Can I get a glow-in-the-dark flower on my hat
A little more about my workday on Sunday:
- The owner was there. I mean THE owner, of Chapel Hats-the-chain. I arrived in time to see him saying his goodbyes to other employees. Got to introduce myself, shake his hand, and wish him safe travels. Seemed like a nice guy.
- I don't expect to work at this hat shop forever, and would like to buy one hat as a sort of memento when I leave (whenever that is.) 95% of the hats we have in stock are mass-produced. The exceptions are the Panama hats, which are hand-woven of toquilla straw in Ecuador; the Borsalinos, made in Italy from animal furs and primarily designed for men; and the Kathy Jeanne Millinery hats designed and made by a woman in New Jersey. Yesterday I found a Kathy Jeanne hat that was beautifully shaped and made of fragrant grass straw. They do a lot of cloches, 1920s styles, asymmetricals, really elegant stuff (click the link above to see some of the hats.) Right now I'm hoping that one of their hats will be my memento, but first I need to ask my boss if it's possible to order one direct from the millinery and still receive an employee discount. This is only because if I'm going to go all out and buy a handmade hat, I'd like to get one in my size and in specific colors. If that's not possible it's ok, but gotta ask to find out.
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Monday I woke up much later than usual (8:30ish) had breakfast, then when Jameson went to the gym I went for a walk. I usually do a two-mile loop in our neighborhood but was more tired than expected and cut it in half. Standing for five to seven hours at a time can be more physically tiring than you'd think, I guess.
After the walk, grocery for dinner ingredients, lunch, trombone practice, enjoying half a beer in a Welch's jelly jar glass. Because it's MONDAY, you know?
For dinner I made us some beef and chicken potstickers and an "Asian crunch" salad which is made by toasting plain ramen noodles with nuts and seeds, then tossing that with oil, vinegar, sugar, soy, spices, green onion, and cabbage. My sisters and I made this all the time for church pot lucks and fundraisers, because it was easy and everyone loved it. It's addictive! The only downside is that it doesn't make good leftovers; the ramen absorbs the dressing and will lose it's crunch the next day.
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Tuesday, didn't want to get up.
Pics of the firefly petunia. I have been taking Online Peanut Gallery's advice and pinching off new buds so the plant can focus on leaf growth instead of blooming. This in turn means the plant is currently sending more energy to the leaves, and is glowing more brightly in the stems and leaf clusters to reflect that, which is pretty cool both to see and to think about!
Took Prolific surveys and mucked about until it was time for work.
It was a good day for me at the hat shop. Now that I know basics about most of the hats, it's easier to make suggestions or give information. But most importantly, I'm getting comfortable with helping people make style choices...something that, as a daytime-pajama-wearing slug, I never DREAMED I could do!
Yet today I sold TWO fedoras: one to a man who's never worn anything but baseball caps (his wife was ecstatic), and one to a woman who hung her head and insisted in dismal Eeyore tones that she doesn't look good in hats. I said, "Well...but how many hats have you gotten to try?" She admitted that she really hadn't worn more than one or two. And I said, "Here's your chance!" Because there are so many hat options in the shop, at least ONE has to look "okay."
It actually helps that I'm not a hat-wearer myself. Six days ago, I was not a hat person and had never worn a hat. I tell people this. And show them the hat that I'm wearing that day, and share that I picked it out by just walking around the shop and trying on pretty much everything until I found those that look good. It worked for me, and it can work for you :)
The dejected "not-a-hat-person" woman was SHOCKED when she saw how good she looked with a fedora. We tried on many types and shapes of hats before that, but when we got to the fedora it was very clearly a good fit, and her daughter, who had been quietly withdrawn up to that point, looked at her mom with wide eyes and said, "Wow."
I sold more hats today than I have in the other five shifts I've had combined. And even when someone else completed the sale, several customers I'd helped made a point of thanking me for helping them to find the hat.
Y'all...I don't like retail, but retail sure does like ME.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
In other interesting hat shop news, here is the hat that I'm considering buying (and also today's hat):
This is a Kathy Jeanne Millinery hat, handmade. The problem is, I don't really care for the trim (the band and flower colors.) Additionally, Kathy Jeanne offers a felt cloche in a similar style for winter (CLICK HERE to see.) I want to order this hat, but I want to A) customize the colors of the trim and B) still get my employee discount while also contribute to our store's sales goals by purchasing the hat in-store. I'm still interested in the seagrass version pictured above...but my boss suggested that I ask the millinery if they'd be willing to send me two trim options, that I could interchange whenever I liked.
I thought this was a GREAT idea. And then we REALLY got into it, because both of us have noticed that customers have bought the millinery's fascinators...not to wear, but to attach to other hats as accessories.
