Her Story
About Kady
I've been an assistant manager for 10 to 11 years with Family Dollar and Dollar General. I like people, I like working with people, and I like helping people - that's pretty much all the jobs I've ever had. Our community is important to me, and customer service helps people have bad days go to good days just from seeing us in the store. My typical day includes resetting planograms for the floor so when new inventory comes in, we can put the new stuff out and price it properly. I put freight out on the shelves, assist customers, run bank errands, and help manage and train people. Not many of my other associates are open to training other people because they don't have the patience, but I do. Being an assistant manager is looking out for the younger, future you. I can't push further unless I have a team behind me, because I can't run a whole store by myself - I have to have team players. I'm really good at what I do, and I'm noticed for wanting to go to work. I don't like to call out at all, and I pick up shifts. There's no excuse for not going to work - you gotta pay bills, you gotta make a living. I learned from my mentor Tammy Flanagan that the customer value is worth more, and that sometimes the people are what matter more than the store. When I worked at Family Dollar for 10 years, those kids that came in would call me Aunt Katie or Family Dollar Girl, and they would just come in to see me. It's about getting to know the customer to want them to come back and looking out for their kids. You have to care about the person who's shopping, because the customer should always come first.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kady
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think it's more along the lines of just survival instinct. I don't like to sit. My day off, I never stop moving. I'm always up and about doing something for somebody else, and never for myself. I don't like to sit still - I'm always working, always helping others, always moving forward. That drive to keep going and to help people is what keeps me successful.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Keep your head up. Keep moving forward. Always look out for others. And get the job done right. My last boss before she resigned told me, if you know you mess up, admit to it, but don't do it again. You're only allowed to make one mistake once, but if you repeat that same lesson of the mistake, then it's not worth you being here. But if you can correct your mistake and not do it again, it's a learning aspect. That advice has stuck with me - own your mistakes, learn from them, but never repeat them.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If I was to give advice to another associate that's trying to step up and do better like I have in the past, I'd probably tell them that the customer is never always right, but it's always okay to make them right. You could have a customer having a bad day, and you're just trying to make their day better than where it was. You never know what that customer's going through, so it's important to approach every interaction with empathy and understanding. Focus on making people feel valued and heard, even when they're wrong, because that's what builds community and loyalty.
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