In a recent interview in an article by Randy Tucker about the benefits of working part-time, AJ Ferguson of the nonprofit UpDayton said that working less than full time allows him to “play in some other sandboxes.”  I love that image, because it can be used to describe almost any other activity — school, parenting, working full-time in another field, volunteering or creating in the arts.

Many retail employees are part-time not because they can’t get full-time employment, but because it fits their lifestyle. We’ve had graduate students, puppeteers and even off-season farmers work in our store a few hours a week.  Their time in the shop provides a different kind of experience during their work week, supplements their income, and allows them to make purchases for themselves and friends using our generous store discount.

And what do part-timers bring to us? They allow us to fill in our schedule, which can be difficult when you are open long hours. The also provide flexibility so that full-timers can take time off, or work on special projects. And during the holidays it is the part-timers who are able to bump up their hours to handle our increased customer load.

The challenge in having part-time employees is to make them feel a part of the team, no matter how few hours a week they work, and to make sure that their product knowledge is up to your standards.  We try to schedule staff seminars on different days, including weekends, so that everyone can attend at least a few.  And we provide a biweekly newsletter via email that includes important upcoming events and new products.

There is much discussion around the country about raising the minimum wage, and obviously this is a crucial issue to the over 1 million workers above the age of 30 earning minimum wage or less. But it would be great if there could be a multi-tiered system that takes into account young workers not yet needing to earn a living wage, and also those part-timers who are supplementing their other activities with a few hours in a shop each week.  It would be a shame to see those jobs disappear because stores could no longer afford to provide them.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder