutes driving in circles. Eventually I figured it out, and the shuttle dropped me fairly close to the store. I worked an afternoon to evening shift on Friday, so the place was already mobbed when I got there. I quickly began working, and didn't stop moving save for my 15 minute break about 3 hours in. I was exhausted by the end of my 6 hour shift. I had actually volunteered for a whopping 10 hour shift, but the managers looked at me like I was nuts. They talked me out of that, and I understood why after I was done. As for my job performance, I wasn't sure if I did well, but everyone was very happy with my work. I found out later that more than a few people couldn't figure out why I was even there, but as soon as I started running circles around, well, everyone else on the sales floor, never stopped smiling, and was always willing to grab trash off the floor, grab a box from the top shelf, and didn't try to chat up the other workers, I was accepted, even if some confusion remained.
Tired but happy, I went home. Boarding the bus, I saw the tableau I'd expected, even hoped to see: lines of cars coming from every possible direction, but going nowhere. There was major construction on the main road next to Woodbury, closing off two lanes going east, which is pretty much the only way to get anywhere people would probably want to go: New York City and Rockland County taking I-87 South, Route 6 East to Westchester, etc. Keep in mind this was the Friday after Thanksgiving, and it was after 10pm. Why were they working on this now? I then realized I would not have benefited from parking at the outlets even if it had been allowed. Taking a bus to the train station certainly didn't make getting through the traffic any easier, but it didn't add all that much, and I got to compare notes with the person sitting next me, who was even more tired than I was. It should take me about 35 minutes to get home; instead it took me around 1 1/2 hours.
The rest of the weekend passed much the same with similar parking and traffic conditions, with two notable exceptions: Saturday was slower than Friday, and Sunday was slower than Saturday. Even I saw the difference, though the managers were unconcerned. As long as we were making our numbers, everything was fine. This doesn't mean we were empty - the entire weekend was busy, but the drop-off was striking. Again, the managers didn't seem concerned, and I did get a small bonus some weeks later because we made our sales goals, but it all felt vaguely disappointing.
After the first weekend, we had the privilege of parking at the outlets, though we were limited to the parking garage on the 3rd or 4th floors. I didn't really need to follow this rule. As a seasonal employee, security didn't know my car, but I felt that if said it doesn't matter, than I was also saying the work didn't matter, belittling the people who worked at the store with me. I promised myself that I would take any side venture seriously, or I wasn't going to do it. The rest of the shopping season similar: we would usually have one big pop during the day, followed by extended slower periods until closing, with the late nights all but empty. If the mall was open, we were required to be open. Some Fridays and Saturdays we were open until 11, with no customers past 9. There were even weekends where some of us were sent home early during the day, which I would never have expected, and the rare nights when I worked during the week were also overstaffed. The downtime gave me the chance to get to know everyone, become friendly with the managers, and helped my coworkers in various ways: giving a supervisor a ride home to Wappingers Falls, explaining VA educational benefits to a young man in the Marine Reserves, and getting someone else a huge boost to her financial aid after her father died suddenly. All this interaction led to discussions as to why we were so slow, and the general lack of foot traffic, which, according to my manager, was down whopping 40%. The primary reason behind this proved interesting, if unsolvable.
Although this wasn't the reason the rest of the mall had fewer people, it's worth noting that our location is out of the way compared to the rest of the outlets. This was ironically highlighted by our area's location name: the Niagara district, driving home that we're a little out of the way. You aren't passing by our store by accident, and aside from Under Armour, the area doesn't have the major draws the other areas have: Prada, Coach, the food court, etc. If you wanted our sneakers, you sought us out, but random shoppers were few and far between.
Our location could be used to explain away what happened in my little corner of the facility, but everyone was affected. Prada and Coach are interesting examples, as they have security guards controlling the comings and goings of patrons like it's Studio 54 in 1977. Prior Christmas seasons had me admiring (and a little dismayed at) the long lines to enter, but I never observed any queues this time. I'm sure the stores had them for Black Friday weekend; if we were busy, so were they, but that was probably it. I remember one night when I went to buy Carolyn's main present: a Coach bag from the Wizard of Oz collection. A leather bag resplendent with poppies was in her future, and when I went to the store to buy it, Coach was filled with employees looking bored and a little nervous, and one customer: me.
