Caitlin Kelly (1)

Kelly is a journalist with several decades of experience working at papers like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. But when the recession hit she was suddenly fired and couldn't find enough stable writing assignments, so began applying for work outside her field. She took a part-time job, spending two years at North Face selling outdoor equipment and clothing, while still doing freelance journalism.
This is an interesting story, one that is as much about the recession that hit show more America beginning in 2007, as about Kelly's personal experience with having to look outside a field she was well established in. While it eventually gets tiring hearing her list her many talents (how often can she mention the languages she's fluent in and the extensive travels she's experienced), she does an excellent job in describing the financial fall of much of middle America, and the failures of so many corporate chains in providing adequate pay for their employees. show less

Caitlin Kelly has no idea what it is to work in retail.

Working one day a week, for just over two years, in a high-end store, in one of New York's most upscale malls is not "experiencing what it's like on the other side of the cash wrap". At best, what Kelly experienced was an extended research project to benefit her successful journalism career. Yet, she continously writes about the difficulty of being on your feet for such long hours (again, for one shift per week) and how dreadful her pay show more is for the work she puts in ($11/hour - more than I've ever made at any retail job with 12 years of experience).

However the most disturbing aspect of this memoir is her constant mention of her co-worker's ethnicites. Kelly often makes mention of her African-American and Latino co-workers as getting the best job they could. In one disturbing section of chapter 3, she finds it necessary to talk of the store manager's assistant's personal life, letting us all know she had a baby out of wedlock. After discovering that some co-workers may have criminal records, Kelly states "I was shocked, although maybe I shouldn't have been.". No further explaination for this statement is given and one must assume the undertone is "because they were all blacks from the Bronx".

Kelly may have done well for herself in her chosen career of journalism (this book makes it clear she loves dropping the fact that she's interviewed Presidents and the Queen of England), but writing this book was a false step. The pages reek of her racial and social privledge and prove that she is still blind to it. While she wants us to believe she is now a much more enlightened consumer, the only thing we know for sure after reading this is that she'll do anything for a scoop. show less

When her journalism career hits a rocky spot, reporter Caitlin Kelly signs on to work part-time at The North Face in a tony suburb of New York City. She soon discovers that although her background listening to people's stories, speaking multiple languages, and extensive traveling makes her a high-producing salesperson, there is an underbelly to the world of retail. From uber-wealthy but rude customers to the urban background of her co-workers, both experiences different from her own, she show more quickly learns that retail employement is built on the assumption that workers quit and that poor working conditions are just par for the course. Blending her personal story with research about the highly-profitable practices of retailers, Kelly creates an easy-to-read, compelling narrative about the hidden costs of the mall economy. Highly recommended. (48) show less

Caitlin Kelly was dreadfully repetitive at times and quite occasionally verged on whiny. However, having personally worked in retail, I was willing to forgive her a lot knowing the job really can be as soul-sucking depressing as she paints it, and that it's hard not to be a little melodramatic. Granted, there are probably worse jobs in the United States than retail, but I don't think that excuses the fact that these conditions are continually imposed on people (with very little opportunity show more for advancement) and I appreciate Kelly's attempt to bring the problem into the public awareness. show less