Summer Jobs: Retail vs. Restaurant? A decision more important than choosing a major?! Cast Your Vote.

by Lisa Peyton

For most college students, looking for what might be their first summer job, there appear to be 2 major options– Retail or Restaurant.  If like me, you didn’t put too much thought into which type of summer job you actually got, external factors played the most important role in the decision-making process. I got my first job with my friend Tanya. I was more interested in working with her than with how much money I was going to make or what I’d actually be doing. Little did I know that this job would ultimately draw me into an industry that would pay the bills for many many years to come.

I’m here to tell all you summer job searchers that putting some thought into that seemingly insignificant summer job can really pay off down the road. You  may think you’ll land the perfect job out of college and never need to rely on your summer job experience but this is a rare exception. In any case, whether or not you need to rely on a summer job for more permanent income (like the rest of your life!), making a deliberate decision about which industry to break into can’t hurt.

From what I hear, it seems that student’s choices today haven’t changed that much over the years. My friend’s children seem to have two options – Restaurant/Service Industry work or Retail. Before you try to decide which option is best for you, it’s important to have some clear cut goals. Looking down the road 5 or 10 years, do you foresee yourself interested in management? Do you enjoy being a cog in a corporate wheel? Do you prefer a professional office environment or a fast-paced, “think-on-your feet” environment? What you choose now may not hold up several years down the line, so take your time thinking these things over.

Tanya and I ended up getting a job together at a Marriott hotel restaurant near Dulles Airport. Tanya landed a job as hostess and I lucked into a server position, neither of us had any experience but we were young, cute, and naïve. Tanya left a few months after realizing the life of an airport hotel restaurant hostess wasn’t as glamorous as she had hoped. I remained in the restaurant industry for 10 years, relying on my waiting skills as a primary source of income. It paid for apartments, used cars, a raging social life, and a cross-country move. Not bad. So here are some key points to keep in mind when trying to make this pivotal decision:

Restaurant

• Fast cash
• Flexible schedule
• Plan on working holidays
• Small paycheck--most restaurants only pay minimum wage, counting on patron’s tips to pay your salary
• Fast-paced environment, must be able to multi-task while appearing calm and composed
• Plan on working Friday and Saturday nights for the best tips
• Fast friendships made over drinks after work
• Food and beverage service workers who work full time often receive typical benefits, while part-time workers usually do not
• Unlikely you’ll have to pass a drug test

Retail

• Daytime hours, no late nights--however the Monday through Friday 9-to-5 work week is the exception rather than the rule
• Company discounts (that can quickly eat through your paycheck)
• During busy seasons, you'll inevitably experience more customers, more merchandise, more hours and more pressure. You'll have to be cheery, even when the customer is being rude and difficult
• Plan on standing for long periods and requesting supervisory approval to leave the sales floor
• The starting wage for many retail positions is minimum wage--ouch!
• Benefits may be limited in smaller stores, but benefits in larger establishments usually are comparable to those offered by other employers
• Possible drug testing

Both industries are reporting expected growth for 2007. Restaurant industry sales are expected to reach a record $537 billion in 2007—a solid 5.0 percent increase over 2006 sales according to the National Restaurant Association's 2007 Restaurant Industry Forecast.(http://www.restaurant.org/pressroom/pressrelease.cfm?ID=1348) Retail trade employment will increase 11.0 percent over the 2004-14 period according to U.S. Department of Labor. (http://www.bls.gov/) It looks like both industries will be hiring summer job seekers for years to come.

So which one will tear you away from fun hours in the summer sun? I squarely come down on the restaurant side of this fence. It pays more, you can eat and DRINK (if your over 21) for free or at least at a discount, and if you can get the better-paying night shifts you don’t have to miss out on too much of that summer sun. Plus all the friends you’ll make will be much cooler than those retail geeks at the mall! Feel free to comment on your own experiences and cast your vote for RETAIL or RESTAURANT.

Resources

Work In Retail, by Valerie Lipow - http://www.fastweb.com/fastweb/resources/articles/index/110048

Resources for First-Time Job-Seekers By C.E. Pelc - http://parenthood.com/articles.html?article_id=4389

Restaurant Jobs and Industry Overview, http://www.snagajob.com/job-resources/restaurant-jobs.aspx

Increased Restaurant Industry Sales, Employment Growth Predicted in 2007 by National Restaurant Association Economic Forecast by Sue Hensley - http://www.restaurant.org/pressroom/pressrelease.cfm?ID=1348

Comments

[Vince Amela]

Any company in the private space needs to see at least some work experience when hiring a college grad. The fact that you've contributed in an environment where money is made or lost is a good thing. It transcends every business and it's important for folks to realize that it isn't a dead end. It's a job like any other.

"Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping -- they called it opportunity." - Bill Gates