The school store is the spot to find almost anything, whether in need of a refreshing drink or a comfy pair of sweatpants. The doors are always open (well, anytime between 2:36 and 3:00). But the shelves don’t stock themselves. Who makes this addition to the school possible? Meet the staff on board who are responsible for everything the NVD store has to offer and more.
The store is overseen by NVD business teacher Ms. Petrella, who makes the executive decisions and ensures everything runs smoothly. Ms. Petrella makes it in her best interest to take into account what students actually want by conducting polls to get students’ opinions.
“We added different varieties of snacks (Nerds clusters and Trolli to name a few) to see what students wanted. In addition, we’ve done polls to see what clothing would be popular and what spirit wear students would actually want to purchase,” Ms. Petrella said.
The rest of the staff are the in-store workers who make sure to oversee purchases and deal with the handling of the cash with the customers. The in-store employees include NVD juniors Kayla Victoria, Lauren Brolin, Roni Cohen, Sara Genena, and Katie Ariefiev, along with NVD sophomore Kailyn Yun.
“I signed up to work at the school store because I was interested in getting more involved with school activities, and I love interacting with people… I get to see so many people from school,” junior Katie Ariefiev said.
The school store has about 15 to 25 students come in every day. Some come in with their friends to take a look at a potential purchase of theirs, while others come in with an exact item in mind. The store sells a variety of items, such as candies, hoodies, sweatpants, energy drinks, chips, and more.
“I wear the NVD sweatpants that I have gotten from the school store so much, and they were surprisingly only $10…I also find it so helpful that they sell energy drinks, which I buy before I have track,” NVD junior Kyra Sasmaz said.
If a student needs help with the price or availability of something, a couple of student employees are always behind the counter to help.
“The school store allows me to practice customer service skills. Skills I might actually find myself needing in the future,” junior Sara Genena said.
Although the interactions that take place usually consist of simple, friendly talk between students who go to the same school and are often familiar with each other, it still helps the student workers build on various skills nonetheless.
“This job helped me improve on multi-tasking…When the store gets really busy, it’s hard to keep our eyes on everything that goes on, so it’s difficult to handle the people who steal stuff, but you know, we try,” junior Kayla Kun said.
Some duties that these student workers take on consist of helping customers with their purchases, restocking items, and taking money in and out of the register. They also make sure the store stays neat and tidy, as some customers tend to leave clothes unfolded or put items back in the wrong spot. However, working at the school store definitely still has its bright sides.
“One of the best aspects is having the creative freedom when it comes to designing the display and being able to come to Ms. Petrella with new ideas to benefit the store,” Kayla Kun said.
Every now and then, the school store’s setup might be switched around, courtesy of the thought the school workers put in, to make it easier for the students. In addition, the school store even uses some of its profits to raise money for the school and its programs. One of them is DECA.
“I love how the school store helps raise money for DECA, which is a club my friends and I love being a part of. It makes me feel like I’m contributing to the effort,” Kayla Kun said.
The school store staff has been able to grow fond of each other, and relationships have flourished through the team effort to run the school store.
“It’s really enjoyable, working with my friends and getting closer to them. We get to talk as we work…and Ms. Petrella is an amazing supervisor,” Katie Ariefiev said.
“I know a lot of students I would have never met if it wasn’t for the school store. Plus, the girls who work at the school store are absolutely amazing,” Ms. Petrella said.
Although the NVD school store can be seen as a simple, convenient place to stop by for a quick snack, it is often a student luxury that can often be taken for granted. So be sure to stop by the school store at the end of the B hallway to recognize the work the entire staff puts in to make the school store possible and their notable efforts.
