Wage watchers: How much does the owner of a retail shop earn?

What is your job?
For four years I’ve had a shop, Hippy Chic, in the centre of Leuven, selling clothing, accessories and jewellery. I’m all alone in the shop, so I do everything: taking care of stock, placing orders, unpacking deliveries, setting prices, labelling, selling, cleaning, managing the website, making payments, keeping the books and so on. I’m mainly aimed at young people and try as much as possible to make sure my stock is different from the chain stores. For example, every time I travel I bring some special things back that I can sell in the shop.

Do you enjoy your work?
I love my job! I like fashion, the contact with young people and the atmosphere in a university town like Leuven. And it’s great to be your own boss.

What do you think of the pay?
I net €2,500 a month, and I can live on that. I eat out regularly, go on holiday, I can buy things. In 2008, I moved here from Spain because of the crisis. Back home I had to make do with much less money. My income isn’t the same every month. There are busy months, like July and December, and there are quieter months.

As a self-employed person, of course, there’s a big difference between my gross and my net earnings. Purchases and the costs of keeping the business running come from my gross earnings; the biggest of those is the clothes I sell. I need to have each piece in various sizes, so the cost soon mounts up. The rent on the shop is my second-biggest expense, followed by costs such as electricity, payment terminals, book keeping and of course social contributions.

How many hours a week do you work?
I work 10 or 11 hours a day, six days a week, though I’m also working for the shop on Sundays as well. So I’m working more than 60 hours a week.

Would you change jobs if you got an offer that paid better?
No, I’m happy as things are. Though of course you never know what the future may bring.

Do you manage to save?
Yes, I can put something aside. I live a relatively sober life: I rent a small house, drive a small car and if I travel, I don’t spend a lot.

What is your biggest expense?
My rent.

Does the crisis mean you’re more careful with money?
No, I spend less because I’m older and more responsible. The crisis hasn’t had much of a direct effect on me; the shop is doing very well.

What do you most enjoy spending money on?
Travelling, preferable far away. Before I had the shop, I would go for months on trips to Asia, North or South America. Now I take off a maximum of two weeks together. I also go several times a year to London. Those trips are a combination of work and pleasure, since I’m buying things for the shop.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
I’d help my family in Spain and my in-laws in Italy so they could have a decent life with no financial worries. For myself, I’d go off on a trip and buy a little house on the Mediterranean coast.