When it comes to the mall, teenagers are voting with their jobs. It’s no secret among high school kids that $7 an hour sucks. And, it’s equally obvious that a major benefit of retail jobs is the discounts that come with them.
If you were getting paid in food would you work for McDonalds? Neither would we. We eat what we like.
When I was about 17 years old, I liked The Gap. It was a brand I connected with, and during my waking and sleeping hours, I was likely wearing something branded Gap, Inc. So I drove to the mall, applied for a job, and I got it.
Unfortunately, one Saturday morning spent learning the register, an afternoon of informative videos on Gap’s history, and 20 minutes learning how to fold jeans was the summation of my job training. Oh, and a quick lesson from my manager on pushing Gap cards—we had weekly goals.
Customer Service is a priority for The Gap, so they told us to always offer customers our assistance, encouraged us to suggest additions to their outfits, and above all, stressed that we must get them into a fitting room. Once a customer has tried something on, they’re 50 percent more likely to buy. Now go make some sales!
But I didn’t make sales. I was bad at it. My pitiful training made it hard to convert interest into sales. I was enthusiastic about the brand, but felt that I was bad at my job. My love for Gap diminished as I failed to do well.
In retail and food service, tweens are considered a disposable commodity. With school allowing for only limited hours, summer jobs and holiday hippo work—added to the fact that we’re notoriously unreliable—it’s no wonder we’re considered highly replaceable.
But there’s another way it could be—and, arguably, a better way.
We’re showing our interest in your brand with our applications. While most of us know nothing about the real world or working, we are eager and we want to be a part of something. Instead of treating young people as a disposable commodity, see us as an investment. We want to do well, so take the time to teach us.
If I were Gap, this is what I’d do:
A. Hold opt-in classes on merchandising and fashion. Get younger employees engaged with the brand and the industry.
B. Have meetings about the upcoming season’s merchandise and the best outfits to construct from it. Make young employees brand experts and call them as such.
C. Give them “inside information” and encourage them to blog about what they know. Encourage them to talk authentically about the brand, and arm them with the information to do so.
D. Make extras exclusive, but incentivize them too. A brand like Gap can’t try to force anything, but it can offer rewards to those who want to get more engaged.
Here’s an example. Have a “Gap Fashion School” employees can attend after six months of working for the company. Make it inexpensive and let employees earn a scholarship with Gap card sales (and really teach them how to make those sales). Once they’re done, give them a new name tag and credentials for an exclusive Gap brand “expert online community.” Then why not use this community to get feedback on ideas or run online focus groups? I could go on and on.
The bottom line is: give real value to young people and you’ll get value back. Employers who want the best talent offer the best benefits. Millennials are growing up faster than ever, and we’re excited about working for you! Invest more time including young employees when laying out the store, show them the style books and explain product placement on the floor. Explain why it’s important to hit the daily sales goals and how to go about doing that.
We’re young, but we’re also thinking about our future—we want to learn and stick around. Play your cards right, and you might inspire a career. Or at the very least create inspired, dedicated brand evangelists on your sales floor, and off.
Author: Jason Potteiger – Associate Editor at TNGG
What a smart and well thought out post. I couldn't agree with more on ALL the points! I think more companies need to realize that your point about “give real value to young people and you’ll get value back” is crucial.
This would have made my summer jobs SO much more enjoyable. Not to mention it turns that job teenagers take just to make money into actually valuable experience.
Thanks for the comment. As I wrote this article I was happy to hear from a friend of mine that worked for Gap Inc. more recently than I, that they are actually starting to do a few of these things–like mini fashion schools at the different stores from time-to-time. I still think they need to kick it up a notch though.
When I worked at Gap I really wanted to learn more about merchandising and how they set up the visual displays in the store. Unfortunately there was just no clear way to learn that other than sticking around long enough to get a promotion. American Eagle won't even allow someone to get a real promotion without a college degree. It's too bad.
Jason, I really think I'm going to start calling you The Idea Man. Dear The Gap, hire this guy.
Anyway, I agree. I worked at a Wawa during high school (it's a regional convenience store with a delicious 24 hour deli). Believe it or not, Wawa was a HUGE passion brand for almost everyone in my high school. I was always so disappointed that the company didn't seem to realize it. There were so many possibilities! Freshman year of college, I literally made friends by wearing my Wawa hoodie around campus.
Nordstrom does a great program similar to this. It's more like an “internship” this way — not just pushing sales but learning why and how. With their program you have to actually apply and be accepted as well, so it is a little more rigorous.
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Wow this was great! I work at Kate Spade and while their brand/employee relationship model isn't perfect, it is definitely a great place to be because the job is viewed as something more than a part time gig. It's the first job I've had where I have felt truly connected to the brand and the people I work with. We implement a lot of the ideas you have for Gap, and I agree that more retailers should do the same so employees will take their jobs more seriously and feel better about their efforts. While we're expected to meet or exceed our daily sales goals, we also must perform client outreach. This includes always mailing a thank you card after someone has purchased and suggesting items the client may love when a new collection comes out. We each have a book to keep track of appointments and record clients' information (past purchases, birthday, appropriate look, sizes, family, etc.). It's all about building relationships and getting other people excited so they become brand loyalists. We also have look books for all the products so we know dimensions, what fabrics are used, and other important facts. The more information we can provide, the better informed customers are, and the more impressed they will be with the brand, not just products but also the customer service. It makes sense though, because if you impress them early on they will keep coming back. As frugal as Gen Y can be, they have no problem spending if they know the experience will be worth while.
Haha thanks Christine. I love Wawa too, though being from the Northeast I'd never seen one before up to just a few years ago. I had no idea they had such a following–I can't believe they aren't capitalizing on that. Stuff like that kills me! What a missed opportunity.
I've heard good things about Nordstroms training. Do you need to be a certain age to be considered? What's the end game if you get and finish the “internship?”
Brooks Brothers does some good client outreach in my experience, and the people there really know their stuff! Never been to Kate Spade, but it sounds very similar. I can't really afford to shop at BB very often (or ever) but the service along with the quality of clothing I get means that I'm always looking for sales or saving up to buy what I need because it's worth the wait.
Love the article JaPo. Speaking from similar experiences, I'd love to see those kind of ideas put into place within this company. I would agree that some of them are already used to some extent, but I'd love to see an emphasis on employee development over weekly Gap card numbers.