Like most of us, John Grisham bumbled around a lot until he found his niche in the world. Not like most us, he became the best-selling author we know today. His essay gives us a glimpse into this young-hearted journey.
“My career sputtered along with little to add to the resume. Retail caught my attention, primarily because it was indoors, clean, air-conditioned, much softer than, say, asphalt or plumbing, and I applied for a job at a Sears store in the mall. The only opening was in men’s underwear, and since I was in college and needed the money, I reluctantly hired on. It was humiliating . . . I tried to quit but they gave me a raise. Evidently, the position was difficult to fill. I asked to be transferred to toys, then to appliances, but they said no and gave me another raise. (These were not big pay hikes, mind you.) I became abrupt with customers, and I am compelled to say here that Sears had the nicest customers in the world. But I didn’t care. I was rude and surly and was written up on a occasion by the ‘shoppers,’ spies hired by Sears to buy things and fill out reports. One of these ‘shoppers’ asked if he could try on a pair of boxers. I said no, said it was obvious to me that the boxers in question were much too small for his rather ample rear-end. I handed him a pair of XLs, said I was sure they would fit fine, and he didn’t need to be trying on our brand new underwear. He took offense. I got written up, but they still wouldn’t transfer me. I asked for lawn care. No. I finally quit when a customer with obvious hygienic deficiencies insisted on returning a three-pack of low-cut briefs. Other minimum wage paid jobs came and went, none as exciting as selling underwear.” (109-110)
Editor Sonny Brewer will have a signing and reading for Don’t Quit Your Day Job on Wednesday, December 1st.
Read an excerpt from an essay by Pat Conroy.
Signed copies of John Grisham’s new novel, The Confession, are available!
tttt
Comments are closed.