Theo Paphitis Quotes

My first job was in retail at the age of 14, and I have worked in the industry ever since.

I worked at Ikea as a customer service rep for two years and loved it.

I got into retailing because I wanted a real job.

I didn't want to be a retailer. I hated to wait on people.

I probably wanted to be a shopkeeper, because I like tills.

My first real job, I sold Christmas trees when I was twelve for extra money. I did that until I was fifteen. Then I bagged groceries, and I worked at the first Borders ever in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I've never worked in a retail store, but I did sell shoes at Gimme Shoes in San Francisco, a job I was fired from.

Retail is my game. I spend every waking hour thinking about it. I started in the industry at the age of 18 after trying various other things that were mind-numbingly boring to me.

The Panda mission really speaks to our philosophy. It is, 'Deliver exceptional Asian dining experiences by building an organization where people are inspired to better their lives.' I'm talking about everyone who works at Panda. They're inspired to better their own lives.

I have loved hosting over the years, simply because I love working with people. It's the perfect job.

A career is a job you love, right? That's what a career should be. If you're in a job that you hate, you should quit. That's the way I look at it. I'm in a job that I love, so I'm going to make it my career.

I worked at Starbucks when I was 16... It was all right.

No one in my family had a retail or marketing background. They were professionals. They didn't understand just what I was doing by going into retailing. After I started, though, it got into my blood. I knew this was what I wanted.

I like working with the public, and I like that it's really hard work.

I'm not from a retail background, but I am a shopper.

In my career, I thought I've never wanted to get anywhere in particular. I just wanted to work with interesting people on interesting projects.

I've learned several lessons over the years. First, never take yourself too seriously, or work is boring. Next, people make the difference. You can have great technology, but if it's not complemented by great people, it won't go anywhere. Finally, customers buy from people they like.

It's all about having a product that you're proud of and coming to work every day. Those basic building blocks are the same in any business.

Working in a store and being a shop assistant, if you don't know what to do and you like fashion, I think it's a great way of getting into the business because you do windows, cleaning, and everything. That was my school for two years, working in a shop, and that's how I met people in magazines and designers.

I enjoyed working at McDonald's.

I enjoy going to work and having a good time. It's tough when you got to work with people who just are in a bad mood all the damn time.

I did everything. I worked at S.S. Kresge, the five-and-dime. I worked in a mailroom. I worked processing insurance claims.

If the store were your own business, you'd escort the customer to a product's location in the store and refer to the customer by name.

I worked in a boutique after work, my second job, selling women's clothes. And that was a way of not just making money but meeting women. That was very exciting job. I loved that job.

I did work at a mall in college - I think retail/customer service is just one of the most hideous jobs in the world. So I always try to be extra nice when I go into a store. But malls are part of our culture, if you watched any teen comedy in the '80s. it's clear that malls are where we live!