I’ve
worked at my Five Below store for almost five years now. Wow, time flies!!
Thinking
back to my earliest days at the Newtown store, when I thought it was a temporary position until I
found a “real job” again; until now, when it has become a job I truly enjoy, the
transformation in my thinking amazes me.
Life is weird that way I guess.
It brings you to a spot you never planned or expected and then you find
it just might be the perfect place ~ a place you were meant to be.
Since
I started working at the Five Below store in Newtown, I have had the pleasure
of working with some amazing, hard-working, intelligent, thoughtful people. From my first Manager, Lisa, who
brought me in for the holidays as we were long time friends, to other managers
from Richie, Megan, Kim, Brittany and John, my present Manager, I can’t begin
to properly extol the virtues of these highly skilled people. I know a lot of people don't think very highly of retail
workers, but let me tell you, the talent,
intelligence, hard work and personalities of each of these managers is at least
as comparable as any of the very highly respected and well paid CEO’s and CFO’s of some of the
other companies I have worked for previously. They may not be given the high salaries and cushy comforts of those other positions, but they surely display the same insight and business acumen.
Managers
at a retail store HAVE to be there.
They have to deal with and diffuse issues from difficult customers and
irresponsible workers (not me of course.....haha) to finances, store maintenance issues, vender problems,
staffing, and a myriad of other daily situations.
It amazes me the widespread and highly under appreciated talents these dedicated
men and women utilize every single day.
While doing all of these tasks, they simultaneously have to schedule the store to run
well with the hours allotted, they have to get shipment done, keep the store
looking great, and make sure everyone is functioning in such a way as to give
the store a glowing reputation.
They work long, long hours, weekends, nights, holidays…and through all
of this, I have yet to work with a Manager at Five Below that didn’t excel at
every aspect! I don’t know if the
hiring process is just that great or if Five Below just lucks out, but I have
been honored and privileged to work with each and every Manager.
But,
now, my store and my store alone, is closing due to circumstances surrounding
the shopping center. It is so
sad. Our customers have become
true friends and they each come in with a story of how much they are going to
miss us. I know so many of them
now ~ it’s such a warm, friendly relationship! We greet each
other with a cheery hello as through the years I have shared preparing for birthday parties, holidays,
school starting, school ending…with them and their children! I have watched their children grow from babies to now starting kindergarten!
They know I will go out of my way to help them and share a laugh and I
know they will be happier when they shop with us than if they would go to some other
big box store where they do not know or have any relationship with the sales
associates. Five Below truly
appreciates their customers and they encourage their employees to show that appreciation. I am
proud to work for an organization that does this, it makes my day feel
worthwhile and it allows me to be the helpful, kind lady at the store they all love so much.
I
am truly emotional when I think about my last day at the store this
Friday. I have had the privilege
of hugging many customers goodbye and they have promised to come see me and
shop at my new store, the Five Below in Feasterville. I am excited to be reunited with one of my previous
managers, a true friend, a great worker and loving, wonderful woman,
Megan. It is the knowledge that I
will be with her again that makes this whole experience that much better. But, leaving my store (and I do
consider it my store), leaving the customers, but mostly leaving the staff that
has functioned as a close family, from Shane and Kayla, to Lisa and John…we
have helped each other, laughed together, struggled together, boosted each
other, and trusted in each other for quite some time now, leaving will be so hard. We are a crazy, working family of sorts….I
will miss each and every one of them.
I am glad everyone will remain employed with Five Below, they have not
let any of us go, and because of that we will still be in touch. I am very confident of that fact.
I
suppose I am a very lucky lady as I have always found myself surrounded by
caring, loving, wonderful people at work.
People who have become and remained enduring friends at each of my work experiences through the years. I never expected that to be a benefit
of working “outside the home” but it truly is one of the best. I am grateful beyond my wildest dreams
for the relationships I have built throughout my working life…from real estate,
to Verispan, to Cognetx and now at Five Below. I have learned so much from each and every company, from
each and every person.
Life
changes all the time. As I go to a
new store, with many new co-workers and a new customer base, I will take with
me all I have learned from each and every position I have held. I will remember that even though retail
workers are given little respect from many outside of retail, we know how hard
we work and how varied the tasks are that fill our day and we respect and honor
each other.
I
hope Feasterville knows how lucky I feel to have landed with them. I hope Megan knows how thankful I am
that she has taken me as part of her staff. I hope Five Below continues to grow and prosper as a company
because they truly offer something special to every community they join;
reasonable prices for necessary items, a staff that values their customers, and
lots of fun.
Goodbye
to Five Below in Newtown, to the store, to my fellow employees, and to the
exceptional customers. Thank you
for the past five years. It’s been
so very great! I've loved being part of the Five Below Newtown experience!!
