In the past I thought it was difficult for a felon to get a job, but I've work with a quite a lot of felons at different jobs. At my last job there was a guy that did 10+ years for a 2nd degree murder or something and we were making $18 an hour but the work was shit.
If I were you, I'd try to get either a union job, or a job at a small company that's willing to hire you. I don't think retail stores will hire people with criminal records.