A well trained employee vs A well educated employee

At Uniqlo we are tested on all of the technology aspects of all of our merchandise including their function capabilities considering that is what makes us unique and the care that gets put into having the highest quality in comparison to our peers. Having this expectation of us, when I go into other stores I automatically assume they know all of the functions of their clothing with or without technology embedded into the material. However I find that a lot of employees at other places do not know simple aspects of the clothing, even things that do not require wearing the item (i.e. stretchy, sizes run big or small, etc). This to be is just a well trained employee but not a well educated one. Part of Uniqlo's training is actually knowing the merchandise which is why we get quizzed on it, so it all goes hand in hand. Sometimes I will strike up conversation with employees and I can quickly find out who is actually invested in their company/job and who is just there for a mere paycheck. Just the other day I went to Urban Outfitters and I was having a conversation with the guy who was ringing me up and we talked about Urban's humble beginnings and Anthropologie and all of the brands under URBN, I could tell he was extremely invested in his position because of his extensive knowledge about the companies and even small stories he had about the company.

In conclusion, I think it helps to take on positions that you are truly passionate about. Whether it is just part time and even if it is temporary you should still try and find positions that relate to your interests in some way shape or form. It helps keep your spirits alive at work as well as makes knowing about the products/environment like second nature. Even if it wasn't required for us to know the functions of our products, I still would read up on it. Not only does it help me as as a sales associate be more informed, but it also helps when answering questions for customers. Even outside of work I find myself reading up on Uniqlo as a company because I'm always interested in projects/collaborations Uniqlo is working on.