Blog #167  I talked about my time with Nordstrom is done. In this blog I want to talk about The quote These Mountains you are carrying

“These Mountains you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb” -Najwa Zebian. 

This quote resonated with me. The weight I had been carrying on my shoulders was not meant to defeat me but to be left in the past and used to grow with. I needed to turn the corner and start a new chapter. Maybe a transfer would have been the answer but there was a little resentment too. Basically I needed a fresh start.

After talking to the GM, I went to the store and Informed Kristin my intentions and how wonderful I thought she was. The fact I would miss the reveal of the new store was a disappointment but that was ok. Next, I went down to the department and told everyone I had two weeks left with them. My  following two weeks were wonderful and the team was such a great group of people. We had developed a pretty good team and had quite a few Pacesetters on the floor  now. After I told the team, I went up to tell Allison I was leaving which was equally tough. She was so amazing. Zoning out at my desk I started to reflect on my time at Nordstrom.

Martha and Michael

 Two amazing mentors and just great people. Martha was the epitome of someone who had it dialed. She was the blueprint I used for many years to come. Michael was someone who had wisdom. He had good instincts and I learned that from him.

Arden Fair

Arden Fair was my bright spot. To take a department from #20 to number 2 was quite the accomplishment. This experience taught me the importance of developing a great team. From Aaron and Candice to Rob my mentor. It was the best time I ever spent in retail. I looked up to both my store managers there, Jim and Jean Claude and have fond memories of what I accomplished. My knowledge was enhanced by working in Women’s, Salon, Kids and Junior shoes. All my RMM’s while I was at this location were amazing as well.

Palo Alto

In the Palo Alto store I think I grew the most as a person, because I had to turn around a tough business. It was tough as there was a lot of pressure from the store manager and the RMM, but support from Blake and Bobb Nunn which made it ok. Here I put into practice all that I learned in Arden Fair and eventually turned it around. This was a painful process though but I grew from it.

Reps

During the next few weeks I made calls to all my favorite reps and had amazing conversations. It was tough to say goodbye and I did not know if I’d ever cross paths with these amazing people. The shoe industry is a large industry but also very small. Relationships you build are nice and the funny thing was most of my friendships were with people in the industry. Now I’m moving away from that side. Target was a department store and the buying was done in Minneapolis so I’d miss the buying side. My last day came rather quickly and I said my goodbyes to  the team and to Chris. I was going to miss him. We went through a lot together and he was a good man. Usually we would  get together during the holidays so we built a friendship too.

One last Call

As I was leaving I get a call from the cashiers that someone wanted to talk to the manager. “ARE YOU THE MANAGER?” She went on a tirade of how her shoe broke and we needed to send someone to her house to pick it up. Several times I tried to tell her I was leaving the company but she wouldn’t listen to me. It was classic. After 2 to 3 times of trying to tell her I was quitting Nordstrom, I told her I was going to put her on hold and a manager would talk to her. “DON”T PUT ME ON HOLD!” she screamed. *click* Nordstrom music…

 I was going up the escalator as a Nordstrom employee for the last time,  As I was going up, an overwhelming sensation was overcoming me. A huge weight was being lifted from my shoulders. Happiness was definately the sensation I was feeling. Why did I think I was supposed to be carrying this burden, what was I thinking?  There also was feelings of so much gratitude for the Nordstrom family. Truly it was an amazing experience, something even to this day I am grateful for. Definately I am a better person today because of my Nordstrom experience.

At Nordstrom, I learned how to treat people like I would want to be treated. How to find solutions. People development. Driving a business and being rewarded for it. Most of all, I learned self-respect and confidence in myself. My Nordstrom experience wasn’t perfect but pretty damn close…