Plenty of MHS students are familiar with Connor Riley, a senior Track Captain, avid sports fan, and fantastic MDO staff member. What they might not know is that he balances a job alongside his school work and athletic extracurricular. MDO got a chance to sit down with Connor to ask him about his experience in retail.

MDO: Where do you work and how long have you worked there?

CR: I work at the Sneaker Factory in Florham Park. I’ve been working there for a little over a year now.

MDO: How did you come across the job?

CR: I was originally going to look for a job last summer but the position at the Sneaker Factory was brought to me last winter by Coach Bessin. My boss Joe asked her for a student athlete that would like the opportunity to work at a running store. It was very cool that she asked me out of all the other athletes she could have referred to my boss. It worked out perfectly that I got a job selling running shoes, spikes, apparel, and anything else running you can think of. The job is very fitting with my passion for running, which I have been doing for about 10 years now.

MDO: Is it difficult balancing school and work?

CR: Sometimes it is difficult working and balancing school work. Some nights I’ll go to work after practice and then be there for a few hours till close and still have homework to do. Most times when I work on the weekends I’m able to get some homework done when we aren’t busy. I’d the end of the day I’d say I balance it well.

MDO: What are some of the challenging parts of your job?

CR: Every aspect of the job is awesome and I’m grateful for the many experiences and skills I have had and gained over the last year. Of course, the job is a little challenging at times. Some customers are a little more difficult than others when it comes to finding the right shoe. Some customers will need about three shoes to try on and work from but others need six to seven to come to a decision. Sometimes it’s a struggle helping older customers because they’re used to plain black or white shoes. Today most shoes are very flamboyant and have crazy colors. It is always a challenge to convince people that the current colors are fun and cool and that there is no way to avoid crazy color combinations today.

MDO: What’s your favorite part of the job?

CR: My favorite part of my job is everything! Most kids aren’t fans of their jobs and hate working but I love going to work. My boss is a great guy and because there are multiple Sneaker Factories, I have been able to work with different people when shifts get moved around. We also employ a few professional runners who run for NJNYTC, who are nationally sponsored. As a young runner, it was very cool to work and be friends with these guys.

I’ve learned a ton of skills that I never thought I would, like doing inventory, working the cash register, and fitting people for shoes. There is a lot of knowledge that goes into knowing about each running shoe and finding the perfect shoe for each customer. Also, because the store is so local, a bunch of runners from neighboring high schools come in for all their running needs and it’s fun getting to see them again at meets. It is always very cool interacting with different customers. You never know who is going to walk in the door. I am a very talkative person and I am easy to talk with so I have had tons of great conversations with customers. It’s just another aspect that makes the job exciting and unexpected. I truly enjoy the job and wouldn’t change it for anything.