Send your resume anyway. Don't take "no" for an answer. If (when) you find the job you want, call the HR manager and/or the person who is hiring. Tell them you have two degrees in related fields and experience in corporate, including retail.

You'd be surprised at how many losers you get in an interview. I have interviewed people for several positions lately and I'm amazed at:

1. Lack of appropriate dress
2. Lack of knowledge about our department
3. Making up stories (lying) about their experience
4. Inability to follow directions on the application (e.g., "list your positions starting with your most recent" often generates a list of jobs starting with high school!)
5. Horrible grammer, spelling and punctuation on the resume

I was willing to relax my initial standards if I could find somebody who had potential. I would think that showing lots of initiative in a field like sales would be admired.

DM (who is checking this message for spelling, grammer & punctuation)