So as I continue to bury the lede, what happened? Economic weakness in China seemed to be the consensus reason. As strange as it seems to me, a Northern Westchester local, Woodbury is a major tourist draw throughout the world. Two of my friends were on their honeymoon in Greece, and when they said that they're from New York, people would tell then about how they can't wait to visit Woodbury. Wait, what? You're kidding. It's that renown? Yes, especially in Asia. My friends' conversation may be anecdotal, but this article is more substantial. I'm annoyed with the statement that the location is in the Catskills, but the article is otherwise right and we had plenty of Japanese shoppers throughout December. What we were lacking was Chinese customers, and that is a major problem.
Throughout Woodbury, you'll find signs with Chinese characters, along with notices that you can use your Chinese bank cards at ATM's and stores. Tour companies organize trips from China to shop, and the most prestigious brands: Coach, Saks 5th Ave, Prada, etc., all have Mandarin speaking sales staff, so losing even a small percentage of this customer base is a serious problem. Margins are already tight, and the Asian shoppers spend money like sailors on shore leave. Not only are the prices better for this group, but the shopping experience is better, and there's the bragging rights of having bought the items here. It's all very strange to me, but I love showing off over-priced, mass-produced Cuban cigars I bought in Canada, when I can get better Dominican cigars around the corner for less than half the cost, so who am I to judge? Simon Malls is not standing pat, instead planning a major expansion to increase parking, building two hotels, and as I was told by my manager, a spa. I can imagine other large retail centers adding similar amenities, though I doubt the Palisades Mall would build a helipad.
In the days before Christmas, we had a final push, with American shoppers as the primary buyers, who were also the most knowledgeable about New Balance's sneakers. If their aim was to take advantage of desperation sales by coming in at the last minute, they failed at my store, as our final big discount was 40% off everything, which wasn't as good as Black Friday weekend. Nevertheless, it was nice to be busy, helping people find what they wanted. This is not to say I became good at selling shoes, just that my attitude and general customer service skills papered over my lack of knowledge about sneakers, though that did improve.
At the end of December I started to wear down, just like Horseman's Hollow in October. My right leg was very sore and I was sent home early one day and called out the day after, missing the final Sunday before Christmas and unable to walk more than a few steps at a time. I hoped it was just a pulled hamstring and/or calf, which I'll get occasionally when I push myself too hard, due to my uneven gait. Both happened when I was 18 while busing tables at Shawnee, and I figured this was the same thing, so I believed a little rest would fix the problem before I left for a quick trip for the holiday.
As I write this post, I have to ask myself I would do it again next year. Ignoring the larger philosophical questions, the answer is probably yes, since I'm actually still doing it. As the season ended and January began, I was asked to stick around. They loved my work ethic, and they appreciated the positive affect I had on the other employees. Carolyn and I love New Balance sneakers, and the expectations of the store are beyond low. I need to work once a month and I will remain an employee, eligible for the discount and when the need arises, eligible for more hours as well. I'm happy with the arrangement, even as my friends find it a little mystifying.
Before I begin, it's important to note that New Balance occupies a special niche in the sneaker market, seen more as orthopedic devices recommended by podiatrists to correct one's gait rather than fashion statements or top-flight athletic gear. There's at least some truth to this. Depending on the sneaker model, the shoe will be designed to correct the tendency to pronate, supranate, etc. If you have plantar fasciitis, or major ankle issues, there's a sneaker for you as well. Not everything we sold does all that, but the higher the model number, the more corrective the sneaker usually is. I didn't really understand all this, but I was always able to ask people, and the customers were very patient while I tried to help them.We also have a broad selection of sizes. If you're like me, and have a extra wide foot, chances are New Balance can fit you. We have bigger sizes for women as well, which is why Carolyn likes to shop there too. Not all the styles had all the sizes, but when I got my free sneakers, I was able to get the best shoe our store sold: the 993 in 10 extra wide, light blue , and I could have needed a size 15 extra wide and I would have been fine. The fact that they made my feet look like giant rowboats was acceptable, if unfortunate. They're not called dad shoes for no reason. Now, if you wear one of these orthotic sneakers for the first time at 47, and you have a couple of these issues listed above, your body may have difficulty adjusting, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Working over the Christmas season can really be separated into two parts: Black Friday weekend and everything else. I say this with the benefit of hindsight, as what happened could not have been predicted in the moment, nor did I have all the relevant information need to understand what was occurring until much later in the season.
