Tag Archives: work

Dec17

See You Friday!

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See You Friday!

Helloooo everyone! Just so you know, I will be out of office today because I’ll be working in Columbus for my job with the National Core Indicator research project. It’s going to be a two or so hour drive to get there so I’ll be leaving pretty early in the morning to get there in time to find the building and check in. I’ll be back with you on Friday for the latest and greatest so until then feel free to reach out to me via:

^^^ AHMED, THERE’S SO MANY PRESENTS!!!!!!!

Have a fabulous day today and I’ll See You Friday! What is everyone’s plans for the weekend? Who still has some holiday shopping to do? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec9

Exciting Announcements!

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Exciting Announcements!

Hellooo everyone and happy Hump Day! A few weeks ago I applied for an interviewing position for families effected by developmental disabilities. I would get to chat with the family for a half hour or so and report my findings so that they can be provided with the best services possible for them. Well, yesterday I received an email that I was one of the fifty applicants accepted out of over five hundred for the position!!

Next weekend I’ll be making a two hour trek to Columbus for a day of paid training and then I can be on my merry way with the program. It promises to be a great opportunity and I’m so excited to get started! I was so happy to have heard back from the company because I had given up hope on earning a position with them! The timing couldn’t be better, either, considering my winter break from Tri-C starts next week! It looks like homegirl won’t have to scrounge around for a short lived retail job for my month off! 🙂

You’ll notice in the title of this post that Announcement was plural, so yes, I have one more cool happenstance to share with you guys. As you know if you follow lifewithlilred, I started working for Twistfire Media last week. Things are going fantastic as you might have read from my post about it! Someone pretty special to the company also happened to stumble upon the article, as well…The president of Twistfire!!

Yesterday when I was with Kyle, I checked my email and saw that I had a new message with the subject “Blog Post”. I opened the email and saw the sweetest memo from Twistfire’s very own president thanking me for my post and also giving a shout out as a fellow redhead. I was SO surprised and proud as I read through the email and it made me even happier to start working for a media company where the founders have a genuine interest in you and your work. Thanks again, Mr. President! (And if you’d like to know more about working for Twistfire Media, you can email me at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com)

So there you have it, this week’s Exciting Announcements compliments of Lil Red! Who else has some exciting news to share? What was the best news that you’ve received this month? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

^^^ That pretty much sums up how I’m feeling! 🙂

Dec4

Twistfire Media

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Twistfire Media

Heyyy everyone and TGIF!! This past week I started working for a new advertising company called Twistfire Media. I got invited to work for the company by a friend of my sister’s because she knows that I have a pretty strong social media presence and I am so glad that she did! Basically, I run different ads on my personal Facebook page as well as on my page for lifewithlilred and I get paid per click on each ad. Take a look:

If you like the way that the ads look on my pages and would like to become a member of Twistfire, you can email me at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com. These ads can run on your Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest accounts and they’re pretty cool! You can pick which campaigns to feature and you can run as many as your little heart desires. If you’re a prominent player in the world of social media then Twistfire is the perfect company for you!

Once again, if you’re interested in becoming a member of Twistfire Media, you can email me at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com or shoot me a message on either of my Facebook pages. While you’re at it PLEASE like my Facebook page!! What is everyone up to this weekend? Any big plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov17

A Retail Free Holiday Season

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A Retail Free Holiday Season

Helloooo everyone and happy Tuesday! Most of you guys know that before I started school I worked hella retail. My days were spent slaving away in PacSun, The Body Shop, Claire’s, Piercing Pagoda, and Next for what seemed like an eternity. This year, however, I’m so excited to not work a holiday season in the mall. After working five Black Fridays in a row – I am officially free from the evil clutches of the mall during the holidays! SCORE!

On Saturday, my sister and I took a trip to the mall so she could make a few returns and do some shopping. As soon as we entered the premises, we were greeted by Christmas music, decorations, and a mall that was jam packed for an early November evening. Seriously, just being in that environment gave me anxiety and as far as I was concerned, we couldn’t leave soon enough.

