I'm sitting in the lobby of a Seattle Hotel feeling overwhelmed by the Christmas spirit. It's odd because I have a long list of blog topics that I haven't gotten to, but I can't seem to get the memories of the one holiday season I spent in the retail industry out of my head. It could be because two songs on the hotel dance/pop/muzak soundtrack were tracks on the Limited Too Christmas soundtrack that was on repeat for about 8 weeks of my life back in 2003. I took the job at the Limited Too during what I call "the dark days" of Justin's and my life. We had recently moved back to Stockton and through no fault of our own, both ended up jobless around the same time. I knew I need to make some cash fast, so I headed to the mall in early November, hoping to pick some hours doing retail sales. I was 24 years old and had never done retail work before and was feeling kind of low. I mean, I had been a big fish television producer in the small pond of Yuba City and now I was a nobody about to indenture myself for $6.75 an hour during the most materialistic time of the year. A few stores were hiring, but the Limited Too called back first. I went into my interview with two other girls (both in high school). I knew I had found my niche when part of the interview consisted of a pop culture quiz (I happen to be a vault for random celebrity and entertainment knowledge) which I totally aced. As the oldest person working in the store (even older than the managers), I usually got the most sales, could work the most late shifts, and therefore, got the most hours. Not gonna lie, it was tough working in the mall during the busiest shopping season of the year and not have the money to buy anything, but it was FUN! I loved being immersed in tween culture, listening to one girly pop song after another, and serving the needs of the customer. As soon as the holidays were over I started working a temporary full-time job on top of my 15-20 hours a week in sales and, though working two jobs got a bit tedious, I ended up staying there for 6 months until I got a more permanent (and more "lucrative" - ha!) job at The Record. Although it was a rough time in our lives financially, I look back on my Limited Too days fondly and sometimes wish I had the flexibility to go back and pick up a few hours here and there. Although now I'm 29 and would basically be a grandma in Limited Too land!
Here are some trends that were big in '03:
Step back Jonas Brothers, we sold pens, pillows, etc. saying "I love Justin," "I love Ashton," and "I love JC" (as in the other NSYNC'er). I totally have "I love Justin" socks and a pen (for obvious reasons). :)
Hilary Duff's sophomore album (No Miley Cyrus here!)
Lizzie McGuire
Jesse McCartney
The Cheetah Girls (High School Musical didn't exist yet - I wish!)
The early stages of the pop/punk rock comeback look
Initial purses/bags/wallets
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