I'm back in retail!

[Dreamstalker]

I just got a job at the SF/fantasy/gaming store in Cambridge that I frequent. It's one night a week, general store duties plus I get to be responsible for their Ebay presence. The owner's only able to pay in store credit, but it's money I'd be spending at the store anyway, so that works.

I've never really worked a closing shift by myself before, especially this late at night (6-11 PM). The area seems OK, he's never had any real problems with random losers and the 7-11 on the corner is frequently visited by the area police. The subway stop is fairly close by, and of course I have the option of calling a cab to get home.

Any tips for someone who's never worked a solo closing shift before?

[Chanlin]

Simple, ask your manager, especially if your nervous about the area.

One of my former bosses manages a few local pizza franchises and they have a doorbell after 10 policy. IE to get in the front door you have to buzzed in. They are also in a really bad section of town hence said policy. I would expect the owner/manager would know the area enough to deem whether such a policy like that is needed.

Second, always remember its never worth the effort of being a hero if somone does cause trouble. Lost product can be replaced, lost lives can not.

Lastly if the area is bad enough I would recommend locking up and calling a cab to get home, alot can happen even on a short walk to a subway. Wait in the store until the cab arrives then leave and lock up behind you.

Also is your store part of a plaza? If so you could check to see if there are any other stores in the area that close up or have people leaving at the same time as you do. See if they use the subway. IF they do you could always wait on them and walk home with somone else who works the same strip. Most importantly do your best not to walk to the subway alone.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I second all that, and also make sure you have emergency numbers handy and programmed into your cell phone, just in case. Even if you don't need them it can be good for your state of mind...

And make friends with the cops in the area!

[volatile]

work for instore credit? man i'd have a hard time dealing with that.

[Dreamstalker]

Day the first

First 6-11 shift last night. My first-day training was the "firehose" method, and I did muck up a few minor things, but it's a new reg/DB system and I'm sure I'll get it with practice. It's a Windows-based program with teeny tiny graphic buttons (smaller than the smileys here , more detail and the older onboard graphics on the machine don't really help) for the various functions, and I'm used to slightly more visible buttons and DOS-esque commands ^_^

I did have to do a few transactions by hand and ring them through a short while later as the register program chose that moment to take a nap (the front-desk computer is old, poky and could probably use a good defrag and physical cleaning)...I did get them though. Training on closing duties starts officially next week. I have a few ideas for the ebay part (also Amazon), so will discuss that then.

The night shift generally seems pretty quiet, so I should get time to absorb what I need to. Taking the subway home wasn't a problem; the homeless people around that area generally keep to harassing each other.

I'm also applying for a day job at a computer store, so hopefully that goes well.