Being in the mall among all of the really early holiday shoppers who seemed to be just as crazy as the last minute gift grabbers reminded me how thankful I am that I can finally have a holiday season to enjoy with my friends and family. When I worked retail I can’t remember one holiday season that I genuinely enjoyed because I was too wrapped up in working crazy hours and dealing with insane customers. This year, I don’t have to worry about going into the mall on Thanksgiving day to work a thirteen hour Black Friday shift. I also don’t have to be at the mall late on Christmas Eve to tend to everyone’s final holiday needs and clean the trashed store to perfection. *sigh of relief*

When you’re working every minute of the months of November through January, you simply forget that those times are meant to be for your loved ones. The thing that I’m most looking forward to is actually having a Thanksgiving. For the past five years my Thanksgivings were spent counting down the hours till my Black Friday shift and trying to cram in some power naps before the insanity unfolded. This year I’ll be able to help cook, prepare the table, and spend quality time with my family and boyfriend. It’s going to feel so good but SO strange because I’m completely not used to relaxing during a holiday – what does that even mean?!

I’m so thankful for everything that my years of hard work provided me with before I started college. I was able to buy my car (Little Red Love Machine!), buy clothes, purchase gifts for others, and put money towards my tuition. But this year, I am so ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy a glorious Retail Free Holiday Season! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far! Have any of you worked retail during the holidays? Do you have any funny/traumatic moments to share? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: My traumatic story to share from a very retail holiday season doesn’t deal so much with me as it does an unfortunate Victoria’s Secret employee who got punched THREE YEARS IN A ROW during Black Friday. #threepeat

Nov30

My Black Friday

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My Black Friday

Hello one and all! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday! Sorry that I’ve been MIA these past few days – I’ve been working, working, working! I had my fifth Black Friday in retail this week and it was pretty crazy. I woke up at four in the morning on Black Friday to be at Next by five thirty so we could open by six. Thank goodness for my mom who set her alarm with me at four so that I didn’t sleep through mine! She even had a pot of coffee ready for me – what a doll!!! So I got to work and right as we opened the door at six – BAM – the store was flooded with shoppers. I honestly wasn’t expecting it at all. This was my first Black Friday working outside of the mall, so I assumed that a smaller business wouldn’t have nearly as much shopping traffic…I was dead wrong. For my entire almost twelve hour shift at Next there was a constant stream of people flowing in and out of the store. It was exhausting! The day went by relatively quick though since we had a solid amount of shoppers all day. And when there wasn’t any one in the store it gave us time to straighten up all of the clothing and displays. It felt so good to be outside of the craziness that I’m sure was happening ten minutes down the street at the mall. I promised my sister that I would visit her during her very first retail Black Friday shift now that she works at The Body Shop. When I got to the mall around six o’clock in the evening it was still swarming with people. It gave me anxiety! By that time all of the stores were completely trashed, so it wasn’t even fun going into any of my favorite shopping spots. My sister looked like she was doing great though during her shift so I definitely had a proud mama moment about that!!! The best thing about my Black Friday was coming home to find a letter from my best friend Tyler who’s currently in basic training on the kitchen table…and just coming home in general! Ha! I was so happy and exhausted that I ended up crying the entire time I read the letter. They were happy tears of course! I miss him so much and hearing from him was the perfect ending to a long day. All in all it was a solid Black Friday. A different but good experience from my previous four shifts working in the mall!

Unfortunately my work weekend wasn’t quite over after my long day on Black Friday because Small Business Saturday occurred on the following day. It was only an eight hour shift yesterday but it still wore me out!! I’m pretty sure that everyone was done spending their money after Black Friday because we barely had any customers yesterday. It ended up being a very chill day but I was still tired!!! By the time I got home around nine thirty I was already fantasizing about curling up under my covers and going to bed! After about twenty hours of work in two days you better believe I slept like a rock last night! I think I got thirteen hours of sleep so I’m feeling rejuvenated, recharged, and ready to go. But in all reality I’m going to end up doing nothing today, I need some me time. My mom is going to dye my hair for me so I can get some pampering and my best friend Lea is going to swing by for an hour or so later tonight. So it should be a nice, quiet day at home.

