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The Retail
Aspiring writer Penn Reynard has just joined the ranks of America’s fifteen million retail workers: fresh out of college with an English degree, he can’t find a job anywhere except at the local big-box hardware store. Working returns, Penn experiences firsthand the often comical absurdity, chaos, and shenanigans of the retail world. At least he has a new romance with a coworker going for him—if he doesn’t screw it up. The constant pressures of dealing with hostile customers, oblivious coworkers, and overbearing management begin to take their toll on him, though, and as his desired career path threatens to fall out of reach, Penn struggles to break free of retail’s clutches.
- GenresFiction
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 18, 2014
2 people are currently reading
294 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Danker-Dake
8 books11 followersJoshua Danker-Dake lives in Tulsa with his longsuffering wife, their three irrepressible children, and a tank full of cannibal guppies. Things he gets rather excited about include bombastic European power metal, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, St. Louis Cardinals baseball, and conversations about science-based health and fitness. Visit him at www.dankerdake.com.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 22, 2021
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include THE RETAIL by JOSHUA DANKER-DAKE in the library of Awesome Indies'
Badge of Approval
recipients.
Original Awesome Indies' Assessment (4 stars):
The Retail by Joshua Danker-Dake is an easy, fun read. Anyone who’s ever been inside one of those Big Box home improvement stores will instantly recognize the setting, though I doubt my local Home Depot or Lowe’s is hiding sales associates as clever and funny as these. The conversations are the sort we wish we had with our work colleagues, but our colleagues are mere mortals, while the boys and girls of the House Station are bright and witty. The interactions with the customers-from-hell ring true, if sometimes exaggerated for effect.
Main character, Penn, is a recent collage graduate and wannabe writer (Why are these protagonists always wannabe writers, never wannabe lawyers, or wannabe plumbers?) working at the House Station after being denied entrance to grad school. Told in dairy-like episodes, the book chronicles Penn’s 431 days toiling in retail, his interactions with his colleagues, his roommate and his girlfriend, and his budding romance with Chloe, who works in Paint. It’s easy to visualize this story as a film—a young twenties, buddy-film, coming-of-age, romcom.
The book is well edited and fast-paced. There’s nothing deep, profound, or unexpected here, but there doesn’t need to be. Readers looking for a light, enjoyable story won’t be disappointed. A strong four stars.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Original Awesome Indies' Assessment (4 stars):
The Retail by Joshua Danker-Dake is an easy, fun read. Anyone who’s ever been inside one of those Big Box home improvement stores will instantly recognize the setting, though I doubt my local Home Depot or Lowe’s is hiding sales associates as clever and funny as these. The conversations are the sort we wish we had with our work colleagues, but our colleagues are mere mortals, while the boys and girls of the House Station are bright and witty. The interactions with the customers-from-hell ring true, if sometimes exaggerated for effect.
Main character, Penn, is a recent collage graduate and wannabe writer (Why are these protagonists always wannabe writers, never wannabe lawyers, or wannabe plumbers?) working at the House Station after being denied entrance to grad school. Told in dairy-like episodes, the book chronicles Penn’s 431 days toiling in retail, his interactions with his colleagues, his roommate and his girlfriend, and his budding romance with Chloe, who works in Paint. It’s easy to visualize this story as a film—a young twenties, buddy-film, coming-of-age, romcom.
The book is well edited and fast-paced. There’s nothing deep, profound, or unexpected here, but there doesn’t need to be. Readers looking for a light, enjoyable story won’t be disappointed. A strong four stars.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 17, 2016
This book is hilarious! If you have ever worked in retail, this is a must read! I found myself laughing out loud while reading this book. Parts of it were slow, but the characters were interesting, and the story felt real to life.
January 15, 2016
this is like reading a biography but in a Home Depot type store! ha ha ha! The Office Space of retail!
