I remember that when I was younger, I couldn’t wait to be 16. Not because it’s the grand age that seems to separate the youth from the almost-adults or because I’d be one year closer to seeing an R-rated movie legally, but rather, I would be eligible to work at Lilly Pulitzer. My 12-year old dream job finally came true after I was hired to my first ever position as a sales associate. I started working at Lilly the summer after my sophomore year and continued in my blissful, busy-patterned clothes and an hourly salary close to minimum wage through senior year. I had an unforgettable two-year stretch doing something I love, and I suggest to everyone to take part in this fun, money-making environment to work in!

1. Older friends.

You’re going to have a lot of older friends. At least at Lilly, I was surrounded by 20-somethings and the occasional 50 plus co-worker. But from that, I have many older friends, either still in college, or on successful career paths elsewhere. Work friends are so great -- you can fill them in on your life, but otherwise they’re looking in from the outside; you have more gal pals or male amigos to dine with, share an inside joke with, or get countless advice from, and maybe even some help when it’s your turn to enter the industry of your choice.

2. Connections.

Odds are, you’re working at your retail store because you’re interested in working in the field of fashion, and everyone you work with can later become a reference, a brain to pick about how they continued on with their career in the fashion world, or maybe they can even help to get you a new job.

3. People you meet.

You may think that the last two points and this one are the same, but note they are not. True, they involve people you are surrounded by at work, but you get extremely different values from all three categories of people. I always got so excited when Lilly employees from corporate came -- although it put my managers on edge, these are the people who are running the company and making the big bucks. There’s also the occasional visit from the mayor’s wife or Shep of Shep and Ian from Vineyard Vines, and the reported shopping trip that Jennifer Lopez made to the Lilly in Atlanta.

 

4. Valuable work experience.

It doesn’t matter if you’re folding sweaters, it’s still valuable work experience.

I worked at Lilly during high school, and it was to my advantage to say that I had a job at such a young age, as it helped me get other jobs. But, retail is not restricted to high school students; anytime you are prepared to space hangers or greet strangers, experience will follow. Even if you’re only doing it for the employee discount, it is 100 percent worth it.

5. Lessons learned.

Good and bad, you will learn so much. “Retail” is synonymous with “working with people.” You have to be able to successfully interact with others throughout life and there is no better way to do this than in retail. You see all age groups and types of people -- whether there’s a group of 'tweens that comes in and throws $200+ dresses on the floor of the changing room, the snobby kind who think you’re new because you forgot one thing due to fatigue even though you’ve been working for over one year, the cute elderly lady you wish were your grandma, the size 2 woman who thinks she can fit into clothes from the kids’ section, or the chatty Cathy who buys big but then returns most of her items the next weekend. The main motto my first manager told me is to “kill them with kindness.”

6. The discount.

The store you pick will subconsciously be a store whose vibe you’re really into, and any form of moneysaving that you can manage, you take (a.k.a., you take advantage of the discount). Although more than half of my closet at the end of my Lilly days was from the brand itself, I bought good quality product at a lower price -- and, honestly, now that you’re a cheap and poor college student, what could be better?

7. Discipline.

It’s a boring and school-related word, I know, but what I’m getting at is that a consistent schedule and professional manner is demanded of you. If you’re like me and opted for work after a school day instead of a sports team, the continual commitment and accuracy required of you has to be learned somewhere, right? Your coach is your manager.

8. Perks.

Ever heard of a gift with purchase? They’re those cheap giveaways that customers get when they spend a certain amount of money during a promotion. You better believe there are always leftovers and either through incentive or kindness, everyone who is a part of the store’s team eventually gets some, doled out via the managers. Patterned chapstick? Check. Monogrammed blanket? Check.

9. Part-time summers.

Twenty-hour weeks with more than enough time for lunch and dinner with friends, beach days, and gym excursions -- it’s one of the best summer jobs out there!