The Year that Kohl's Saved Christmas

2017 was a bit of a rocky year and the turbulence hit a frenzied level when I lost my job at the beginning of May. What followed was five months of struggle—collecting unemployment, a small part-time “consulting” type gig that was inconsistent at best and the fear that at age 53, my best years as a marketing professional were behind me.

With only a couple more months of unemployment benefits left, desperation was starting to set in. In October, I started sending out applications for hourly employment in different retail establishments and the one to call back first was Kohl’s. As a big fan of the retail chain, my wife encouraged me, saying that I would do great there (I had never worked retail in my life) and that the employee discount could come in handy for what was shaping up to be a very tense Christmas season. Plus, as my friend Brian always told me, “If you need to get an hourly job, best go with retail over restaurant. They’re both hard work, but at least with retail, you don’t go home smelling like an onion.” Sound, odiferous advice and a strong reminder of my restaurant days in high school and college.

My wife and I had talked over the past few years after all the kids had made their way out of the house that we would work at Kohl’s to get extra cash and to get some discounts. Now, it was becoming a necessity.

The interview was painless—a group setting as they needed to hire for the holiday rush and were looking to add 70 people to their roster. There were six of us in that interview and we all got offered “seasonal” status—working through the first week of January.

I was feeling a bit demoralized. How far had I fallen? I have been in marketing management for over 20 years and have worked for big companies and firms. I have had as many as 11 people working under me and now I was signing up to make $9 an hour. To me, it was a low point. Little did I know that this job would save me and my Christmas in so many ways.

After a brief training session, I got my first schedule, which included a few days of early morning shifts unloading the truck as well as a few shifts working in the shoe department.

Let me just say, at my age, I have been spoiled by many years of desk jobs. Here I was, clocking in before dawn and working alongside teenagers, college students, and other mature adults like myself in a very physical setting. I was assigned along the conveyor belt helping to sort the different items off the truck onto the appropriate “U-boat,” large carts used to transport the wares onto the store floor. Figuring out what went where was challenging at times and I applaud the patience of my co-worker Diego (who was working his last week) and my manager Amanda. Any time I screwed up, I was met with a “No worries” and a smile. I thank them all for their kindness.

The boxes started coming off the truck faster and faster and I joked that I felt like that episode of “I Love Lucy” when Lucy was working at the candy factory. I then realized that there was only one person working with me that even got that reference! By the end of my shift, I was exhausted. No, I was totally beaten. But I made it through this and at least four other truck shifts in the upcoming weeks. I also noticed that the managers at Kohl’s were not only kind people, but extremely hard-working as well. I got the feeling that no one would ask me to do anything that they wouldn’t be willing to do themselves. And you could tell that they all had done every job in the store. I truly respected that about all of them—Amanda, Natalie, Matt, Eric, Ashley, Jessica and Christina.

Then I got my big break—one of my many interviews finally came through for me and I got a job offer to be a contract Copywriter at Alcon, the eye care company located in Fort Worth. Although a step back in both pay and position for me, Alcon is a company I have long admired and looked for an opportunity to get in the door. But with my hourly lower than what I had been used to, I decided that Kohl’s was still worth keeping, especially when you factor in the employee discount.

For the first time in my life, I was going to work two jobs. With the first two kids already moved out and the third a junior in college, the demands of my time were less than before and I knew that I could do it. Besides, we have a saying in our house for whenever you are looking at a less-than-desirable situation for a limited time period: “You can do anything for (insert time period here).” It was time for me to practice what I had preached to my kids all those years.

My training at Kohl’s was fast and furious. After going through their self-directed training manual on being a POS Associate (definition—cashier), I “shadowed” for a couple of minutes and was then put in front of the customers. While a lot to remember in this job, I picked it up fast and was off and running. In addition, I was also introduced to the shoe department at Kohl’s. Now, I don’t know how many Kohl’s shoppers are reading this (if anyone at all) but if you have ever been in the shoe department at Kohl’s, you know that it can only be described as a “free-for-all” situation. Any self-service shoe department is and at a high-volume store like the one where I was working (North Richland Hills, TX), this was no exception. I spent many hours learning where everything went and seeing how destructive the general public could be. I also spent a lot of my time looking for lost/missing shoes!

My job at Alcon was off to a great start and I was adjusting to my life of working “doubles"—a 7:30-4:30 day at Alcon followed by various evening shifts at Kohl’s. It started out easy enough with one or two evening shifts followed by weekends shifts. As we got closer to “Black Friday” however (if you don’t know what that is by now, you can stop reading and move on), my Kohl’s shifts got more frequent and went later with the extended shopping hours. Then there was the stretch of 11/5—12/17 without a single, whole day off.