March 12, 2018
The Retail is a satire on modern American under-employment. Penn, the main character, gets a job at a home improvement store which all but destroys his life. It is so funny and yet I find it also disturbingly sad. Penn, like so many millennials (50% according to some statistics), is just finishing college and stuck in a dead-end retail job that has nothing to do with his degree. The absurdity of his everyday existence, especially his various customers and co-workers, nearly had me laughing so hard I was in tears. The continual observations on the weirdness of the retail world and work policy were also fascinating and angered me. The characters, like in Jane Austin novels, are parodies of real people in such an artful way as to be so hilariously ridiculous and yet I might be able to name people who are exactly the same way. Underlying all of this, Penn has to learn that his passivity towards his life and needs is actually his main foe, not just the job. The micro-managing head manager, the lazy supervisor, the policies that don’t make any sense, and even the unfairness of having no insurance may have been less of an issue had Penn pro-actively searched for solutions and even actively applied for more jobs. At the same time, as many current job searchers know, sometimes it doesn’t really matter what you do, you’re still stuck. That reality is what made me completely understand Penn’s emotional struggle and made this book so compelling. In some ways, the battle of the main character against the pointlessness of his position sort of reminds me of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
February 11, 2019
I went into the book without any expectations and I came out pleasantly surprised.
The story is interesting, following a character who seems to be stuck in life right after college. The author, Joshua Danker-Dake, does a great job with the dialogue between the main character, his friends and anyone else he interacts with. It makes reading the book easy and fun. Perfect to pass the time on a commute.
There were a few parts that slowed down the story. It began to feel a little repetitive, but I kept reading for the interactions between the main character and his friends. It was so well written that I could easily overlook it.
This is a simple story that is well written, an easy read and fast. Overall, I highly recommend!
The story is interesting, following a character who seems to be stuck in life right after college. The author, Joshua Danker-Dake, does a great job with the dialogue between the main character, his friends and anyone else he interacts with. It makes reading the book easy and fun. Perfect to pass the time on a commute.
There were a few parts that slowed down the story. It began to feel a little repetitive, but I kept reading for the interactions between the main character and his friends. It was so well written that I could easily overlook it.
This is a simple story that is well written, an easy read and fast. Overall, I highly recommend!
February 28, 2017
Enjoyable, well-paced story about the joy of working retail with several laugh-out-loud moments. The hero is sympathetic and genuine, the supporting characters are quirky and believable. Based on indirect knowledge from friends and family who have worked for one of the large home improvement chains, I believe Mr. Danker-Dake has captured the absurd but realistic behaviors of both customers and "associates".
June 18, 2023
This book was recommended by someone on a reel I saw. I'm so glad I saw that comment because this book has humor where unexpected! The plot is believable and I found the characters interesting. If you're looking for something different that you usually read give this a try.
December 28, 2024
Not sure what I was expecting when I started this book but it definitely brought back some of my own retail memories from high school. I liked how easy of a read it was and for seeming to be a book about nothing, keeps you enticed the entire time!
July 25, 2025
Absolutely phenomenal read, I wish to stumble on a million other books like this one in my life time. Simple. Easy. Everything you could ask for out of a simple contemporary novel
May 21, 2015
The story’s protagonist is a writer by the name of Penn Reynard. It takes place over the character’s time spent working for “House Station”, a large hardware and building supply retailer. Penn’s days are spent behind the “Returns” counter, dealing with waves of strange customer requests and bantering with his friend, Pete and his other co-workers. The story is written in a log entry style rather than chapters and the reader is quickly drawn into this man’s struggles between his dream of writing and publishing a book and having to suffer the daily indignities of his job.
I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. This has been done before and is quite reminiscent of stories like “Empire Records”, “Clerks” and “Mallrats”. These very scenarios came to mind quite early on in my reading and I came to expect a humorous but “tread upon” story line. I expected catch phrases that would get tiring page after page and antics that would make me question the character’s integrity and believability.
But that didn’t happen.
