What I can be sure of is it needed to happen. Things had been rough for a while with my dad hardly working (or being around for that matter) and my mom trying to get where she wanted to get to with her nursing career by working multiple jobs while putting herself through school.
As I approached my 17th birthday, we somehow came to the conclusion I should try to get a job in retail, presumably somewhere small where I wouldn't be overwhelmed. I could be making that up though. I don't really remember why we ultimately decided on me walking up to Revco, which was next to Stop-N-Shop in the plaza across from the end of my street on Hickory Ridge.
For those unfamiliar with either name, well, thanks for showing my age. Revco was one of the larger drug store chains until CVS bought it out and Stop-N-Shop was the big local grocery store before Giant Eagle took over the town. Revco seemed like a safe place to start my working career, and since it was within walking distance of my house, it was real ideal.
Naturally, things didn't pan out quite how my mom and I anticipated of course. The Revco in Brunswick wasn't hiring, so they sent my application to the store in Strongsville, which was looking for cashiers. I received a call from the store manager, who asked me to come in for an interview. I did and not longer after that, I was offered a job, which my mom felt I needed to accept even if it complicated how I was going to get there at first.
Remember, I was 16, just a couple months short of being 17. Yes, I had a driver's license, but we only had one car, which meant we were going to have to find a way to make it work until I could afford my own car.
My mom, as was often the case, assured me it would work. Another thing we had to work out was how much was I going to work. I was entering my Junior year in high school, which meant balancing school and work was a real thing I had sort through. Again, my mom helped me balance things out, which was tremendously helpful. The plan was put in place and I was set to begin my first day of work.
* * *
There's always been a sense of irony to me that my first day of work was on Labor Day, but that's how it worked out. I started on September 1, 1997. I was one of two new hires, the other being a girl whose name I sadly never retained after all these years for a reason that will be explained in a bit.
I was nervous as I had no idea what to expect throughout the course of the day. I was given the customary tour of the place, and for the first time, had a glimpse of what a store looked like behind the scenes. I had no idea that the infamous candy selection overstock was kept in boxes inside of the office, spanning several rows of shelves. Nor did I realize how many boxes were kept in the backroom.
I also had no idea that most of the current employees were a bit apprehensive. At the time, CVS was in the midst of buying out Revco, so while the store was still operating under the Revco name, it was assumed that the deal was going to be completed and major changes could be coming.
It was a close group though. Many of them had been working together for quite some time, so they were comfortable with one another. Thankfully, my sarcasm fit right in and I acclimated myself to the group fairly quickly. In fact, my longest-running friendship still exists to this day with Mike and Debbie, two people who took me under their wings and helped guide me.
Another person, the pharmacist-in-charge, Steve, ended up becoming the father figure I so desperately needed, particularly given the continued absence of my own dad. Steve was the guy I could talk sports with, the guy who helped me learn how to tie a tie, the guy who gave advice whenever I needed it. He was friendly and caring, even when customers were being nasty to him.
Thankfully, my first day was mostly uneventful. It was a 5 hour shift that was mostly spent learning how to run a cash register and the responsibilities I was expected to have. Of course, this didn't last long as much more responsibility was thrust upon me faster than I could anticipate.
Sadly, the girl that was hired alongside myself didn't last long.
Keep in mind, this was 1997. They were just starting to stiffen the penalties for underage drinking, which meant there was a lot of emphasis on checking ID's to make sure someone was legal to buy alcohol. This also meant police departments were running frequent stings to see if cashiers were adhering to the rules.
Well, the sting operation hit us one night. I was working the floor and she was working the register, so I wasn't at the counter when it happened, but saw the police come in shortly after it happened to talk to my manager. She was escorted out of the building and I never saw her again. She was a nice girl who unfortunately forgot to check ID one time. From that point on, I checked everyone's ID, and when people had an attitude about it, I told them I watched someone get taken out of her for not checking, so they can deal with it.
Within my first week on the job, I had learned how to ring up a customer on the register, watched a coworker get taken out of the building and ultimately lose their job, made life-long friends, and start doing plan-o-grams and other stock work.
It was an interesting start to what has become a 20 year journey at this stage and one filled with stories covering all types of emotions. Over the next several months, I plan on telling some of the more memorable stories, at least the ones I can remember enough details about.
I ask that if you have a story you think is worth telling from any time working with me that you send it along to me. I want to include as much as I can, but obviously my memory can only help so much, so anyone who can fill in the gaps is welcome to.
I will try to keep these in some kind of chronological order, but ultimately they may fall out of order as I remember things randomly.
Stay tuned for more by following the blog and I'll see you in the next one.
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