If my college years had taught me anything, it was that I must only choose a job that I was passionate about, and not because it paid more, or because it would make certain individuals proud of me.
For five years, I worked in restaurants simply because I loved food. Even then, before I'd consider applying for a job at any restaurant, I'd make sure I really liked the food there, because that was what I was going to survive on for the next few months or years. On a working day, I barely spent any money on food. Lunch was usually covered by the company. And dinner was whatever leftover I could scavenge in the kitchen (or on people's plates).
The other reason why I'd only choose jobs based on my passions was that if I were to sell anything to anyone, I had to really like the product. I didn't want to be one of those conniving, bloodsucking salespersons who would sweet-talk people to get them to buy something they didn't need. In fact, let me say it straight out: don't hire me to sell or upsell anything. I care more about the customers than the company (especially if I hate the boss). I give the customers the best prices. And if I think a product is lousy, I'll just say so.
So, it only made sense that for my next career move, I chose to work in a bookstore. I learnt to read when I was three, and had become a bookworm ever since. In a shopping mall, I'd walk past all the other shops and head straight towards the bookstore, even if I'm not buying anything. It brings me joy to be surrounded by books. I love flipping through those crisp new pages and sniffing them. 😵
In 2013, I started working in Kinokuniya as a customer service assistant. My department was in charge of membership application and card issuance, gift-wrapping, book jacketing, book delivery, book ordering, general inquiry (including online and over the phone), deposit payments, special discounts, complaints, refunds, exchanges and dealing with shitty customers. If any of the other staff members had a troublesome customer they couldn't handle, they'd hand him over to us.
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| On stock-take day |
In all of my years in the workforce, my team was by far the best team that I had ever been a part of. I think in the whole bookstore, ours had the best chemistry. Our manager was a Japanese lady who treated us like her own daughters. We frequently had group outings, and on special occasions when we didn't have to wear uniforms, we'd all wear the same color.
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| 2016 - On my last day of work, the first time I quit. |
In 2016, I quit my job to go traveling and spend more time with my mother. I stayed unemployed for a year until I ran out of money. Then in 2017, I was offered to come back to work. I chose to work part-time for the flexibility and freedom it afforded.
However, due to the rise of the digital world, people didn't read books anymore. Those who did, read e-books. Smaller bookstores were closing down and going bankrupt. As the biggest bookstore in Malaysia, we weren't hit as badly as the smaller chains. We still had our loyal client base who, I'm sure, still preferred real books to electronic ones (you can't get that new-book smell from Kindle 😜). We had our manga fans. We also had a huge array of international reference books that were not likely to be converted into digital format any time soon. Still, we must have been affected somewhat. The company had to take certain measures to optimize manpower. As a result, our department ended up being combined with the cashier department.
Some of my teammates (those who weren't so much into books) rejoiced over this decision, but I was devastated. We had to move to a smaller counter. There was a significant change in our job scope. We were no longer going to handle book inquiries, ordering or delivery. Suddenly, my job wasn't about books anymore; it was all about handling cash, discounts, membership, free gifts, and refunds, which were my least favorite things to do.
As a part-timer and the most junior member in the department, it was usually I who had to man the cash register. That generally meant I had to be on my feet for almost the entire shift, while the seats were taken by my seniors who were doing data entry, processing membership applications, and replying to e-mails. But it was not the physical exertion that got to me; it was feeling downgraded and undervalued. Whereas previously, the job helped me hone my knowledge on books and literature, now the smartest thing I could say all day was, "Would you like to have a plastic bag?" I was no longer getting the satisfaction I got when I first joined the company.
Therefore, with a heavy heart, I made the decision to once again leave my team, this time permanently. Unless they move us back to our original counter. 😄
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| 2017 - On my last day, the second time I quit |
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| Eid celebration |
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| Harry Potter Day. |
