{"product_id":"in-the-toy-box-my-toysrus-journey-begins-9798886163018","title":"In The Toy Box: My ToysRUs Journey Begins","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Try retail. They never lay you off,\" said a very good friend of mine whose perspective I respected since he was going to be a millionaire by the time he was thirty-five. So began my more-than-thirty-year journey of fun and frolic in the service to mankind--and mankind does so want to be serviced.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI said goodbye to an \"eight thirty to five with an hour for lunch\" corporate life and hello to the employment ad titled \"Major Retailer.\" I was bright. I was energetic. I was dependable. I was individual enough to succeed. I embodied all the skills and personal traits required for the job. I wrote my cover letter, singing my praises just enough without coming off as a braggart. I listed all my corporate accomplishments. I felt that eventually I could regain a future in the corporate world, but by nature, I wasn't really a desk person. I need to move and be physical.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the same day, three weeks after mailing my resume to the major retailer, I heard two sets of fate-filled words: \"We will have your last check ready in two weeks\" (from my New Jersey Unemployment contact) and \"Salvatore? Hi, I'm Joe Cortez. You answered an ad in The Star-Ledger for a training program. I'd like you to come in so we can explore your options.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy Unemployment appointment was at 9:00 a.m., and the other words were uttered at 8:00 p.m. That 8:00 p.m. phone call should have given me a hint of the amount of hours required that were in store for me (\"in store\"), but I had never worked in retail. The truth was, at this point in my career, I didn't have a future in the corporate world. I hadn't for the past six months. And now, since my unemployment was about to run out, I made the appointment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \"major retailer,\" I discovered, was Toys\"R\"Us. Joe said I had a future. He was correct. My association with TRU lasted more than twenty-five years, and it has now made me a published author as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI hope you enjoy In the Toy Box, this first part of my Toys\"R\"Us journey.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Christian Faith Publishing, Inc\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/02\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798886163018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 48\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.18lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.12d","brand":"Sal Panicci","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42573366001845,"sku":"9798886163018","price":11.01,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_0b03ec73-809d-42eb-ba83-99a3471f181a.jpg?v=1672157168","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/in-the-toy-box-my-toysrus-journey-begins-9798886163018","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}