Matthew Johnson – Retail manager

Hi, my name is Matthew Johnson and I’m 27. I work in retail, as a manager. I sell clothes in Brighton.

 I began working in retail because I didn’t want to go to university. I was working part-time in a doughnut shop at the end of the Sixth Form.

A guy came in one day and told me I could manage his record shop, because he liked my attitude. I called him later when I was leaving school and I got the job. 

I worked there for four years, and after the first year I became a manager at the age 19. 

Then the record shop shut down and I got a job selling leather goods. During that time I was working as a DJ six nights a week. Then I travelled across Europe for a couple of years and came back and worked in this clothing shop. 

Then I left to do some DJ work again, but when a position as manager opened up a few months later, I took it. 

I like this work because I love meeting people and it’s easy. I get to listen to music in the shop, and I’ve got a good team. I have a family now and I don’t want my day filled with stress. The last thing I want is a stressful job. 

Funny things happen in this job. A guy came in to one of our clothing shops, and he had a particular shirt that he loved, but he only had one arm. He asked us to take a sleeve off, and when he came back the day after to pick it up, he told us the shirt fitted well but that we had removed the wrong sleeve. He was so cool about it and thought it was really funny, but we were really embarrassed.

To work as a retail salesperson you have to be polite and have energy to work on your feet. If you are shy and reserved, then it will help you build confidence. You have got to enjoy talking to lots of people.