I was doing some thinking this week, and I came to a conclusion: I realized that my working retail, and being in a sorority had very similar qualities that most people don’t realize. I work for an arts and crafts store, and I am a part of Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority. I want to do a disclaimer that this is supposed to be a funny and interesting article to read, but in no way am I talking bad about my job or sorority. But anyway, here’s exactly what I mean:
1. Numbers and percentages are involved.
Literally though. It's about making a total amount of something or getting a certain percentage. Whether it's making a certain percentage on sales for the week on a product, or the amount of emails we ask for so customers are subscribed to newsletters or weekly deals, or the amount of customers we get to fill out a survey because corporate needs to get feedback from our store. Or whether it's the amount of PNM’s we need to get for the semester/year so we don’t get in trouble with headquarters or our Greek Coordinator, in reference to target, total or quota. Or the amount of philanthropy hours we need for each semester so you don’t get sent to standards.
2. We all got to look the same now, don't we?
Work uniforms are annoying. And why do we all need to look the same? Yes, it makes everyone look nice and professional, however, do we really want to be wearing jeans, black pants, or a dark colored shirt in the summer when it's 80 degrees outside? It’s also easier for customers to stop us and ask for questions. Around Sorority Recruitment time, we all got to have some type of a theme, a color scheme, matching shirt or matching outfit going on with the rest of the chapter. Whether it's our “traditionals,” the original white chucks, the tee’s or camis, or whatever, we all have to look the same, the only exception is Bid Day, simply because.
3. Learning or memorization?
When you start a new job, you gotta go through the training process. The process of knowing how to properly do your job, so you don't get fired. You either learn it or you memorize it. It's very similar to your pledge process of becoming a fully active sister of any sorority. There's information you need to learn or memorize before you take your membership exam before becoming a fully active sister. But unlike a job, it’s not boring and dreadful, and we don’t make you sit there for hours and retain useless information.
4. There's some that you like and some that you don't like.
Yep. And this doesn’t just happen at work or in a sorority, it's everywhere! There's gonna be people you don't like at work and people that don't like you. And you're going to be closer to some sorority sisters than others. Or, heck, you might just be that one person that gets along with literally everyone. But either way, it’s fine. Because everyone's personality is different, and we aren’t all the same. There’s people you're close to, and people you're not so close to. But it's totally OK, because at the end of the day, you're all working towards a common goal, and that always unites people.
5. Dollar bills.
What's the point of working without getting a paycheck? Unless you just really love your job, then you go girl! But unlike the rest of us, you work to get your money. Money that will eventually all go towards sorority dues. Just kidding. But every semester, you pay your dues that goes towards your sorority. So either way, there’s money being imported and exported through your bank account.
6. Leadership and growth.
I can't even begin to explain how working retail and being in a sorority has developed my leadership and growth within myself. At work, you're consistently being a leader. When you're helping customers, you're helping your co-workers, you're helping your boss, you're helping everyone and you're taking the initiative to be leader for your team.
You're making a difference, you're learning more about yourself and you're doing things that are helping you grow as a person. In a sorority, there are plenty of chairmen and executive positions you can partake in that can help you develop leadership skills and help you grow as a sister. But also help you with any other organization you may be a part of. But, in the end, you learn so much about yourself and your sisters through it all.
7. Competition.
You're competing against others. To be better and be the best above the rest. You obviously want more people to come to your store rather than your competitor’s store. Because the more people you get, the more your sales go up, the more money you make, (and the more your boss isn’t in a crappy mood)! I don't want to say you're competing against other sororities because that sounds wrong, but there will be certain times where your sorority will go against another sorority throughout the year in events, such as Homecoming Queen, Greek Week, raising the most money for a yearly event, and other events that play a role in the Greek Community. But it’s all a lot of fun.