There were no repetitive tag lines, no tired angles and no character-destroying acts of ridiculousness to make the reader dread the remaining pages. There is humor in every day listed throughout the book, with the possible exception of a couple of entries that were summed up in two sentences, the second of which was: “I called in.” They simply serve to punctuate the character’s depressed state.
Penn is an endearing character that anyone who has ever been employed in the retail industry will adhere to and anyone who has not (points to self) will generate sympathy for anyway. He is depicted as a tall, somewhat lanky fellow whose capacity for thought and creativity is strangled by the corporate entity that employs him. He has nicknames for an annoying co-worker and his repeat customers, such as “Landfill”, and “James Earl Jones with a Perm”. He is kind toward animals and is a cat lover.
His friend “Angry” Pete is the big mouth of the store, a close friend of Penn’s and someone who suffers from emotional outbursts which manifest themselves in the form of orations derived from the over-analysis of the mundane facts of life. He is a kind of cross between Abed from the television show, “Community” and the character of Randall Graves of the Kevin Smith movie, “Clerks”. Yes, he is a bit annoying, but he has many, many valid points in every rant and helped to carry the story along well. His appearances never derailed the scenes and he compliments the main character very well.
The ancillary characters come and go like co-workers do in reality, which adds credibility to the story. Penn’s roommate, Jeff, is affable and kind hearted and the love interest, Chloe, comes off as quite sweet and understanding. Chloe also works at the “Home Station” in the paints department.
The writing is very well done. Danker-Dake’s story flows without flaw in a stream of well-structured thoughts and scenes, punctuated by the absurdities that highlight Penn’s days. There are no little typos or formatting errors to disrupt the reader. It’s a smooth ride from start to finish. The only things I think are in short supply are the physical descriptions of the characters. Pete is described as thin, with a long nose and unkempt hair, but you won’t find much detail on the other characters, even those of Penn himself. These little details help the reader “see” who they’re reading, but here, it’s left up to us. Perhaps that was to give the reader a sense of lost identity, but I found it strange.
Also, the ending is flat and sudden. I will not be a spoiler here, but the last entry came up and smacked me in the face. On the positive side, it left me wanting more, but on the other hand, I had question without answers. The book ends as it begins, in log entry style, you simply run out of days to read about.
Overall, The Retail is very worthy of a reader’s time. If one is looking for an enjoyable, humorous, young adult read, this will fit nicely. I give it 9 out of 10 stars, accounting for the tiny issues that I discovered along the way.
I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. This has been done before and is quite reminiscent of stories like “Empire Records”, “Clerks” and “Mallrats”. These very scenarios came to mind quite early on in my reading and I came to expect a humorous but “tread upon” story line. I expected catch phrases that would get tiring page after page and antics that would make me question the character’s integrity and believability.
But that didn’t happen.
There were no repetitive tag lines, no tired angles and no character-destroying acts of ridiculousness to make the reader dread the remaining pages. There is humor in every day listed throughout the book, with the possible exception of a couple of entries that were summed up in two sentences, the second of which was: “I called in.” They simply serve to punctuate the character’s depressed state.
Penn is an endearing character that anyone who has ever been employed in the retail industry will adhere to and anyone who has not (points to self) will generate sympathy for anyway. He is depicted as a tall, somewhat lanky fellow whose capacity for thought and creativity is strangled by the corporate entity that employs him. He has nicknames for an annoying co-worker and his repeat customers, such as “Landfill”, and “James Earl Jones with a Perm”. He is kind toward animals and is a cat lover.
His friend “Angry” Pete is the big mouth of the store, a close friend of Penn’s and someone who suffers from emotional outbursts which manifest themselves in the form of orations derived from the over-analysis of the mundane facts of life. He is a kind of cross between Abed from the television show, “Community” and the character of Randall Graves of the Kevin Smith movie, “Clerks”. Yes, he is a bit annoying, but he has many, many valid points in every rant and helped to carry the story along well. His appearances never derailed the scenes and he compliments the main character very well.
