I have been in retail for a long time and now it seems to me that I will never be able to leave this industry, which I would like very much.
I would appreciate the experiences of those who succeeded at transitioning elsewhere after a long time in retail.
I was in the same boat, DSD was the only thing I've known for 15 years. Staffing issues, logistics issues, management issues all started taking their toll, so I started saving up all the money I could, just in case. But then Mission 1 came along. I wanted the severance package so bad, especially after I found this site and started seeing the stories of those in Waves 1 and 2. Wave 3 came and went. Suddenly I had 28 stores, still short handed, and 180 miles from one end of the territory to the other. I gave it 2 weeks to see how it was going to play out, and realized that not only is this is not the same company I started with but they had taken away all the parts of the job that I loved. Customer service? Gone. Pride in what you do? Gone. Staffing issues? Just work the load a different day (maybe).
Bottom line: gave a month notice, took the summer off, and start a government job after Labor Day (What? A pension? Job security? No working from home or off the clock or in your sleep?) Making the leap is scary, but the constant state of not knowing what is coming next is way worse! Best of luck to all whether you stay or go. Honestly hopes it works out how you want!
I got an office job, pretty much rolled my severance into a new job. I can't remember the last time I worked over 40 hours and with a lot less stress. Got a 10k a year higher base salary too.
I applied to a warehouse after slaving for the cookie for over a deacde. When they told me my new route I told my RMS good luck and he can kiss my grits. Best decision I ever made.
If you don’t mind staying in retail, I ended up at Kellogg’s. Currently have 24 open retail sales leads jobs open across the country . 40hr work week, no deliveries to work (I put up 10-15cs a day from backstock), just yourself to manage, and they paid me more money! It’s been a Great company to work so far. They really care and want to develop their employees. Take a look to see if they have something open in your area.
I am in the same boat. Been applying else where to get out of retail but positions outside of retail usually go to the ones that have some sort of experience in the field for which your applying. A lot of it is networking, knowing someone inside to help you get your foot in the door. Or jump ship to a different retail company for the time being until the right one comes along. It’s a double edge sword. Stay in the industry and find something that pays better (which is a given) and who knows, maybe the atmosphere is better and you might be content after the change or it might be worse. If not, guaranteed the pay is better. Stick it out through different BS while getting paid more until you find something else. If you can, you might have to take a pay cut and start off at the bottom of the totem poll in the new job and work your way up. Either way, keep momentum and keep looking. Best of luck