As implied, Black Friday was a zoo. I expected this; the store expected this, Woodbury management expected this. To allow for as many customers as possible, employees were not allowed to park at the outlet mall; we had to park at Harriman train station instead, which is 3 miles away, where we took a school bus to one of the entrances. Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to give myself plenty of time to get to work. I wasn't sure where to park, so I spent 30 minutes driving in circles. Eventually I figured it out, and the shuttle dropped me fairly close to the store. I worked an afternoon to evening shift on Friday, so the place was already mobbed when I got there. I quickly began working, and didn't stop moving save for my 15 minute break about 3 hours in. I was exhausted by the end of my 6 hour shift. I had actually volunteered for a whopping 10 hour shift, but the managers looked at me like I was nuts. They talked me out of that, and I understood why after I was done. As for my job performance, I wasn't sure if I did well, but everyone was very happy with my work. I found out later that more than a few people couldn't figure out why I was even there, but as soon as I started running circles around, well, everyone else on the sales floor, never stopped smiling, and was always willing to grab trash off the floor, grab a box from the top shelf, and didn't try to chat up the other workers, I was accepted, even if some confusion remained.
Tired but happy, I went home. Boarding the bus, I saw the tableau I'd expected, even hoped to see: lines of cars coming from every possible direction, but going nowhere. There was major construction on the main road next to Woodbury, closing off two lanes going east, which is pretty much the only way to get anywhere people would probably want to go: New York City and Rockland County taking I-87 South, Route 6 East to Westchester, etc. Keep in mind this was the Friday after Thanksgiving, and it was after 10pm. Why were they working on this now? I then realized I would not have benefited from parking at the outlets even if it had been allowed. Taking a bus to the train station certainly didn't make getting through the traffic any easier, but it didn't add all that much, and I got to compare notes with the person sitting next me, who was even more tired than I was. It should take me about 35 minutes to get home; instead it took me around 1 1/2 hours.
The rest of the weekend passed much the same with similar parking and traffic conditions, with two notable exceptions: Saturday was slower than Friday, and Sunday was slower than Saturday. Even I saw the difference, though the managers were unconcerned. As long as we were making our numbers, everything was fine. This doesn't mean we were empty - the entire weekend was busy, but the drop-off was striking. Again, the managers didn't seem concerned, and I did get a small bonus some weeks later because we made our sales goals, but it all felt vaguely disappointing.
After the first weekend, we had the privilege of parking at the outlets, though we were limited to the parking garage on the 3rd or 4th floors. I didn't really need to follow this rule. As a seasonal employee, security didn't know my car, but I felt that if said it doesn't matter, than I was also saying the work didn't matter, belittling the people who worked at the store with me. I promised myself that I would take any side venture seriously, or I wasn't going to do it. The rest of the shopping season similar: we would usually have one big pop during the day, followed by extended slower periods until closing, with the late nights all but empty. If the mall was open, we were required to be open. Some Fridays and Saturdays we were open until 11, with no customers past 9. There were even weekends where some of us were sent home early during the day, which I would never have expected, and the rare nights when I worked during the week were also overstaffed. The downtime gave me the chance to get to know everyone, become friendly with the managers, and helped my coworkers in various ways: giving a supervisor a ride home to Wappingers Falls, explaining VA educational benefits to a young man in the Marine Reserves, and getting someone else a huge boost to her financial aid after her father died suddenly. All this interaction led to discussions as to why we were so slow, and the general lack of foot traffic, which, according to my manager, was down whopping 40%. The primary reason behind this proved interesting, if unsolvable.