We wondered if the millinery could sell some of their base hat forms with one or two interchangeable trims. It seemed like it could actually be a really good business idea. They'd have a customization option advantage over literally every other hat in the store. They'd have an accessory that they could sell either with their hats or as individual pieces, to be applied to other hats we sell. I mean, if someone didn't want to buy their hats but WOULD buy their accessories, that's still a sale, right?
We concluded that my hat(s) could be a great segue into a business discussion with the millinery about their willingness to develop and sell interchangeable trims. To that end, at my boss's suggestion, when I got home I essentially wrote a business proposition to the millinery, both regarding options for my personal hat and also the possibility of these customization options for their trims.
I find it hilarious that I've worked here for just six shifts and am already scheming with the manager about new product development.
Yeah, again, I don't like retail but it very much likes ME.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday morning, I was up and had already received an answer from the millinery. Yes, they could customize my hat; YES they could send interchangeable trims; YES they'd be willing to discuss these as a product line! I forwarded the email to my boss so that he can pick it up from here (it was mostly his idea + he's worked in hats for years and has the contacts and authority for this.) Having worked for Chapel Hats for less than a week I really hope I'm not overstepping my bounds...but I WAS given permission to tackle this, so...hopefully what I did was acceptable and ends up being actually profitable for someone!
And if not, I'll still end up with a cool hat :)
Jameson seemed to be in a mood this morning, and it's work related so I don't know how to help other than to say empty consoling things. He needs a new job.
I wanted to pick up a Papa Pal shift but weirdly there are none within an hour's drive of me.
While Jameson was at the gym I went to the grocery for dinner ingredients, and practiced trombone.
For dinner I made kofta patties with some leftover beef, served on warm pitas with cucumber, tomato, lettuce, onion, tzatziki sauce, and smiley fries on the side. Tasty easy dinner, no pics because it was super messy :p
After dinner I had a consultation with a transcription company that wants to hire me for an upcoming project. It all sounds good, the person I spoke with was friendly and sounded genuine, plus the company has been very good about staying in touch over all this time. I have high hopes that I might actually get to do this one. But it doesn't start until September IF it starts. We will see.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday: Another day off, I'll probably do chores, walk, practice, and prep things for work.
Friday: hectic night shift at the hat shop.
Saturday and Sunday: I'll have to wait and see if I get scheduled to work. No special plans.
- The owner was there. I mean THE owner, of Chapel Hats-the-chain. I arrived in time to see him saying his goodbyes to other employees. Got to introduce myself, shake his hand, and wish him safe travels. Seemed like a nice guy.
- I don't expect to work at this hat shop forever, and would like to buy one hat as a sort of memento when I leave (whenever that is.) 95% of the hats we have in stock are mass-produced. The exceptions are the Panama hats, which are hand-woven of toquilla straw in Ecuador; the Borsalinos, made in Italy from animal furs and primarily designed for men; and the Kathy Jeanne Millinery hats designed and made by a woman in New Jersey. Yesterday I found a Kathy Jeanne hat that was beautifully shaped and made of fragrant grass straw. They do a lot of cloches, 1920s styles, asymmetricals, really elegant stuff (click the link above to see some of the hats.) Right now I'm hoping that one of their hats will be my memento, but first I need to ask my boss if it's possible to order one direct from the millinery and still receive an employee discount. This is only because if I'm going to go all out and buy a handmade hat, I'd like to get one in my size and in specific colors. If that's not possible it's ok, but gotta ask to find out.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Monday I woke up much later than usual (8:30ish) had breakfast, then when Jameson went to the gym I went for a walk. I usually do a two-mile loop in our neighborhood but was more tired than expected and cut it in half. Standing for five to seven hours at a time can be more physically tiring than you'd think, I guess.
After the walk, grocery for dinner ingredients, lunch, trombone practice, enjoying half a beer in a Welch's jelly jar glass. Because it's MONDAY, you know?
For dinner I made us some beef and chicken potstickers and an "Asian crunch" salad which is made by toasting plain ramen noodles with nuts and seeds, then tossing that with oil, vinegar, sugar, soy, spices, green onion, and cabbage. My sisters and I made this all the time for church pot lucks and fundraisers, because it was easy and everyone loved it. It's addictive! The only downside is that it doesn't make good leftovers; the ramen absorbs the dressing and will lose it's crunch the next day.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, didn't want to get up.
Pics of the firefly petunia. I have been taking Online Peanut Gallery's advice and pinching off new buds so the plant can focus on leaf growth instead of blooming. This in turn means the plant is currently sending more energy to the leaves, and is glowing more brightly in the stems and leaf clusters to reflect that, which is pretty cool both to see and to think about!