The ancillary characters come and go like co-workers do in reality, which adds credibility to the story. Penn’s roommate, Jeff, is affable and kind hearted and the love interest, Chloe, comes off as quite sweet and understanding. Chloe also works at the “Home Station” in the paints department.
The writing is very well done. Danker-Dake’s story flows without flaw in a stream of well-structured thoughts and scenes, punctuated by the absurdities that highlight Penn’s days. There are no little typos or formatting errors to disrupt the reader. It’s a smooth ride from start to finish. The only things I think are in short supply are the physical descriptions of the characters. Pete is described as thin, with a long nose and unkempt hair, but you won’t find much detail on the other characters, even those of Penn himself. These little details help the reader “see” who they’re reading, but here, it’s left up to us. Perhaps that was to give the reader a sense of lost identity, but I found it strange.
Also, the ending is flat and sudden. I will not be a spoiler here, but the last entry came up and smacked me in the face. On the positive side, it left me wanting more, but on the other hand, I had question without answers. The book ends as it begins, in log entry style, you simply run out of days to read about.
Overall, The Retail is very worthy of a reader’s time. If one is looking for an enjoyable, humorous, young adult read, this will fit nicely. I give it 9 out of 10 stars, accounting for the tiny issues that I discovered along the way.
April 17, 2015
Note: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
First, I’d like to state some things which didn’t garner the full 5 stars for me:
(1) Although Angry Pete is one of my favorite characters, I thought with some parts, the tirades were a bit too long.
(2) The ending did not match the fire or pizzazz of the beginning or the middle of the book. It felt a bit forced, almost as if the author wasn’t quite sure how to close the work out.
(3) There were formatting opportunities in the .mobi version of the file I had, mainly excessive spacing in dialogue, parts where one or two words were left on lines by themselves. Something like this:
“The customer is not always
right.”
All of that aside, what an incredible read!
Being on both the customer service representative side as well as the management side of retail, the conflict and events were very believable. The part concerning the return policy definitely reminded me of my times when I worked behind the service desk, processing returns. Each terminology used took me back to different times. Some, where I was pleased that I was able to help out the customer. Others, where I wanted to do anything but “smile and nod” and wanted just to crawl under the bed covers or serve myself a stiff drink.
Penn, Angry Pete and Chloe were my favorite characters. Their own takes on their job reflect the reality of the modern day worker. Penn is in a situation where he wants to achieve more but is in this all familiar cycle:If you want a better job, then you should get a better degree. In order to get a better degree, you have to have money for your education.
This book reads like a day-to-day, giving us a peek at how each person, especially Penn, is faring.
The tirades of Angry Pete resonate with a lot of good points, although, at times, he came across as annoying. Maybe so, yet there was something about the wisdom that you just had to nod and respect.
Chloe’s gusto and optimism is infectious and she is the perfect offset to Penn. I find myself cheering for the couple’s survival and Penn’s writing endeavors paying off as the story came to a close.
Verdict: 4 Stars
“The Retail” is a book I highly recommend for its true to life scenarios, hard hit reflections, and the doses of humor in the pages.
First, I’d like to state some things which didn’t garner the full 5 stars for me:
(1) Although Angry Pete is one of my favorite characters, I thought with some parts, the tirades were a bit too long.
(2) The ending did not match the fire or pizzazz of the beginning or the middle of the book. It felt a bit forced, almost as if the author wasn’t quite sure how to close the work out.
(3) There were formatting opportunities in the .mobi version of the file I had, mainly excessive spacing in dialogue, parts where one or two words were left on lines by themselves. Something like this:
“The customer is not always
right.”
All of that aside, what an incredible read!
Being on both the customer service representative side as well as the management side of retail, the conflict and events were very believable. The part concerning the return policy definitely reminded me of my times when I worked behind the service desk, processing returns. Each terminology used took me back to different times. Some, where I was pleased that I was able to help out the customer. Others, where I wanted to do anything but “smile and nod” and wanted just to crawl under the bed covers or serve myself a stiff drink.