Although this wasn't the reason the rest of the mall had fewer people, it's worth noting that our location is out of the way compared to the rest of the outlets. This was ironically highlighted by our area's location name: the Niagara district, driving home that we're a little out of the way. You aren't passing by our store by accident, and aside from Under Armour, the area doesn't have the major draws the other areas have: Prada, Coach, the food court, etc. If you wanted our sneakers, you sought us out, but random shoppers were few and far between.
Our location could be used to explain away what happened in my little corner of the facility, but everyone was affected. Prada and Coach are interesting examples, as they have security guards controlling the comings and goings of patrons like it's Studio 54 in 1977. Prior Christmas seasons had me admiring (and a little dismayed at) the long lines to enter, but I never observed any queues this time. I'm sure the stores had them for Black Friday weekend; if we were busy, so were they, but that was probably it. I remember one night when I went to buy Carolyn's main present: a Coach bag from the Wizard of Oz collection. A leather bag resplendent with poppies was in her future, and when I went to the store to buy it, Coach was filled with employees looking bored and a little nervous, and one customer: me.
So as I continue to bury the lede, what happened? Economic weakness in China seemed to be the consensus reason. As strange as it seems to me, a Northern Westchester local, Woodbury is a major tourist draw throughout the world. Two of my friends were on their honeymoon in Greece, and when they said that they're from New York, people would tell then about how they can't wait to visit Woodbury. Wait, what? You're kidding. It's that renown? Yes, especially in Asia. My friends' conversation may be anecdotal, but this article is more substantial. I'm annoyed with the statement that the location is in the Catskills, but the article is otherwise right and we had plenty of Japanese shoppers throughout December. What we were lacking was Chinese customers, and that is a major problem.
Throughout Woodbury, you'll find signs with Chinese characters, along with notices that you can use your Chinese bank cards at ATM's and stores. Tour companies organize trips from China to shop, and the most prestigious brands: Coach, Saks 5th Ave, Prada, etc., all have Mandarin speaking sales staff, so losing even a small percentage of this customer base is a serious problem. Margins are already tight, and the Asian shoppers spend money like sailors on shore leave. Not only are the prices better for this group, but the shopping experience is better, and there's the bragging rights of having bought the items here. It's all very strange to me, but I love showing off over-priced, mass-produced Cuban cigars I bought in Canada, when I can get better Dominican cigars around the corner for less than half the cost, so who am I to judge? Simon Malls is not standing pat, instead planning a major expansion to increase parking, building two hotels, and as I was told by my manager, a spa. I can imagine other large retail centers adding similar amenities, though I doubt the Palisades Mall would build a helipad.
In the days before Christmas, we had a final push, with American shoppers as the primary buyers, who were also the most knowledgeable about New Balance's sneakers. If their aim was to take advantage of desperation sales by coming in at the last minute, they failed at my store, as our final big discount was 40% off everything, which wasn't as good as Black Friday weekend. Nevertheless, it was nice to be busy, helping people find what they wanted. This is not to say I became good at selling shoes, just that my attitude and general customer service skills papered over my lack of knowledge about sneakers, though that did improve.
At the end of December I started to wear down, just like Horseman's Hollow in October. My right leg was very sore and I was sent home early one day and called out the day after, missing the final Sunday before Christmas and unable to walk more than a few steps at a time. I hoped it was just a pulled hamstring and/or calf, which I'll get occasionally when I push myself too hard, due to my uneven gait. Both happened when I was 18 while busing tables at Shawnee, and I figured this was the same thing, so I believed a little rest would fix the problem before I left for a quick trip for the holiday.
As I write this post, I have to ask myself I would do it again next year. Ignoring the larger philosophical questions, the answer is probably yes, since I'm actually still doing it. As the season ended and January began, I was asked to stick around. They loved my work ethic, and they appreciated the positive affect I had on the other employees. Carolyn and I love New Balance sneakers, and the expectations of the store are beyond low. I need to work once a month and I will remain an employee, eligible for the discount and when the need arises, eligible for more hours as well. I'm happy with the arrangement, even as my friends find it a little mystifying.
