My holiday tradition is reaping rewards

[Slave to the Phone]

This is probably going to get moved because its not a sucky customer story at all...unless you want to consider me to be one. And my boss. And a random stranger that I bad influenced. I'll just report myself to the mods and let them figure out where it should go. I am only putting this here so that more people can learn about my holiday tradition in the hopes that they might join me.

I know that I've posted about this in the past, but my holiday tradition is when I'm in a store with those #$%^& motion activated singing dancing abominations is to shut them all off. If I can get to the battery compartment, I reverse the batteries.

I actually keep a mental list of which stores have them and try to visit a few of them every week. The rewards are instant. Blessed silence, smiles and quiet thanks from the store employees and offers of coupons (and sometimes employee discounts...which I never accept and we won't talk about).

I told my boss about my tradition and he agreed that it was one that he would gladly adopt. Random strangers (not store employees) have asked me why I'm shutting those things off and I point at the closest cashier and say "That poor person has to listen to these for 8 hours a day and can't do anything about it. I can, and YOU can. These things annoy me when I'm just standing in line, imagine how that poor clerk feels." Usually, they look thunderstruck for a minute and then start helping me.

Where I work, I see a lot of retail clerks. (No political commentary from me, no, not at all about living in a world where someone working a full time retail job has to get food stamps just to be able to feed their family.)

So, to the rewards.
1. There are several stores that have quiet displays when I go in to shut them down. This tells me that someone has been there before me

2. My monthly evals don't just include performance numbers, they also include off the job public service actions. I got high marks for helping the community with my holiday tradition this month and will probably get them again next month.

3. Today, the region manager was in the office and just happened to be in the lobby when I went out to a kiosk customer for signatures. My customer looked at me and said "I know you, but I don't know from where." I just said something about shopping locally and all of a sudden her eyes got BIG and she squeeled "You are the lady who got everyone to shut off those toys! I LOVE you! You are totally awesome and the best person ever!!!"

Thank you so much customer. I saw the region manager watching us and I could see the approval in her eyes. You made me look good and you made my bosses look good.

[Pixelated]

As somebody who works retail, I salute you! And we don't even have those abominations in our store! (I won't get sidetracked here about the music we do have, and the volume that some of the employees like to play it at ... and what I'd like to do to our music system )

I shop as little as possible at this time of year, but will keep your tradition in mind when I do. I've often wondered how the staff can put up with it, but never thought I could do much about it.

[dalesys]

Reminds me of the TRS-80 Voice Synthesizer for the Model I when I worked for the SLC Radio Shack Computer Center. It sounded like a harelipped deaf German, and within a week all of us could snarfle along to the entire promotional routine.

It's been over 35 years and I can still recite the first paragraph or so...

After hours we found it could swear very well...

[Sliceanddice]

I know one person who wishes your tradition would spread and would happen year round...

http://retailcomic.com/comics/october-23-2016/

[Mr Hero]

I know one person who wishes your tradition would spread and would happen year round...

http://retailcomic.com/comics/october-23-2016/

Get your tradition started even earlier next year, OP. I normally don't care for Christmas creep, but you get an exception.

[Ghel]

I was apologizing to the cashier at the local dollar store last week. The store had motion-activated singing snowmen and Santas, and maybe some others, sitting on the counter by the checkout. I leaned over to look closer, and one of them started singing. I laughed and made a comment about how she must hate those things (being right next to her station and easily activated). Then I accidentally set it off again. Then I really apologized!