Williams-Sonoma a Part Time Job

An era has ended for me and a new one has begun. After 2 years with Sur La Table I decided to take my knowledge and my experience a few doors and a floor below to Williams-Sonoma. It wasn't as hard a decision as I thought it would be but was made with careful consideration. Many things factored into that decision to make a change. What had been a fun and enjoyable experience was now more frustration and stress then the benefit it provided. I had gone back and forth between no longer having a part time job at all or finding a new opportunity elsewhere. 

That opportunity came quicker then I had planned or expected. After some encourage ment I submitted my application at Williams-Sonoma in a moment of "now is as good a time as ever". I didn't have to wait long for a response the store manager Cynthia called me promptly the next day and we made an appointment for an interview a few days later.

I know its just a part time job but I still had a twinge of nervousness as I arrived. What if she didn't like me or didn't think I was a good fit where the thoughts going through my head.

I immediately scolded myself for my lack of confidence and went into the store ready to impress.  I introduced myself to one of the staff who greeted me and was led into the back stock room to meet the manager. it was then I knew I was in a better place. The stock room was immaculate. Everything had its place which was a breath of fresh air compared to the chaotic stock room upstairs which at any given time you were worried might all collapse and bury you alive.

I was then introduced to Cynthia who I spoke with for a good 35-40 minutes and she was very personable and I knew we would get along great. At the end of the interview she told me she would be happy to have me aboard and with that we began the paperwork. Everything was done digitally and in less then 15 minutes I was an new employee at Williams-Sonoma.

My first day as a sales associate was a Wednesday. I arrive ready to work and was greeted by a few of my new coworkers. Everyone couldn't have been nicer. The manager on duty for the night was Sandy who I had gotten my application from. She would also be my trainer for the night.

After teaching me how to clock in we started in the stock room where she explained where everything is and where it should be. It didn't take long for us to click and I knew we would get on perfectly. After the nickel tour of the stock room we moved out to the sales floor.

Here she went over the daily agenda which is a guideline of what they expect from each person. It was pretty straight forward. Next we walked the store and talked about the product and she coached me one some selling techniques she has found successful. After that we were on our own as the other employees were off. She let me do my thing and shadowed me as she also helped other customers.

When it came time for me to ring my first employee she guided me through the login process and what to do and where to do it. Capturing e-mail addresses, receipt by e-mail & paper options as well as tender types. It all was very straight forward and I felt confident to proceed.

My biggest challenge is going to be learning where everything is. The store is so much more organized I felt feel confident that it wont take me long to do that. As the night progressed we had many customers and Sandy was pleased with my interactions and competency with the product and the POS system.

She taught me a little bit about the wedding registry and how it operates and soon I'll be able to do those on my own too. the night flew buy and before I knew it the mall was closing and we shut our doors. She then went thought he routine closing procedures with me for trash, dishes, sweeping and restocking.

I didn't get out until about 10:30 but normally she said that we would be out sooner but that she wanted to be sure she covered everything with me.

All in all I had a great evening and was happy with my new surroundings. I am looking forward to being there for a long time. Sandy has been there for 8 years and that there are people at the store who have been there even longer. That is an encouraging statistic that demonstrates that they take good care of their employees and that its a great place to work.

Jura Micro Ena 9

As many people know I had a part time job at Sur La Table. It started as a seasonal distraction and turned into a more long term part time job. I worked all over the store in every department but the area of the store where I spent most of my time in was at the coffee bar.

It was my favorite not because I am a big consumer of coffee drinks but because I had an ability to sell just about any machine to just about any customer.  I sold many Nespresso units but I also sold a fair number of automatic machines. Out of all the machines we sold there was only one that I would buy if I ever decided to get a machine. That machine was the Jura Micro Ena 9.

 

The Jura Micro Ena 9 is touted as the world's smallest One-Touch automatic cappuccino machine. Its operation is so straightforward that it can be summed up in two words. Press - Enjoy. It can make a multitude of beverages with a  single touch from your basic espresso and coffee to your more complicated cappuccino & latte macchiato. The best part is that you can have any of those at the touch of a button with out ever having to move your cup.

 

Its amazing to me how much technology is packed into such a small stylish unit. Its programmable features such as volume, temp, strength are all done through a single simple interface and rotary switch. It has an aroma preservation seal to keep your 4.4 oz of beans fresh. It has a Clearyl Blue filter to ensure the purity of the 36.8oz of water used and can make 9 beverages before needing to have the grounds removed.  For those who are energy conscious is has a zero energy switch and can go into a programmable energy save mode.