This is when I tell you that I am a very self-aware person and I know that I can be described—accurately—as a “whiner.” But something interesting was happening. I wasn’t complaining (much) at all. I would go to work at Alcon, come home for about 40 minutes, grab a quick bite to eat and then clock in to work in Shoes—my new home. I was actually told I was one of three people that they actually “trusted” working in shoes, which I took as some sort of compliment. I also discovered that after many years of foot issues, I was somewhat of a self-proclaimed expert on shoes, having lengthy discussions with customers about arch supports, inserts, and the discomfort of plantar fasciitis.

Even though the schedule was taking its toll on my body, I found myself very grateful to have two jobs after not working for so many months.

Working in retail is like working in any job where you face the general public on a day-to-day basis. You see the best and worst in humanity, both from my co-workers and the customers. I will concentrate on the good here, because that’s what I will take with me from my experience.

As the new self-proclaimed “Al Bundy” of NRH Kohl’s, I have met some really great customers. I have had lengthy discussions about the weather, holiday shopping, foot problems, working out (or not) and just general chit chat. One conversation does stand out from one of my shifts. I was visited by my son and daughter-in-law at the store one day because they were in the neighborhood and were headed back to their place about an hour away. As is customary in my family, I gave hugs before they left and thanked them for stopping by. This led to one of my more memorable conversations with a customer. While helping someone find the shoes they were looking for, this soft-spoken woman mentioned to me that she had seen me hug my son before he left. She was impressed with this public display and told me that she thought that was very nice. This led to a five-minute discussion about the importance of family and my own personal pride in my own children. It was a moment that definitely restored my faith in humanity and helped me feel the holiday spirit more than ever.

My wife and family had been my rock all year and it was nice that a complete stranger recognized that and felt compelled to mention it to me.

As for my co-workers, I have already remarked on my opinion of my managers and appreciation for them. I also had the opportunity to work with a wide array of other associates from 17 to 70. To the teenagers, I was the old man who made references they didn’t understand and tried to give them advice on school or relationships or just whatever we talked about. Each of them were interesting with their own stories and different levels of drive, but I have enjoyed getting to know them all. I would go home and tell my wife all about these conversations and she politely smiled and I’m sure was wondering why all of this was so important to me. I guess at the end of the day, I like people, and I believe in them. I had been soured by months of looking for a job and I needed this infusion of new spirit in my life. To Emma, Jacky, Sydney, Maggie, Beatrice, Nolan, Noel, Sarah, and so many more (too many to mention), thank you for being my new-found friends.

How is this saving Christmas, you ask? Obviously, I would have had difficulty getting any holiday spirit given the year I had. I was also worrying about getting anything for my family for Christmas after so many months out of work. This is where the beauty of Kohl’s and their discounts, coupons, Kohl’s Cash, Yes-To-You Rewards and my new-found customer discount come in. In taking full advantage of all of these offers, my wife was able to extend our limited budget for the holidays and still be generous to all of our friends and family. It was important to her and important to us. I joked that my Kohl’s bill was more than my gross pay and it was actually true and certain points, but it was all worth it.

My schedule was getting even more hectic, working a full-time, 40-hour week at Alcon and anywhere from 25-35 hours a week at Kohl’s. There were stretches of days I survived on coffee, Mountain Dew, and energy shots. But subscribing to the “do anything” mantra of the family, I decided that it would all be worth it. And it was.

Another wrinkle in this story is when my wife decided to sign the two of us for a three-month membership to Weight Watchers at the end of November—is it a bad sign that after 28+ years of marriage, your wife signs you up for WW while you are out working one of your two jobs? And Kohl’s was factoring into this as well—my job was making my Fitbit go crazy with 22,000+ step days and no time to sit at home on the couch and eat all that bad stuff I would normally eat. Between the steps, the diet, and the schedule, I lost 15 pounds BEFORE Christmas. I also noticed that I had greatly reduced my dependence on insulin and that my battle with Type 2 Diabetes was being managed better than it had been in years.

My story isn’t the most inspirational or even interesting I’m sure, but it’s mine. I went from completely down on myself, my employment prospects, my health, my weight, and the whole world to having a renewed faith in everything in my life. My appreciation of my family never waned and my appreciation of the holidays was now even stronger than ever. To all of my friends and family who have supported this journey, I thank you so much. To my new Alcon family, thanks for your patience and understanding while I dragged myself in each morning after working until 12 or 12:30 the night before. To my new Kohl’s family, thanks for taking me in and giving me the opportunity—and all the discounts!

Most of all, thanks to all of it for saving my Christmas!

I have been asked to stay on beyond the holiday season as a permanent, part-time employee and I gladly accepted. I can use the extra cash and, of course, my wife doesn’t want to give up that discount!

#lifeatkohls #alcon #weightwatchers