(Almost) everything teaches us a lesson.
THIS MONTH, we’re continuing our efforts to get everybody in the retail jewelry community to understand each other a little better, by running a feature about your first jobs.
This is the type of story that I really enjoy. Fun, inspirational, collaborative. And while it might not be as directly practical as another piece on ?101 Ways To Increase Your Inventory Turnover,? I think the lessons to be learned are bigger. And since they’re coming from a different place than they usually do, they might be more likely to stick.
Here’s my story: My first job was as a dishwasher/food prep worker at a place called The Three Village Inn in Stony Brook, NY.
On the totem pole of the inn, I was at the bottom. Oh, busboys, how I envied you! Oh, line chefs, you ruled the kitchen like gods! Oh, waiters and waitresses ? to join your ranks would have been an unimaginable achievement. (Some of them even had cars.)
Aside from my absolute inconsequence in the overall scheme of things, what I most remember about the inn is the motivational techniques of its owner, Mr. Roberts.?As we worked, Mr. Roberts would try to inspire us by saying things like, ?Heyyyyy, you’d be peeling those potatoes a lot faster if you knew there was a $10 bill at the bottom of that bucket.?
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I never had the nerve to tell Mr. Roberts my immediate thought ? that, if I knew there was cash at the bottom of the bucket, I’d just stick my hand in the bucket and pull it out.
OK, so maybe not all of the stories in this issue have a lesson. But we think you’ll enjoy them, anyway.
Wishing you the very best business…
David Squires
Associate Publisher
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