Took Prolific surveys and mucked about until it was time for work.
It was a good day for me at the hat shop. Now that I know basics about most of the hats, it's easier to make suggestions or give information. But most importantly, I'm getting comfortable with helping people make style choices...something that, as a daytime-pajama-wearing slug, I never DREAMED I could do!
Yet today I sold TWO fedoras: one to a man who's never worn anything but baseball caps (his wife was ecstatic), and one to a woman who hung her head and insisted in dismal Eeyore tones that she doesn't look good in hats. I said, "Well...but how many hats have you gotten to try?" She admitted that she really hadn't worn more than one or two. And I said, "Here's your chance!" Because there are so many hat options in the shop, at least ONE has to look "okay."
It actually helps that I'm not a hat-wearer myself. Six days ago, I was not a hat person and had never worn a hat. I tell people this. And show them the hat that I'm wearing that day, and share that I picked it out by just walking around the shop and trying on pretty much everything until I found those that look good. It worked for me, and it can work for you :)
The dejected "not-a-hat-person" woman was SHOCKED when she saw how good she looked with a fedora. We tried on many types and shapes of hats before that, but when we got to the fedora it was very clearly a good fit, and her daughter, who had been quietly withdrawn up to that point, looked at her mom with wide eyes and said, "Wow."
I sold more hats today than I have in the other five shifts I've had combined. And even when someone else completed the sale, several customers I'd helped made a point of thanking me for helping them to find the hat.
Y'all...I don't like retail, but retail sure does like ME.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
In other interesting hat shop news, here is the hat that I'm considering buying (and also today's hat):
This is a Kathy Jeanne Millinery hat, handmade. The problem is, I don't really care for the trim (the band and flower colors.) Additionally, Kathy Jeanne offers a felt cloche in a similar style for winter (CLICK HERE to see.) I want to order this hat, but I want to A) customize the colors of the trim and B) still get my employee discount while also contribute to our store's sales goals by purchasing the hat in-store. I'm still interested in the seagrass version pictured above...but my boss suggested that I ask the millinery if they'd be willing to send me two trim options, that I could interchange whenever I liked.
I thought this was a GREAT idea. And then we REALLY got into it, because both of us have noticed that customers have bought the millinery's fascinators...not to wear, but to attach to other hats as accessories.
We wondered if the millinery could sell some of their base hat forms with one or two interchangeable trims. It seemed like it could actually be a really good business idea. They'd have a customization option advantage over literally every other hat in the store. They'd have an accessory that they could sell either with their hats or as individual pieces, to be applied to other hats we sell. I mean, if someone didn't want to buy their hats but WOULD buy their accessories, that's still a sale, right?
We concluded that my hat(s) could be a great segue into a business discussion with the millinery about their willingness to develop and sell interchangeable trims. To that end, at my boss's suggestion, when I got home I essentially wrote a business proposition to the millinery, both regarding options for my personal hat and also the possibility of these customization options for their trims.
I find it hilarious that I've worked here for just six shifts and am already scheming with the manager about new product development.
Yeah, again, I don't like retail but it very much likes ME.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday morning, I was up and had already received an answer from the millinery. Yes, they could customize my hat; YES they could send interchangeable trims; YES they'd be willing to discuss these as a product line! I forwarded the email to my boss so that he can pick it up from here (it was mostly his idea + he's worked in hats for years and has the contacts and authority for this.) Having worked for Chapel Hats for less than a week I really hope I'm not overstepping my bounds...but I WAS given permission to tackle this, so...hopefully what I did was acceptable and ends up being actually profitable for someone!
And if not, I'll still end up with a cool hat :)
Jameson seemed to be in a mood this morning, and it's work related so I don't know how to help other than to say empty consoling things. He needs a new job.
I wanted to pick up a Papa Pal shift but weirdly there are none within an hour's drive of me.
While Jameson was at the gym I went to the grocery for dinner ingredients, and practiced trombone.
For dinner I made kofta patties with some leftover beef, served on warm pitas with cucumber, tomato, lettuce, onion, tzatziki sauce, and smiley fries on the side. Tasty easy dinner, no pics because it was super messy :p
After dinner I had a consultation with a transcription company that wants to hire me for an upcoming project. It all sounds good, the person I spoke with was friendly and sounded genuine, plus the company has been very good about staying in touch over all this time. I have high hopes that I might actually get to do this one. But it doesn't start until September IF it starts. We will see.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday: Another day off, I'll probably do chores, walk, practice, and prep things for work.
Friday: hectic night shift at the hat shop.
Saturday and Sunday: I'll have to wait and see if I get scheduled to work. No special plans.