 

Each beverage the beans are freshly ground in the multi level conical aroma grinder before entering the high performance thermoblock heating system and then being dispensed under 15 bars of pressure. It also has a shoot for pre-ground coffee if there is someone out there who must have something different. If you are having a milk based beverage the milk is dispensed from its cool control cooler into its own state of the art fine froth technology tips producing a rich and creamy milk. No matter what the size of the beverage the spout is adjustable from 2 to 5.4 inches to allow your cup to fit underneath. The best part is that when its all over it will automatically rinse its self internally including the milk system. It will also do a more robust full clean and descale when necessary at the touch of a button.

 

I decided it was time to treat myself. I was going to make one final big purchase at Sur La Table before leaving but with a little research I discovered I could actually pick one up for even less then I could with my employee discount. So as an early Christmas gift to myself I ordered it online and even got the cool control container for the attached milk at about 60% off. I was a little nervous that they might be refurbished units. 

When it finally arrived I nervously opened the box wondering if  I had made a bad decision.  I couldn't have been more happy since they were clearly brand new never opened boxes. It won't get a lot of use so it should last me a good long while. I got it at a great price too so I feel good about my acquisition.

Task 1 - Visit Hawaii (The Tours)

My trip to Hawaii is coming up fast and still many things to do. The flight and hotel are booked and paid for. The extra camera gear I wanted was ordered and has arrived. New swimsuits and other clothes have been purchased. The packing list has been written. I even bought a new snorkel set to use at the beaches.

The hardest part being the itinerary of what to do and when to do it is nearly done all that is left is to finish booking the tours. It wasn't easy to decide what to see and when to see it and I decided to use the services of a tour company who has expereince on the island and whose track record and reviews demonstrate that they are a trusted resource on the islands for helping tourists cover as much ground and see as much as they can during their trips.

We selected 4 different tours to make sure we see as much of Oahu and Hawaii as possible.   Our tours are a tad out of order from how maybe they should go but in order to get everything done I had to get creative with the order.

1. Tour one is something I really wanted to do and the others while not necessarily their first pick agreed to join me.  This excursion is a hike, kayak, and hike trip through Kualoa Ranch and out to Mokoli'i island also known as Chinaman's Hat by kayak. While out on the island we will enjoy lunch and an opportunity to explore the island and snorkel its shores.
2. The second tour perhaps should have been the first since it really is a great way to get an introduction to the island of Oahu.  It includes a stop at Waimea Valley & Waterfalls, Kualoa Ranch, the beaches of Oahu's North Shore, Nu'uanu Pali Lookout, Halona Blowhole & Cove, Turtle Beach, Byodo-In Temple, Hanauma Bay amung other locations.
3. The third tour we selected is the One-Day Hawaii Volcano Eco-Adventure to the Big Island to visit the Volcanoes National Park, Hilo Town, Rainbow falls, the Thurston Lava Tube, The Black Sand Beach and other attractions on the Big Island.  It will be a long day and much ground will be covered but it will be an adventure we won't soon forget. I am looking forward to seeing the lava flows.
4. Our final scheduled tour is another long and very full day of exploration. It starts off with a somber reminder of Hawaii's role in WWII by visiting the Pearl Harbour Visitor's Center and the USS Arizona Memorial.  It is followed by a trip to the Dole Plantation where we will get the opportunity to explore its Pinaple Maze and possibly send a pineapple or two home to family. Next we take a Hoku Pa'a Canoe Ride at the Polynesian Cultural Center followed by a Ali'i Luau Buffet and a La'ie Town Tram Ride before enjoying the Traditional Ha: Breath of Life show.

The tours are not cheap and to help spread the cost rather then book them all at the same time we are going to the most expensive today and the rest later as we get a little closer. The most expensive tour is the one-day fly away to the Volacano National Park on the Big Island.

Task 1 - Visit Hawaii

Task 1 - Visit 1 New State or Country: Oahu, Hawaii

While I have not yet gone to Hawaii the trip is booked and I am excited to go. I used money made from my part time job to finance this incredible adventure and I can't wait.

Step 1: Pick the Island: After researching where to stay I settled on Oahu and particularly Waikiki. I picked Oahu because it has many of the attractions that I feel are must see's while in Hawaii. It is also the state capital and home to the majority of Hawaii's population. I choose Waikiki because of its notoriety as the place to visit. Usually I prefer to be off the beaten path but for this trip I thought I would follow the herd.

Step 2: Pick the Dates to Travel: I know a few people who have or do live in Hawaii and asked what time of the year did they think it was best to travel there. They all thought that the fall was the best time because it was before the busy holiday season but after the kids all go back to school.  That left me traveling sometime from late September to early November.

