Worries.

[pyrephox]

My father wants me to come work at his store after I graduate. 'Only occassionally...maybe on Saturdays', he says, when I fully plan to have a 40-hour-a-week job being a school counselor. 'And if you get tired of the counseling thing, you'll have something to fall back on'. He wants to leave me the store.

...

I appreciate the work he's put into it. I know he's given this thing all of his heart, and worked hard to make it a viable thing. But I hate retail. I can't sell anything to anyone. I hate retail with a deep and abiding loathing. I went to graduate school largely so that my chances of ever having to take a retail job would be reduced. I just cannot do the kind of perky-helpful-seller that a person needs to be a successful salesman of any sort, and I know /nothing/ about automotive paint, anyway. I would be both miserable and a failure.

I have no idea how to decline this without hurting my father's feelings. No matter what I do, he will take it personally. Sigh.

Comments

[undauntra.livejournal.com]

Marry someone who loves retail to run the store for you?

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

Ha, ha, ha.

It would first require someone willing to even spend the time required for a date with me, let alone marriage.

[multiplexer.livejournal.com]

You'd be surprised how marriage just kind of sneaks up on you and snatches you from behind!

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that's illegal, outside of historical romance novels.

[archangelbeth]

A bit more seriously than the marriage bit (which is traditional! for, um, some tradition...), could you suggest that you know how much the business means to him, and you know how bad you are with people -- and you want the business to succeed, not be run into the ground by your bad people-skills?

The other option would be to see if you had any talent for the management side of it, so that you could hire people to do the actual selling.

Best of both worlds, find some way to do a 51-49 split with someone who does want to be the apprentice...

[cpip.livejournal.com]

I think Beth may have something there: pointing out that it's not something you're good at, or that you're interested in, and that you wouldn't do a very good job at the store, let alone owning it.

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

He /knows/ I'm not good at it, and that I hate it. But we're talking about the guy who tried for six straight years to get me to go into computer science for the money, despite being told over and over and over again that I didn't like computer science, and loved what I was doing at the time.

He /still/ tries.

[cpip.livejournal.com]

In that case, all I can tell you is to bite the bullet and tell him in no uncertain terms that you appreciate his offer, but no thank you very much.

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know. Which I'll do. I'm just not looking forward to it.

[cpip.livejournal.com]

Best of luck -- you have my #.

[amethystjade.livejournal.com]

I would also worry that that option would lead to him insisting to help teach her, thus invalidating the argument and making her more miserable.

[bimmer1200.livejournal.com]

Is it possible it's not so much he wants you to work at the store as he just wants to spend some time with you and his request and offer is just his way of saying that?

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

Possible, although we spend more time together /now/ than we did when I was living there. Unfortunately, putting myself and my father together in a work context is a sure-fire recipe for arguments and hurt feelings.

[bimmer1200.livejournal.com]

There goes my theory then. At any rate, good luck with it. One of the most difficult parts of being an adult is learning to tell your parents 'no' on things like this.