Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Put a tie on that mall rat!

Kristin Villamore knows she'll spend a lot of time shopping at the Galleria at Sunset once it opens next week.

So, the Green Valley High School senior thought, why not get paid for it?

"I'm always at the mall and I just thought it'd be fun to work there. Plus you get discounts," Kristin says while filling out applications at a Galleria job fair recently hosted by the school.

About a dozen employers attended the fair, organized by business teacher Brenda Rowles.

"I thought it was a good opportunity for students to see what's available for them and give them an opportunity to talk to employers," Rowles says.

Store managers interviewed over 100 students for positions (mostly customer-service spots) in clothing stores and fast food restaurants. Teens, they say, usually make good employees.

"You just have to find the right ones," says Wendy DeMarco, manager of Gymboree, a children's clothing store at the Boulevard Mall, who's looking to hire eight students for the new outlet.

"The right ones" for DeMarco's staff will be "kids who have good time-management skills," she says. "They have to be able to do well in school, which is very important to me, and do well on the job."

Sounds perfect for junior Carleta Carter. She already has a part-time job outside the mall, and is looking to land another with Lady Footlocker or Hot Dog on a Stick.

"I have a lot of stuff to do, but I like to keep myself busy," she says.

Just the kind of eager beaver Brittany Shepard -- who'll manage the bustling hot dog stand -- is looking for.

"It's kind of high energy. We have to make the lemonade ourselves," warns Shepard, dressed in the place's trademark multicolored uniform.

Lots of pep is just one of the pluses of having part-time teen employees, management says.

While their schedules aren't as flexible as adults', teens are generally willing to work evening shifts and sometimes fewer hours, so they still have time to take part in school activities and sports teams.

"They don't mind if they only get (scheduled to work) 15 hours a week," Shepard explains.

And the price is right for teens: Mall wages range from $5 to $6 per hour.

That's good, since Kristin says she couldn't afford to earn less than that. "I know a lot of the department stores are paying like $8 an hour," she says.

No previous work experience? No problem, assures Gap Kids clothing store manager Cathy Giacalone.

"If you take somebody who has no experience, you can really mold them," she says. "You teach them Gap and that's all they know. They don't have any bad habits from any other companies."

Also, "the store kind of helps teach the kids responsibility, teaches them how to handle money," says Dairy Queen manager Tom Anderson.

On-the-job training will be a big boon to junior Steve Lawton, who's trying to land his first job.

Nervous? Nope. "It's just that I need the job," he says, to buy a car.

Don't think of it as just another after school gig, though.

Consider it a head start on your career, like Traci McDonald, district training manager for the Sweet Factory candy shop, did. She started out as a sales associate there six years ago.

"I worked my way up and they can do the same. That's what we're looking for," she says.

Ah, sweet success.

At Cinnabon, however, they're looking for image-conscious teens to bake and sell their gooey cinnamon rolls.

"We try to (hire) those kids that go to grandma's house," says manager Brenda Esty, "that want to be clean-cut, down to earth, friendly kids. That type of atmosphere is what Cinnabon is."

Count junior Chris Raudenz in, so long as the job's a fun one, "so I won't get bored," he says.

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