Sir, Grow Up.

Today we were ridiculously busy and short-staffed. I tried to answer the phone and customer's questions the best I could, but there were still communication issues. Arguments were breaking out amongst our staff, and pharmacy was having trouble keeping up. With everything. It was exhausting. On the upside, I got some pretty good deals.

Ma'am?

I tried to make a point of noticing people today. Just in case I need to remember them later. Anyway, today I noticed two women who made me kind of sad.

The first looked to be in the later stages of anorexia. Her limbs were so thin, and her bone shapes were clearly visible. Her head was almost too large for her body, and her face seems to have a stretched-out look, with severe skin problems. It is entirely possible she has spent much of her life smoking and tanning. Her breasts, however, were shaping up her tank...but her tragically-hard nipples were mis-aligned. They were not even, and I feel that she might have been the victim of a botched plastic surgery. The kid with her appeared to be a normal 13 year old kid.

The other woman was painful to watch as well, but for entirely different reasons. Her clothes were very worn and ill-fitting. Her uncombed hair was pulled into a ponytail. Her face was haggard. She had burn marks on her lips, her teeth seemed to be rotting, or maybe just left unbrushed for months. Her skin was sallow and sickly, with a yellowish tint; it was not clear, but seemed to be riddled with mini-pockmarks. While chasing around a healthy-looking toddler, she managed to purchase two packs of Camel Filters. I am pretty sure she smokes copious amounts of crack.

New Toys Leap Language Barriers

My boss hasn't put out our new schedule yet so I told him I wouldn't come in tomorrow since I didn't see it on the schedule. I think I saw a glimmer of relief in the man's eyes.

A customer came to my register, in a cute red polka dot outfit. She motioned that she needed help in the vicinity of cosmetics so I asked her if she needed something unlocked. She smiled and said no, and then I pointed to myself asking if she needed a woman, and she said yes. Finally I accompany her to aisle 4, our dental needs aisle, and she does need something unlocked. I go and grab the keys (I got one of the boys watching my register) and ask what she needs. She wants a teeth whiting kit, but as usual with our staff, products are in the wrong spot. She points to two mylars and says something in Russian. I try to speak English, as if that helps. She says her English is little good, but then she pulls out something that is a little bigger than a phone and begins typing. She shows me the screen, and on the top is Russian, the bottom is English. She has a translator! Her question was "what is the difference between these goods?" I try to tell her in English (it seems she understands more than she speaks) and she hands me her toy! The keypad had English and Russian letters and when I was done (no slang or shorthand because I wasn't sure how they translated) she pressed the Russian flag and off it went! She read it and we headed to checkout. I had to ask my manager if I could give her two products at a discounted price because we had them in the wrong spot. While I was ringing her up I told my co-worker about her toy and motioned with my hands. I was smiling and very excited. She understood the gest of it and smiled and laughed with me. I was very polite and courteous to her because she stayed calm and cheerful and she recognized that she is the immigrant and English is my native (and sadly, only) tongue. I was hugely impressed with her proactive stance on making herself understood. She understood there might be a language barrier and was prepared for it. I wish more foreigners were like her, instead of the ones who scream and carry on and are very rude. Her translator was especially important today because the only Russian-speaking employee was off. 

Cruelty- Free

I love shopping at my store, but I am realizing I buy a TON of products that are not cruelty-free. It is no longer necessary for companies to test their products on animals, to make those animals suffer unduly for our products. I am going to try to cut back on my purchases, and to buy only products that are cruelty-free or who donate their proceeds to a charity, or do something else for the community. I know that leaves me a big window, but I am pretty sure I have a hefty shopping addiction...I will do my best to consume wisely. (Thats an oxymoron if I ever heard one)

I did some research to figure out what companies I could safely buy with no buyers remorse and I found a long list of products we do not sell at my store. I also realized that many companies are the parents of smaller companies, so it is hard to tell who belongs to what and what kind of damage they may be doing.

