Applying to work at Foot Locker

[jayhood23]

Just a FYI, as somebody who works (and manages) in the industry, sneakerheads are the last people shoe stores wanna hire.

Been said this and thanks for reiterating and explaining why. I quickly lose interest when a "sneakerhead" wants to talk about shoes and releases. Watch out fam I'm tryna sell this 45 yr old man an insole so his back doesn't hurt as much.

 

[rbk93]

I would like to think any industry would want to have people who are passionate about what they do or work with. I can understand the talent pool to choose from being much larger than the allocated number of staff members, but I'll have to disagree on that.

 

[getback]

I would like to think any industry would want to have people who are passionate about what they do or work with. I can understand the talent pool to choose from being much larger than the allocated number of staff members, but I'll have to disagree on that.

Yes and no. There's probably a difference between a 19 year old passionate about sneakers working at FootLocker and an engineer grad interested in BioMechanics.

FootLocker retail probably just wants a person who's some combination of polite, capable and knowledgeable.

 

[notoriousmj23]

Been in the company (FTL) 9 years and a couple months; I've known them to hire sneakerheads. I sure it could/may vary from district to district.

I also know the drama sneakers has caused may have managers not wanting to have sneaker heads as employees, and im positive yeezys and other high profile releases have managers not wanting to deal with their staff begging and bugging them for pairs.

But every employee that i've worked with in my close to 10 years here, ends up turning into a sneaker head.. it just happens.

I think it's good to hire someone that's a sneaker head/knowledgeable about sneakers. There's a huge difference between a hypebeast and a sneaker head lol

 

[nawghtyhare]

when i worked at nike town
i actually bought less sneakers
matter of fact
being on that side
also made me realize how much money i was wasting too

 

[Mr Dink]

I would like to think any industry would want to have people who are passionate about what they do or work with. I can understand the talent pool to choose from being much larger than the allocated number of staff members, but I'll have to disagree on that.

How many 19 year olds applying for Foot Locker are "passionate" about shoes that aren't Retros or Yeezys? I rather hire a dude who doesn't know **** about shoes and is eager to learn and I know will do their job well than somebody who only cops the latest releases every Saturday. You have no idea how many people I've passed on cuz when I ask why they wanna work here, their answer is, "Cuz I love shoes. I'm always buying the latest Jordans, Yeezys, Kiths, etc." because the next dude I interviewed would give an answer like, "Because I'm interested in the footwear industry. I wanna learn about different technologies, how different shoes work, what type of shoes are made for different people, etc."

 

[rbk93]

Why can't it honestly be both?

 

[Mr Dink]

Why can't it honestly be both?

Then that's fine but I'm not gonna hire a dude who only cops the latest releases every Saturday and not interested in learning why the Asics Kayano is such an important shoe.

 

[jayhood23]

Yup, shoe store managers don't wanna hire someone that is 1 dimensional. If all you know about is yeezys and jordans how you gonna sell and actually functional shoe when asked why its recommended for xyz

 

[rbk93]

Unless they just want well rounded employees, catering to a running shoe fan or someone looking for comfort really isn't that much different to just catering to a "sneakerhead". Having employees in general just to have conversations with isn't such a bad thing.

 

[Mr Dink]

Unless they just want well rounded employees, catering to a running shoe fan or someone looking for comfort really isn't that much different to just catering to a "sneakerhead". Having employees in general just to have conversations with isn't such a bad thing.

Why would I hire somebody just to have a conversation? That's wasted labor that could go towards somebody who will get the job done. Stores are only allocated X amount of labor hours for the whole team. I'm looking for somebody who can help that old white lady out if she's looking for a suggestion on a great shoe for her early morning walks, not just somebody who's gonna go, "What up, man? You coppin the 11s on Saturday?" So yes, all businesses in general want all well-rounded employees.

 

[notoriousmj23]

How many 19 year olds applying for Foot Locker are "passionate" about shoes that aren't Retros or Yeezys? I rather hire a dude who doesn't know **** about shoes and is eager to learn and I know will do their job well than somebody who only cops the latest releases every Saturday. You have no idea how many people I've passed on cuz when I ask why they wanna work here, their answer is, "Cuz I love shoes. I'm always buying the latest Jordans, Yeezys, Kiths, etc." because the next dude I interviewed would give an answer like, "Because I'm interested in the footwear industry. I wanna learn about different technologies, how different shoes work, what type of shoes are made for different people, etc."

big difference between hypebeast and sneakerhead

Why can't it honestly be both?

exactly.

 

[Mr Dink]

I have no problem hiring somebody who's both. I just don't want anybody 1-dimensional.

 

[rbk93]

Why would I hire somebody just to have a conversation? That's wasted labor that could go towards somebody who will get the job done. Stores are only allocated X amount of labor hours for the whole team. I'm looking for somebody who can help that old white lady out if she's looking for a suggestion on a great shoe for her early morning walks, not just somebody who's gonna go, "What up, man? You coppin the 11s on Saturday?" So yes, all businesses in general want all well-rounded employees.

Conversations get the job done. I know myself I don't have the best communication/conversation skills, but seems like every sales job I've worked for tells you to make the customer feels special, not just a mere transaction. It varies from each customer and each employee, but building rapport should never be a bad thing.

 

[jayhood23]

Conversations get the job done. I know myself I don't have the best communication/conversation skills, but seems like every sales job I've worked for tells you to make the customer feels special, not just a mere transaction. It varies from each customer and each employee, but building rapport should never be a bad thing.

It's not a bad thing, he's just saying he doesn't want someone working there that only knows about jordans and yeezys etc. What kind of relationship can you build with a 52 yr old housewife looking for a good walking shoe to use on her morning walk if all you know about is sneakerhead stuff?