Despite its global reputation for salacious ads and sexual assault allegations, a hipster clothing retailer in Melbourne was one of the most positive workplaces of Wendy Syfret's life. That is, until her boss pulled her aside and told her a hard truth: "You have to quit."
A Wholesome Summer Camp
Syfret, who spent part of her early 20s working at the store, describes the experience as less of a sexy party and more of a wholesome summer camp. The store was divided into two tribes: shop assistants, mostly doe-eyed art girls, and backstock workers, mostly charming burnout skaters. Syfret was a rare breed, a shop assistant who transitioned to a backstock role, mostly because she couldn't use a cash register properly.
In the backstock room, the weed-scented heart of the store, they'd listen to music while folding T-shirts and debating Simpsons lore. After hours, they drove around listening to music, slept in each other's beds, held pizza parties, dated friends of friends, and sometimes fell in love.
The Hard Truth
Central to this group was their boss, barely 30, who held the role of paternal authority. He ran a tight ship. After about two years, he pulled Syfret aside and told her she had to quit. The problem wasn't her shirt-folding incompetence; it was that she loved the job so much she'd never leave.
He knew she wanted to be a writer. In the time she'd been working happily at the store, her career had made little progress. He made it clear that this fantasy life was stopping her from beginning her real one. He pointed out that instead of being satisfied, she was satiated, and that this was exactly the kind of job that could trap you.
A Lesson Learned
Within a month, Syfret had applied for an internship that would lead to the job that shaped the rest of her 20s and kickstarted her life as a professional writer. Fifteen years and many jobs later, she still returns to that advice, aware of the sticky allure of "good enough." Even now, nothing relaxes her like folding a T-shirt.
