​MATTHEW WILLIAMS

Grocer at Graul's Market in Ruxton

August 2008- September 2014

 

Starting the summer going into my sophomore year of high school, I began my first job as a bag boy at Graul's Market.  I quickly began working to gain the trust of my managers and the respect of my other coworkers.  Since that first summer, I have been trained to work in every department in the store, as well as given the duty of helping delegate and facilitate task between my fellow coworkers.  The managers understand I know what needs to get done, and they allow me to organize other associates so that the job gets done.  I have not only gained important leadership abilites at Graul's, but also valuable customer service skills.  Customer service involves a large amount of active listening.  Some customers come to you in anger.  In order to calm them, you need to relay that you understand their anger and they are not being ignored.  Active listening is the most effective way to acheive this.  The most important lesson I learned at Graul's is the lesson of how to work hard.  Retail is a tough business to work in, but even as a grocer, if you give 110% of yourself to the people around you, you can make a huge difference.  

 

 

Private Party Planner

Novermber 2013-Present

 

After getting to know many of the customers at Graul's over my years of service there, a number of customers wanted to give me an opportunity to make more money.  The customers began asking me to bartend and work parties they host.  This side job began with two families, but has since grown into a small business for myself where I serve six families regularly and a handful of families on and off.  The formation of this job opportunity happened because of the ability to network.  Simply trying to give the people around me the best work I could, I was given a way to help me pay for my education and work on creating the best future for myself possible.  This position also exhibits my abilities to manage, plan, and create working events.