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Ok so today pretty much sucked. Mother nature and customers decided to be the perfect storm.
Suck the Preview
I walk to my bus stop, as I do every morning. Standing there is an older woman (I'm guessing 60+) with a shopping cart. She gives me the cat-butt-face the second I arrive at the stop, but ok, no biggie, probably just in a bad mood. Bus arrives. It happens to stop right in front of me. I have my ticket in hand, ready to get on. To be fair, she was at the bus stop before I was, but the defacto rule is whoever is closest to the door boards first. Little old lady ZOOMS her cart in front of me so she can get on before I do, almost knocking me over. I say "wow" loud enough for her to hear, but should have sweetly apologized for using "her" sidewalk.
Suck the First: Seven!
"Hey Wishful, someone needs help in shoes, why isn't there anybody over there?" The MCA people are suppossed to do that, but despite them standing around chatting, nobody was apparently available to help the shoe customer, causing me to have to close my register and go over. Once I get there, said customer thrusts a shoe box at me and says "Seven." To be fair I don't think she spoke much English, but that was still a bit short. Of course we didn't have that shoe in size seven.
Suck the Second: Taxes? What are They?
Same customer as before. She's ready to check out. I get everything rung up and at the signature screen (read: too late to go back) she decides she wants another candy bar. Ok fine. I ring it up as a separate transaction. She then decides that 1.87 is too much and starts frantically gesturing to the line item on the receipt that says the first candy bar she got was 1.79. You know, the one BEFORE tax has been added? I don't want to try to use my limited Spanish to explain the concept of sales tax, so I back all the way out and just change the price. She finally lumbers out.
Suck the Third (Sort Of): In which we are threatened by a TORNADO and An SC Is No Match for My Emergency Response Skills
The Tornado Sirens go off. Can't hear them from everywhere in the store but the manager has a severe weather alert on her phone, so she issues a page telling the associates to gather everyone at the center of the store (the farthest from the doors).
Of course there are people who still want to be rung up, including one older guy (late 50s, not disabled). He is informed by my 17-year-old coworker that we need to move to the center of the store due to the tornado warning. He holds out his two pairs of pants and says "I'll just buy this then" in a "I'm being VERY patient, now quit being silly do what you're told little girl" tone of voice.
Yeah. Normally I'm confrontation-averse but I am not having this in a potential emergency situation. You want to die, fine, but you are NOT endangering the lives of teenagers for your new pants.
In my very best Lifeguard Voice (which I honestly didn't know was still hidden somewhere in my subconscious until that moment), I state "no, we can't do any transactions right now, move to the center of the store, this is for your safety." He does. Well, he decides to go sulk by the Ladies Clothing register, but that's away from the doors so good enough. Everyone else moves their butts without arguing.
Side Note: This pasty white ass hasn't seen a lifegaurd chair in 15+ years. Still got it!
Suck the Preview
I walk to my bus stop, as I do every morning. Standing there is an older woman (I'm guessing 60+) with a shopping cart. She gives me the cat-butt-face the second I arrive at the stop, but ok, no biggie, probably just in a bad mood. Bus arrives. It happens to stop right in front of me. I have my ticket in hand, ready to get on. To be fair, she was at the bus stop before I was, but the defacto rule is whoever is closest to the door boards first. Little old lady ZOOMS her cart in front of me so she can get on before I do, almost knocking me over. I say "wow" loud enough for her to hear, but should have sweetly apologized for using "her" sidewalk.
Suck the First: Seven!
"Hey Wishful, someone needs help in shoes, why isn't there anybody over there?" The MCA people are suppossed to do that, but despite them standing around chatting, nobody was apparently available to help the shoe customer, causing me to have to close my register and go over. Once I get there, said customer thrusts a shoe box at me and says "Seven." To be fair I don't think she spoke much English, but that was still a bit short. Of course we didn't have that shoe in size seven.
Suck the Second: Taxes? What are They?
Same customer as before. She's ready to check out. I get everything rung up and at the signature screen (read: too late to go back) she decides she wants another candy bar. Ok fine. I ring it up as a separate transaction. She then decides that 1.87 is too much and starts frantically gesturing to the line item on the receipt that says the first candy bar she got was 1.79. You know, the one BEFORE tax has been added? I don't want to try to use my limited Spanish to explain the concept of sales tax, so I back all the way out and just change the price. She finally lumbers out.
Suck the Third (Sort Of): In which we are threatened by a TORNADO and An SC Is No Match for My Emergency Response Skills
The Tornado Sirens go off. Can't hear them from everywhere in the store but the manager has a severe weather alert on her phone, so she issues a page telling the associates to gather everyone at the center of the store (the farthest from the doors).
Of course there are people who still want to be rung up, including one older guy (late 50s, not disabled). He is informed by my 17-year-old coworker that we need to move to the center of the store due to the tornado warning. He holds out his two pairs of pants and says "I'll just buy this then" in a "I'm being VERY patient, now quit being silly do what you're told little girl" tone of voice.
Yeah. Normally I'm confrontation-averse but I am not having this in a potential emergency situation. You want to die, fine, but you are NOT endangering the lives of teenagers for your new pants.
In my very best Lifeguard Voice (which I honestly didn't know was still hidden somewhere in my subconscious until that moment), I state "no, we can't do any transactions right now, move to the center of the store, this is for your safety." He does. Well, he decides to go sulk by the Ladies Clothing register, but that's away from the doors so good enough. Everyone else moves their butts without arguing.
Side Note: This pasty white ass hasn't seen a lifegaurd chair in 15+ years. Still got it!
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