Retail - Mike Freedman - Bog

The 1990s was a time for drowning in the genre of grunge music and perfecting the art of slackerdom. At least that's what it was like for Hunter, growing up in small-town America, the son of a successful doctor. Unlike his dad, serial slacker Hunter never worked hard at anything in his life. But he was a bowler. (Yes, bowling is a sport.) When looking down the polished-wood lane at those spindly white pins, Hunter was someone. A champion. One who accidentally ended up earning a full scholarship to a top-tier Canadian university, thanks to his prowess at smashing pins.

But when one door opens-for Hunter anyway-it seems to slam shut just as quickly. Usually smack in his face. That's exactly what happens when Hunter screws up and his university scholarship goes up in smoke. But when one door closes . . . Hunter finds himself confronted by two more doors, where opportunity awaits. Those double-glass doors at Retail Depot in Winnipeg, Manitoba, usher Hunter into the world of service, rewarded by the princely sum of $8.25 an hour. Sure, he expects a job, but through his time toiling for meager pay in the big-box store, alongside friends and idiots alike, Hunter unexpectedly ends up learning more about himself and the ups and downs of life than he would have ever learned at university.

Retail: Redemption at $8.25 an Hour is a coming-of-age story, a journey, not necessarily to greatness or where diehard dreams are fulfilled, but to a place some might call contentment.