I have been trying to find a job and I have been out of the job market for some time now and I am ready to get back in it but it has been hard. I have retail sales and customer service experience and I just don't know where to start.

I don't know of any, but you can try manpower and general employment.

Personally, you should try and go into any of those places close to your house that you want to work and strike up friendly conversation with some of the people there, and ask the inside scoop:

"You're having fun! Do you know if they're looking for anyone? Great – who should I talk to about that? You guys have such a great store – What's it like to work here?"

I would just make sure I was very presentable and professional averytime I went in, strike up conversation and friendships, and you will find yourself really settling into a place that you enjoy. Make sure they know that you can separate business from pleasure, but you also appreciate that it's easier to work in an environment where people are generally friendly towards one another, and reference your experience, and state that you are serious about getting on with a good company at a good store, and working hard.

Hope that helps, especially if you've had trouble getting an invite through the typical hiring avenues (application/resume at the desk please…). Sadly, most hiring processes are very, very inefficient.

Good luck!

Here is a question posted on Yahoo answers together with the chosen best response.

“As a hobby I make handcrafted bath & body items for family & friends. Recently I was asked to supply a local retailer with a large volume of my products. I can supply the product, my question is how do I handle the sale? Should I sell the product at wholesale or should I sell the product at retail and offer some type of volume discounting? Like 5 or 10% off, also should I ask for a deposit, and if so how much, thanks.”

Response:
You should sell at wholesale prices. As the store will be selling a large volume of your goods and eliminates the selling aspect from your responsibility, they are entitled to a profit on the sale as well. Typically, a wholesale price would be 50% of the retail price, however the higher the volume, the lower the percentage as a general guideline. To begin the negotiations you will want to determine the quantity of goods they would like to purchase and the retail price they would be asking. Just keep in mind your production costs and ensure you are receiving a fair profit. Good luck!

 Here is an interesting question and response posted in yahoo answers:

Every report I read on retail spending states that because of the housing crisis, retail sales will drop. There are hundreds of reports out there all pointing fingers at the industry for a number of economical woes. My retail sales were great before the housing market took other markets down with it. Couldn’t I sue the subprime lenders for damaging my area of the economy? Anyone want to represent me?

Sure. You can spend millions to become the laughing stock of your town.