Penn, Angry Pete and Chloe were my favorite characters. Their own takes on their job reflect the reality of the modern day worker. Penn is in a situation where he wants to achieve more but is in this all familiar cycle:If you want a better job, then you should get a better degree. In order to get a better degree, you have to have money for your education.
This book reads like a day-to-day, giving us a peek at how each person, especially Penn, is faring.
The tirades of Angry Pete resonate with a lot of good points, although, at times, he came across as annoying. Maybe so, yet there was something about the wisdom that you just had to nod and respect.
Chloe’s gusto and optimism is infectious and she is the perfect offset to Penn. I find myself cheering for the couple’s survival and Penn’s writing endeavors paying off as the story came to a close.
Verdict: 4 Stars
“The Retail” is a book I highly recommend for its true to life scenarios, hard hit reflections, and the doses of humor in the pages.
April 18, 2015
Penn Reynard is our first person narrator and protagonist in Joshua Danker-Dake’s “The Retail.”
Misadventures occur and ensue inside and outside of The House Station to where scenarios are explained in such a way where not only are they reflective, they are teachable as they give the “outside looking in” feel to those who NEVER worked a retail position of any kind in their lives (whether it is clothing, electronics, food, etc.). We get tired, we are moody, we have things towards which we aspire. Sadly, Life’s Deck of Cards dealt us (those who worked retail) a pair of 2’s while others held a better hand either by circumstance, dumb luck (emphasis on dumb), or well-placed decisions.
All in all, this is a story about life post high school as well as during collegiate education. This is about how Life does not turn out the way you want it to turn. At the same time, Life needs to traverse in this direction to where you have not only a greater appreciation for what you do and do not have, you will know what is and is not best for you in the realm of career paths (that is the takeaway for me, anyway: we all had a decision AND an employer that we did not enjoy, yet we learned a lot and met different personalities even more).
By the time I finished the book, I felt satisfied: things happen for a reason, and prepares us for a better future.
“The Retail” is witty, smart, reflective, reminiscent, and funny (to me, AT LEAST). Schrödinger’s Cat will tell you for yourself if this read is funny or not. It may even cause trauma from dredging up old memories of the torturous Hell you have endured, IF you have worked retail in the past.
Overall, I Highly Recommend “The Retail”: specifically to the Young Adults. You all can learn a lot from this book. I cannot guarantee that you’ll be smarter from reading this story, yet I can say that you will be a bit more informed by peering into this hardware lined sawdust covered window.
Misadventures occur and ensue inside and outside of The House Station to where scenarios are explained in such a way where not only are they reflective, they are teachable as they give the “outside looking in” feel to those who NEVER worked a retail position of any kind in their lives (whether it is clothing, electronics, food, etc.). We get tired, we are moody, we have things towards which we aspire. Sadly, Life’s Deck of Cards dealt us (those who worked retail) a pair of 2’s while others held a better hand either by circumstance, dumb luck (emphasis on dumb), or well-placed decisions.
All in all, this is a story about life post high school as well as during collegiate education. This is about how Life does not turn out the way you want it to turn. At the same time, Life needs to traverse in this direction to where you have not only a greater appreciation for what you do and do not have, you will know what is and is not best for you in the realm of career paths (that is the takeaway for me, anyway: we all had a decision AND an employer that we did not enjoy, yet we learned a lot and met different personalities even more).
By the time I finished the book, I felt satisfied: things happen for a reason, and prepares us for a better future.
“The Retail” is witty, smart, reflective, reminiscent, and funny (to me, AT LEAST). Schrödinger’s Cat will tell you for yourself if this read is funny or not. It may even cause trauma from dredging up old memories of the torturous Hell you have endured, IF you have worked retail in the past.