After being at the mall on Black Friday evening I realized just how much I hate people. Lol I kid, I kid! But really, shopping becomes totally unenjoyable when you’re just being jostled around a gaggle of shoppers. I have Monday off so I plan on participating in the Cyber Monday deals to get the rest of my holiday shopping done. My online gift giving destination lately has been http://www.amazon.com. They seriously have EVERYTHING and the prices are fantastic!!! I’ve gotten about half of my holiday shopping done already so I’m really hoping I can check the last few people off of my list this Monday! If you know of any sites that are having some great Cyber Monday deals, please let me know!

How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Did any of you guys go Black Friday shopping? What kind of deals did you get? What kind of craziness occurred where you were shopping at? I’d love to hear all about it so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Sunday! -Sarah

lololol

Nov27

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

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Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Happy happy Thanksgiving!!!! My sister, mother, and I have taken a break from our preparations of our Thanksgiving dinner, so I figured now would be a good time to send some holiday wishes to all of you! There are so many things that I’m thankful for that I’d like to share with you. In my list and explanations I didn’t include my family and friends, because those are the obvious ones! My close circle of immediate family and a whopping two friends (sad but true) will always be my number one, so no explanation is needed:) #enoughsaid

Here’s some of the things that I’m thankful for this holiday season and every day!

My education: I’ve been feeling an overwhelming sensation of pride in myself lately for finally getting myself back to school. I always thought that college wasn’t going to be for me, but now that I finished my first semester I wish that I would have started school sooner! I’m so thankful that my parents have been helping me occasionally with my tuition and text books. But shockingly, I’m also thankful for being able to pay most of my college expenses on my own. Which leads me to my second thing on my list….

My job: As soon as I ended my four year stint at PacSun, I honestly had no idea what I was going to do. I was so nervous for my future. I was so scared that I wouldn’t find another job right away. Getting that call with a job offer from Next was the biggest relief I’ve experienced in a long time. If it wasn’t for that call, there’s no way that I could afford paying for my education almost completely on my own, as well as keeping up with my car payment for the Little Red Love Machine. I’m so appreciative to have a job period, let alone a job that I really enjoy. My coworkers and clientele are just fantastic, so it makes going into work a joy.

My blog: This might sound dumb to some people, but I really am thankful for starting http://www.lifewithlilred.com!! I’ve been told that I should make a blog countless times before, so a little over two months ago I figured “why not?”. And I am so glad that I did! I forgot how much I enjoyed writing and expressing my feelings until I started trying to make a blog post or two daily. I’m so thankful for all of my readers and followers who have shown me so much love and support! Lifewithlilred is always going to be a thing, and I’m really hoping that as the hype continues to build that I’ll be able to make some kind of moolah for my work. But that’s thinking way far in advance! It’s good to dream though:)

Myself: Sarah: I am so thankful for the person who you’ve become. It feels so good to finally say that I love who I am after years of depression, self harm, and eating disorders. I love the way I look, which I never thought I would say. I love that I’m open and accepting to everyone. I love that I have a bright and bubbly personality. I love that I think for myself, which is so very important. Most of all, I’m thankful that I’m finally able to recognize all of these amazing qualities about myself. I’m thankful that I’m no longer in a zombie like state of depression. I’m finally thankful to be alive.

So there you have it – the other things that I’m thankful for besides my family and friends! I hope all of you have an amazing Thanksgiving today. I hope all of you share it with people who you love. Where ever you are in the world – I am so thankful for you! Thank you so much for reading. If you have any questions or concerns: leave me a comment and let’s chat! ALSO: If you partake in Black Friday shopping tonight or tomorrow PLEASE remember to be kind to the retail workers!!! I promise you that they would give anything to not be working amongst all of the craziness that is sure to happen! Send me some good luck vibes as well so I can get through my Black Friday shift! It would be much appreciated 😉 Happy holidays! -Sarah

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Oct20

Work Hard Play Hard

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Work Hard Play Hard

In the words of the great Wiz Khalifa: Work hard. Play hard.

