Article 11: The Most Unique Job You Ever Had
Straight out of college I took a job as a Managing Editor for a local newspaper. About a year in, the paper folded. It was around September and I needed a job. I searched high and low and didn't find anything that suited me. I decided to take something temporary. I saw an ad for a 'Santa's helper' at the Short Hills Mall, in Short Hills New Jersey.
I go for the interview and no one shows. Not wanting to be without income and knowing I had experience working retail, I scanned the mall for different openings. I went and applied to a few and then I saw a 'help wanted' in a store on my way out. The store was on the corner and was narrow and deep. In the windows they had luggage but also pens. I had never known that there was a market for anything besides throwaways.
It seemed kind of stuffy to me at first but I went inside and spoke with the assistant manager. She then invited me to speak to the big boss.
Within a week, I had a job at the store.
My first day, the assistant manager had me look around and told me she would give me a lesson the next shift. 'A lesson in Pens?!?' I thought. You must be crazy.
As I walked through the store I saw names like Mont Blanc, Cartier, Cross, Montegrappa, Space pens etc. The prices shocked me. The low end of the pens the store sold were $30USD. I never knew a pen could sell for $30USD. Then I saw some of the higher ends, the prices went up and up and up. The most expensive pen in the store was upwards of $10,000USD. Not only that, but there was a case that the pen went in that was an additional $2500!
On top of that there were multiple types of pens. There were ballpoint, rollerball and fountain pens. Within fountain pens you had different karat gold nibs(the tips that write) then you had different types- piston filled(you suck the ink in through the nib into a tank in the body of the pen) and cartridge(a small basin on ink loaded into the pen).
My mind was blown. I am a lefty and have not been able to read my own hand writing since...ever.
The next day opened my eyes even wider. As the assistant manager took me around she explained how each pen was made what the composite material was and how long it takes to plan out and make each one. There was also a history lesson to the brands. Apparently this was integral in the ability to sell them.
As time went on I learned that there were 5 types of buyers of these pens.
- The casual buyer- didn't know pens this expensive existed. Thought it would be cool to have one.
- The 'I want to impress you' buyer- Usually driven by friends that were collectors, the 'I want to impress you' buyer came into the store once or twice, bought a medium to low high quality pen that always had a name behind it, just to say that they had it, in conversation.
- The gifter- could be corporate or personal. These people understood the value of pens, Usually purchased multiple pens worth $3-$500 every year without fail. Corporate discounts always provided for large orders, and they got offended if you didn't know about the discount and they had to ask for it.
- 'The Contract' buyer- Businessmen would come in and spend crazy money(7 to 10 thousand minimum) never asking for a discount. The soul purpose would be to sign a large business deal and then the pen would be 'retired' and used as a show piece. Contract buyers were always after limited editions. These buyers could easily make your month in one hour.
- The collector- These were the regulars. The guys and girls that would come in every week and at every trunk show to see what was new and exciting. These buyers skipped your standard and basic pens and went straight for the limited's or a brand that they had never seen before. These customers also knew about 100x more than you as an employee ever would. It was their passion.
Over the three years I worked at the store I wound up as a top salesman. To this day I don't how. I assume it was some combination of luck and the fact that I loved the history behind them thus being able to have in depth conversations with all types of customers. I know for certain it wasn't my ability to match the pen to someone's wardrobe(which was a thing) because I am colorblind. Yes..you have read that right. I worked at a pen store as a left-handed colorblind person who can't read their own handwriting.
During my time there I did wind up with a favorite pen brand. It is called, Graf-Von-Faber-Castell.
The reason I liked Faber Castell so much was a their history and craftsmanship. Graf-Von-Faber-Castell did not start as a pen company, but rather as a pencil company that dates back generations to it's founding in Germany.
In fact, they are widely considered the creators of the modern pencil.
The designs spoke to me. They were not ostentatious, but rather classic and well made. They took care in their work and it showed. They were by far my favorite pen to push because I was a fan.
Below is a link to their 2021 Pen of the Year as an example. If you are interested in the history their web page has a ton of really interesting information.
Graf-Von-Faber-Castell 2021 Pen of the Year
After years, it was time to move on and get back into writing. But to this day, that is the most interesting and random job I have ever had.