Overall, I Highly Recommend “The Retail”: specifically to the Young Adults. You all can learn a lot from this book. I cannot guarantee that you’ll be smarter from reading this story, yet I can say that you will be a bit more informed by peering into this hardware lined sawdust covered window.
August 22, 2014
This is an enjoyable book. It is really funny – there are parts that I was laughing out loud! But, it’s not just funny. You really start to see the human-ness of all the characters, (particularly, Penn); their strengths and their weaknesses, ups and downs, their triumphs and mistakes. You become keenly aware of life through their eyes and in their shoes.
I finished the book and read the ending on a late flight back home and I felt rather troubled until the next morning, only after a good night of sleep. The ending is quite tumultuous and I experienced a whole range of emotions: I was mad, sad, frustrated, but also hopeful and happy all at the same time. The following day, I was better able to process the ending and appreciate the book, the characters, and the story for what it is: a glimpse into the life of Penn as he grows and develops in his personhood and relationships through the various struggles life throws his way.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it. It is easy to read, moves along quickly, is laugh-out-loud-funny, and yet a thought-provoking read. It would be especially enjoyable for anyone who has worked in the retail industry in America.
I finished the book and read the ending on a late flight back home and I felt rather troubled until the next morning, only after a good night of sleep. The ending is quite tumultuous and I experienced a whole range of emotions: I was mad, sad, frustrated, but also hopeful and happy all at the same time. The following day, I was better able to process the ending and appreciate the book, the characters, and the story for what it is: a glimpse into the life of Penn as he grows and develops in his personhood and relationships through the various struggles life throws his way.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it. It is easy to read, moves along quickly, is laugh-out-loud-funny, and yet a thought-provoking read. It would be especially enjoyable for anyone who has worked in the retail industry in America.
December 31, 2016
I think that I must have had the wrong expectations from the beginning, because when I added “The Retail” to my reading list I’d thought that it must be some kind of comic work. You know, like that “Employee of the Month” movie starring Jessica Simpson and all those other people. And even though the book was actually pretty funny overall, it ended up reminding me a lot of Peter Van Buren’s retail experiences in “Ghosts of Tom Joad”. The author’s characters will be instantly recognizable to anyone who’s ever stood behind a register, and the story itself will be all too realistic to any “basement dwellers” who’ve struggled to adapt to life in the real world after college. If you’ve ever caught yourself having a chuckle over the /talesfromretail subforum on Reddit, this book’s for you. I definitely enjoyed the author’s style, and will be on the lookout for his other works.
October 24, 2014
Reading this book is like reading a novelization of Not Always Right; funny and sharp, but with more plot and back story. I really like how the chapters are broken up. Each chapter starts with a day, so that you jump forward in the story without any filler if nothing is going on. The narrator is very dry and sarcastic, which is good in the retail situations but is a bit strange in the social parts. There is definitely a theme of Christian values in the later parts of the book. There is one scene that had the potential for the narrator to face his values and how they would affect his life, but it doesn't quite pull through. Overall, this book is light and witty, a great read!
January 25, 2017
"This is as good as these kinds of things get," is the line that keeps going over in my head, during and after having read 'The Retail.' If you've seen the retail-oriented films from 'Clerks' to 'Garden State' you're familiar with the 'I hate my job and can't find a way out so am going to cut everyone up with sarcasm' voice, and this book is nothing new there. It's funny, occasionally sympathetic, and easy for us all to say 'I know someone like that' in our own lives after getting to know the characters. Like a retail job itself, the book will get you through and ultimately leave you right back where you started
October 21, 2014
The book follows a young man through his employment at a major retail store. He encounters a lot of colorful people and has a lot of tales to tell. The author did a good job of developing his main characters and I really connected with several of them. The protagonist is a likable fellow, as are most of the rest of the cast. The book is so darned believable that I never want to be put in the position of working in a retail store - I don't think I could stomach it!
I received this book from Goodreads First Reads, but the opinions expressed are my own.
I received this book from Goodreads First Reads, but the opinions expressed are my own.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews