FAQ

Here is a display window done up for Christmas in buffalo check red, white, and black.

Where has your expertise come from?

When I was 14 I wanted to be a nurse, and decided that to do so, getting into the hospital scene was vital. Over the summer after my 14th birthday I completed my first interview and started as a volunteer in the gift shop at the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray. I decided to stay on year round instead of just do summers, and fell in love with the work I was doing. In May I will have been with Intermountain for seven years.

What is the hardest part of your job?

There is a lot of stress to find the right items, to display them well, and to make sure that the prices are suitable for the average customer. Trying to find merchandise that is likely to sell without being discounted too far or sitting in the store for months can be a bit tricky. It is also hard to deal with the usual retail nightmares; the customers that joke items that don’t ring up are free, obnoxiously rude assumptions of ‘deserving’ a discount, and the constant cleaning up after people.

What skills are necessary to do what you do?

As with anything, a love or genuine interest in your work is the single most important thing you need. If you are not in love with what you are doing or curious about the process, you will not perform as well as you could. All other things are teachable, but a desire to do something is the foremost important part. Besides that it is important to have strong customer service skills, an entrepreneurial spirit, clear communication, and leadership skills.

What did you see yourself doing instead of this?

As I mentioned before, I really wanted to be a nurse. My mom was the manager of the labor and delivery floor in the hospital I started volunteering and I wanted nothing more than to be just like her. As I got older I paid special attention to my biology courses and later got my CNA. (Certified Nursing Assistant certification) After pursuing that field for a bit and not loving what I found, I decided maybe I could be a dentist. I came to the ultimate decision that I needed something that was engaging and creative for me, and when the opportunity presented itself to run the gift shop at the American Fork hospital, I realized that was exactly what I needed to do to fulfill me.

Where have you found information on how to run the shop?

I have been very lucky to have the best mentors through my time as a volunteer and then as an employee. I was encouraged to try new things, build displays, and run wild with my imagination. Having a safe space when I was starting was all I needed to run wild and get going. Whenever I have questions I can go back to the amazing women who helped train me at the Medical Center, and if they don’t have the answers they have quite the connections.