I'm trying to live more green and cruelty-free and eco-friendly and whatever else is good for the world but I am finding it hugely overwhelming and stressful. I feel like a bad person if I don't make the radical changes in my lifestyle.

I Caught Me A Shoplifter!

Well, I sort of caught a shoplifter. This guy who comes in all the time has recently been looking very squirrelly lately. He came in and meandered around, looking nervous, and finally bought some frozen pizza. He stood in the crowded candy aisle for a while, holding a Snickers bar while my manager stood at the end of the aisle holding a screwdriver and looking like a psycho. That time the guy didn't take anything. In about twenty minutes he came back in, went back to the candy aisle and picked up a Snickers bar. When he looks around, he sees me at the end of the aisle and he quickly put the candy back. Then my manager arrived ( I told him this guy was back) and the guy really got nervous and left.

I bought a 9oz bag of pretzel M&Ms for 67 cents, using two coupons and a sale. I shared them with a coworker who then dropped the bag and scattered them all over the floor. I TOTALLY freaked out and yelled out "Oh my God! How could you do this to me?!" And I smacked the counter real hard. Apparently I could be heard all the way in the Pharmacy and my manager rushed over to tell me to quiet down. My coworker bought me a new bag and I spent the rest of the day apologizing to him for over-reacting. My only defense was that I was still traumatized by the previous event of the morning:

At approximately 8:06 am this gentleman walks in and starts yelling "Service! Service!" while pacing around my register. I was in the aisles stocking the pool mattresses but I do not take kindly to people yelling like that so I took my sweet time making it back. This guy greets me by yelling "Where are your cheapest lighter?! I need your cheapest lighter!" I get behind the register to tell him:
" Our cheapest one is gonna be a dollar eight, including tax." as I am pointing to the area in which they are in.
"Where?! WHERE ARE THEY?!"
"In that bucket right there." As I point over to the bucket right there.
"Right there?! Right there?! Where the fuck does 'right there' mean?! When you tell someone 'right there' how the fuck are they supposed to know what that means?" Although, during this he is getting a lighter from the bucket and slams it down on the counter. I wished it popped, but no such luck.
This guy is yelling so loud my manager and a coworker come up to the front to make sure I am not about to be the victim of assault.
I say, "I don't know." and shrug.
He throws the two singles at me and does not stop to pick up his 92 cents in change. Before he leaves I memorize the look of his eyes under his absurd and ironically colored rose-colored sunglasses.

Later that morning a woman comes up to me and says that she heard the guy yelling at me, and she wishes he hadn't acted that way. She said that some people have no sense, but I am one of the nicest and most helpful cashiers she sees and she hoped his actions didn't ruin my day or get me down. I told her I very much appreciated her saying that. Everything balances out, I guess.

I Tried To Catch A Shoplifter

This much I vow: I will catch those shoplifters who come in about once a week, sometimes more.

I did pretty good today: These two good-looking guys came in and I will admit I was checking them out only because it relates to the story...they held nothing in their hands. Shortly after my manager told me to do my push-ups with triangle/diamond hands, they came to my register. One of them said that he has a product that he would like to return or exchange but he does not have a receipt. I asked if he wanted to exchange it. He said he wanted to buy some beef jerky.
"With the money from the return? Or would you like to exchange that product for beef jerky?"
"No, I just want to buy beef jerky."
"Ok. Uh....I'm gonna tell you to just go over to camera (counter) and talk to my manager. You and him can deal with the jerky."
I realized then that they did not come in with the product they had in their hands. (And I know that only because I gave them the once-over when they came in.) They had made a beeline for the aisle where that product was located. I called my manager who was thinking about doing a return/jerky for them, and told him what I noticed. The return transaction was not completed. Score one for the home team!

Most of the time I am pretty self-conscious about my looks, and I often look away from people thinking that will prevent them from looking at me. So much of the time, I do not accurately notice those who come into my store. This is not good. A couple of times I have been requested to describe somebody, and I cannot do it. I would be able to tell one what one bought, but not what they look like. Experience tells me I should pay more attention to those around me. I'm on it.