Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Shop the Socially Responsible Way

women-shopping
We think it's a pretty fair stereotype to say most of us career gals love to shop. But it doesn't mean we can't be socially responsible about it. We recently read How to be a Socially Conscious Consumer by Kate Jongbloed, an enlightening post on the Because I am a Girl blog (originally published on July 8, 2011). As Jongbloed states, "much of the food we eat and clothes we wear was grown or produced in developing countries", making us "connected to girls in the developing world through the purchases we make". If this isn't something you think about when you're shopping, perhaps it's time to become more aware of this important global issue. In her post, Jongbloed also offers six simple tips on how to buy goods that are ethically produced and traded.

Click here to read the entire post or copy and paste this link into your Web browser:

CCG Giveaway Alert!*
Want to hear about one woman's experience working in retail? Caitlin Kelly was finding it hard to make ends meet as a professional writer. She wound up working at a high-end sporting goods company, and then wrote a book about her two-plus years experience. Check out our review of Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail and enter for your chance to win one of five copies of the book!

Malled-Caitlin-Kelly
Reality of Retail
Whether in our teenage or university years, many of us career gals have one time or another held a job in the retail industry. We loved the perks (discounts at our favourite clothing store!) but ultimately came to dread the shift work and the whiny customers that came part and parcel with the job of sales associate.


In her debut book, 
Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail, author Caitlin Kelly candidly reveals the ups and downs experienced by the retail worker. When Kelly lost her job as a journalist and was hard up for cash, she went for an interview  at her local mall almost on a whim. Middle-aged and mid-career, Kelly suddenly found herself working at an upscale outdoor clothing company and thrown headfirst into the world of low-wage workers selling overpriced goods to well-to-do customers.

If you've ever worked in retail, you'll no doubt be able to relate to Kelly's experiences as she recounts 
the (few) highs and (many) lows of working in a minimum-wage, customer-service driven job. Even if you haven't worked in retail, Kelly's book is a quick and thought-provoking read that gets the reader thinking about modern-day consumerism. And, if we may, a final tip: if you plan to buy this book at your local bookstore, remember to have patience and courtesy for the sales associate(s) who will be assisting you with your purchase.

$32.50 at Penguin.ca

To learn more about the book and Caitlin Kelly, visit malledthebook.com


CCG Giveaway Alert!*
Hey CCG Fans, we're giving five lucky readers each a copy of Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail by Caitlin Kelly! All you have to do is:

1) Head over to the Canadian Career Gal Facebook page, "Like" our page and tell us if you've ever worked retail and whether you loved or hated it.

and

2) Look for the Canadian Career Gal post on the Penguin Canada Facebook page and "Like" it.

YOU MUST DO BOTH OF THE ABOVE IN ORDER TO QUALIFY.

You'll then be automatically entered into a random draw for a chance to win one (1) of five (5) copies of Caitlin Kelly's Malled. To be eligible for the draw, be sure to post your answer on the Canadian Career Gal Facebook page as well as "Like" the post we added to the Penguin Canada Facebook page by Monday, July 25th) at 8 PM (EST).

Winners will be announced on our Facebook page, as well as right here on the official CCG site so check back with us after the contest closing time to see if you won. Good luck!
*CONTEST IS OPEN TO CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY

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