Philippine Sea. (June 13, 2023) Help Wanted. Retail associates to manage a busy store and laundry mat.
Apply to the U.S. Navy. (Note: Must be willing to travel.)
In this photo by MC1Ryre Arciaga, Retail Services Specialist 3rd Class Mingxu Du, from Los Angeles, handles a line aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam during a replenishment-at-sea with the fleet-replenishment oiler USNS Rappahannock in the Philippine Sea. Retail Services Specialists are responsible for managing and operating all shipboard retail and service activities. These include the ship's store, vending machines, coffee kiosks, barber shops, and laundry operations.
Retail Services delivers a “little piece of home” for Sailors at sea, and this has a major impact on morale. A sailor may enjoy a café latte as well as a haircut and dozens of recreational activities coordinated by retail services.
These retail specialists are part of a complex chain of logistical experts that ensure the ship has adequate supplies. In addition to operating ship stores, the retail specialist is responsible for procuring and storing store stock, maintaining inventory, and serving as cash collection agents. To become a retail specialist, candidates must pass Basic Training and then complete Retail Services Specialist's class "A" school, a five-week program in Meridian, Mississippi.
The Antietam is assigned to Task Force 70 and is forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan to support the security of the U.S. and its Allies in the Indo-Pacific.