I feel like this phrase has been defining my life lately. For four years, from the time I was sixteen until present day, I’ve worked my ass off in the retail world. In that time, I saved a lot of money. I saved enough money that I was able to purchase my beloved 2012 Mazda 2 Sport (AKA the Little Red Love Machine) on my own AND I’m able to pay for my college tuition on my own. Not many twenty year olds can say that and I must say, it’s an awesome feeling. I spent countless hours slaving away in PacSun in order to make the money that I have and I guess when it comes down to it, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. PacSun helped me out a lot financially. If I hadn’t spent those four fateful years working for that company, there’s no way in hell I would be able to afford my car and education. But just because I’m an insanely hard worker, doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to have fun! I’m so thankful that I still have extra pocket money so that I can go on a shopping trip with my friends, or to dinner, or a movie and not feel guilty about it. This article makes me sound like my life revolves around how much moolah I make, but I promise you it doesn’t. On the contrary, my life revolves around me being an independent young woman who happens to need money to keep the woman on the go lifestyle! I’m very blessed that my parents are as supportive of me as they are as well. They don’t make me pay rent and they still pay my phone bill, and I am SO thankful for that! I plan on moving out by the time I graduate school which will be when I’m twenty two. Until then, I’m gonna work my little ass off at Next, ace every college class I take, and still make time for fun stuff too! I’m a firm believer in treating yourself. For example, when I would have to be at the mall early to open the store, I would promise myself I’d get a Starbucks drink if I got to work on time. That was motivation enough to get me out of bed and get myself moving. Or if I’m out running errands, I would purchase a little treat for myself like a new tube of lipstick after I got all of my necessities. There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself motivation in the form of rewards! Ha! My final hurrah gift to myself before I buckle down financially now that school is starting is getting a tattoo this Friday. My tattoo artist has been running specials for Halloween, so I figure no better time than the present to get the tat that I’ve wanted for ages now! Getting inked up is my way of congratulating myself for all the hard work that I did to get myself a new job and to get into school. I’m proud of me! Here’s a pic of what I’ll be getting:

isis

I’ll be getting Isis on my side, and I am SO excited!

What motivates you guys? How do you work hard? What are your favorite things to do to play hard? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

Oct19

I love my job….really!!!

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I love my job….really!!!

How many people can say that they completely love their job? I am SO thankful that I can be a member of the people that answered yes to that question. This first week of working at Next has been AMAZING. As I mentioned before, my store carries high end mens clothing, from Versace to True Religion, MCM, Billionaire Boys Club, and everything in between. So a typical day at work is me being surrounded by a bunch of dudes. And let me tell you something, these dudes go to bat for me like no other. The relationship with my coworkers and customers already feels like a big brother/little sister relationship, and I love it! It feels good to feel like one of the guys. It also feels good to be fawned over and called pretty a lot! Ha!! But really though, feeling respected and feeling like my opinion is worth value to these customers and my coworkers is so cool to me. I feel happy every time I get asked for my opinion on a shirt or for help picking out an outfit to wear out. Next is a completely different environment than what I’m used to. The clientele and product is completely different than PacSun. I’m not gonna lie, I was feeling a little discouraged on my first few shifts because I didn’t really know what I was talking about. But after learning about the brands and watching my coworkers interact with the customers I have a really good general idea of everything now. Tonight during my shift I felt confident for the first time at the store. I was confident in my ability to sell anything and everything to every single person that walked in the door. It was awesome! Did I mention how much fun we all have at work yet? We always play the sickest music. From old school to new school rap and hip hop, to alt rock, and indie, you can be sure that the best jams are always playing. We also have a projector that screens movies, music videos, and most importantly the Cleveland Cavs games on our walls. To top it off, every Friday night we have a popular DJ fresh from Akron spinning in our shop. God, I’m so lucky. These past few months I’ve wanted nothing more than to start school and to have a dope part time job. Now I have both – and it’s the best feeling ever. I worked hard and I made it happen! I start school on Monday. I’ve been achieving my goals non stop this month, and I can’t wait to see what my future holds!

Make sure you follow Next’s Instagram:

http://instagram.com/ruleofnext

Also, do me a solid and follow my own personal stores site as well, where you can see posts through out the week from my coworkers and myself:

http://yooying.com/nextakron

And finally, keep on checking out the company’s website for all the latest and greatest news from our brands, store owners, and employees. Make sure you check out our online store as well!

http://ruleofnext.com/

I’m so aware that I’m shamelessly promoting my job here, guys. So thanks for bearing with me! Check out our sites and pleeease let me know what you think! Have an awesome night! -Sarah