Step 3: Pick a Hotel: I looked at alot of hotels on Waikiki from the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, to the Sheraton Waikiki and the Moana Surfrider. My critera was simple I do not want to have to cross Kalakaua Ave to get to the beach. I also didn't want to be right smack in the middle of the beach either where the majority of the crowds would be. As such I settled on the Sheraton Waikiki. Its ideal because I can get to the beach easy enough but also have the option to swim in its incredible infinity pool overlooking the ocean.

Step 4: Plan the Activities: Once the dates and hotel were locked down the fun part of planning what activities I wanted to do began. I decided that I wanted to do a few guided tours to to compliment the free time I would have on Oahu.

1. To acclimate to the island I thought that an island tour would be ideal as an opportunity to see what was on the island and what we might want to go back and explore more.  I settled on Discover Hawaii Tours Ultimate Circle Island Tour.
2. What vacation to Hawaii is complete with out visiting Pearl Harbour and the USS Arizona Memorial. To maximize seeing everything we opted to include that in addition to visiting the Dole Plantation and the Polynesian Cultural Center with an included Luau. Discover Hawaii Tours Pearl Harbour, Dole Plantation, Polynesian Cultural Center with Luau
3. Being an avid fan of kayaking, hiking and anything really outdoors I picked a tour that would allow me to do all the things I wanted to do without torturing my travel companions. We would visit the film location for Jurassic Park as well as hike above the Kualoa Ranch fish ponds before kayaking to Chinaman's Hat. Discover Hawaii Tours - Chinaman's Hat Experience
4. One final tour we have yet to settle on is a big one and would add a good deal of expense to an already pricey vacation. It's an opportunity to visit the big island on a fly away tour to visit the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and rainbow Falls. We would get to see the most active volacano in the world and walk thought the Thurston Lava Tube. Discover Hawaii Tours - One-Day Hawaii Volcano Eco Adventure.

The rest of the vacation would be spent with out any planned tours or trips and we would get the opportunity to relax, enjoy the beach, and explore as we see fit.

Task 24 – Increase my 401(k) contribution to 10%

Working part time at Sur La Table definitely has its perks. Not only do I really enjoy working with the people but it is a great opportunity to cover some of the expenses that dipped into my savings over the last year.  Another benefit of a part time job like this is that they offer their seasonal & part time employees the option of enrolling in their 401(k) plan. They also offer 50% match on the first 4% which is better than my full time job. Given that the income I receive from this job is purely gravy I thought I might as well contribute as much as possible to my retirement and at the very least enough to get the match.  To start I am going to contribute 10% of my Sur La Table income to my 401(k) but as soon as I have re-filled my savings account with the money I spent over the year I am going to up my contribution to max pre-tax allowed.

Hopefully like a money tree some of the money I sow today will yield a retirement where I don’t have to worry about money. That is after all the purpose of a 401(k) plan. My plan is to contribute the max allowed. If I did that this year it would be $17,000 pre-tax dollars. I won’t come close to that unfortunately.

Task 18 - Part-Time / Seasonal Job

With the unexpected cost of repairing my car and my usual over the top fall/holiday spending habits I thought I might get a part time seasonal job. I gave this a lot of thought before deciding to do it and even more thought about where I might want to get a job.  I figure that if I am working I wont be spending and why not pull in a little extra money in the process.

When I was deciding where I knew a few things about what kind of job I didn't want. I didn't want to fold cloths or wait tables. I also didn't want a job where I would be interacting with the dregs of earth. I settled on a few possibles. After my recent great experience with the Sur La Table cooking class and my many interactions with the staff I thought it would be an ideal spot.  It fit all of the criteria for what I was looking for.

Last night was my first real night at my new part time job. I had my first day last week where we went through training. I chose a retail position like Sur La Table because of the flexible hours and as an alternative to my day job. This position requires little in the way of mental effort or stress and is a great way for my outgoing personality to shine. April the Assistant Store Manager taught us everything we need to know about the store and the products Sur La Table sells.

I will be working 1-2 nights a week and the occasional weekend during the busy holiday season. My employment will last the holiday season and take me into the new year a little bit. Even better the employee discount will allow me to pick up some pretty nice gifts at awesome prices or take more cooking classes at a significantly reduced rate.

I already have meet some great people such as April who first suggested I get a job there when I was on break during my cooking class. Another employee who has already made the job fun and exciting is Stephanie the Floor Manager I worked with last night.  Everyone seems to be super friendly and even more importantly they want the job to be fun while maintaining a professional approach. They are the most down to earth bunch of people and each and every one I have meet have made me feel welcome and appreciated.

Even better I sold my first espresso machine last night to this very nice young couple who came in about 15 minutes before we started closing down. I will admit they had a good idea what they wanted and beelined right for the machines but it was nice to make a nice high ticket sale on my first real day. We don't work on commission so it doesn't really matter who sold it but it felt nice to have done it.