Happy New Year!

Yes, I was working on New Year's Eve. I feel like it is good luck to bring in the new year at work.

I noticed that people are unprepared. For parties, for storms, and for dying phones. People get all kinds of stressed out when we don't have what they need. But their poor planning does not constitute an emergency on our part.

Lot's of people wanted us to sell liquor. Which we don't.
Some guy in a white suit, accompenied by a guy in a burnt orange suit asked for 'hard alcohol' in an accent that sounded like he might have been asking for a hot dog. He was surprised that I could only sort of understand him and alarmed that we didn't have hard alcohol.

We punched out at 12:22am. Happy New Year!

Cashews and Coca-Cola

Cashews and Coca-Cola was my lunch. And it was a poor decision. I felt sick and tired for the rest of my shift. And obviously my stomach hurt. But my stomach before that, so who knows.

A former manager came to the store. We had some funny banter, and we reminiced about the day it was just the two of us working because of a massive snow storm. I may or may not have met his boyfriend. I don't know if thats' true, so nobody quote me on that.

I was in Cosmetics tonight because my male co-worker came in and wanted to be in Photo. I agreed. I like a change a pace.

The Final Push

I was chatting way to much this shift, and before I knew it, it was late. So I rushed to get everything done. And I succeeded! We got out ten minutes early. I was really proud of myself.

I rung up this kid who was eating a griller item from the store down the street. His nose was running, and he seemed younger than he is. His friend was hanging around behind him. When the transaction was complete he asked his friend to put his stuff in his backpack. His friend refused, so he asked me.
"Really?"
I put his stuff in his outside pocket.

Christmas Clearance

Today I got my Christmas clearance shopping on! I was able to use coupons for the candy. I spent more than I wanted to, but I saved 59%.

While watching Honey Boo Boo, I noticed that the mom, June, uses the word "ideal" when she means "idea". I thought maybe it was because she often uses the wrong word, or can't pronounce certain words. Then I thought it was a regional thing. But when I was facing my aisle today (aisle 8), I saw a journal called the 'Super Ideal Book'. Its thick and lined and has a band around it to keep it closed. But I  would never get it because of the word 'ideal'.

My manager was on the phone (his cell), briefly, in aisle 7. And the new girl was wearing a hat, leaning on counter, reading a magazine.

A woman came in who swears more than I do. She needed condensed milk to make a coconut alcoholic drink. She said she would bring me a shot. Which I don't want.

At The Register

Today was a little weird. I was thrown off by the fact that I was at the Register. And I was thrown off by the new girl working the midshift.

I rung up a family that made me kind of sad. The fam consisted of a mom, an older daughter and a younger son. The mom's teeth were really stained and kind of smooshed together. But the stains were alarming. The stains on the mom and daughter's sweatshirts were alarming too. It looks like they haven't washed them in maybe a month. The boy brought up two toys to the register. The mom said 'no' a bunch of times, and then relented. And she told him he had to be good because she bought him the toys. And at the beginning, when she said 'no' he freaked out and started to cry. I'm pretty sure he is to old to act like that. The daughter had some awful acne on her forehead,

More stuff happened, but I'm too exhausted to write anything else.

Trouble

I had two customers that got me all kinds of frazzled. This guy wanted to return four photos, and get a few new ones made. He also wanted to be compensated for the bad attitude of one of my co-workers. There was a price-quoting issue, and I had to get my manager several times.
Then there was a guy who wanted to exchange an item at the sale price, which we don't do. I had to get my manager again.

We have a ton of photo card orders coming through. Some of them are adorable.

My pants were way too big. Again. I felt unprofessional and disheveled. Obviously I need to go shopping.

Holiday Party

I brought in Red Velvet cupcakes with chocolate frosting. And a 'fortune' band around the base. They are fortune cupcakes! I hope people notice the fortunes.
There were very few dishes that I could eat, on account of me being a vegetarian. It is what it is.

We were super-busy tonight! We all took our lunches about 45 minutes late. There is a newish rule that the Photo person must give the Register person their lunch. This rule was over-ruled this evening on account of the fact that I kept getting delayed in giving a lunch, and I had a lot of photo stuff to do.

I did a canvas print for a mother-daughter team that had been waiting for too long. When I finally got it printed, I was disappointed at it's quality. But when I showed it to the ladies, they loved it! I was kind of alarmed at their lack of eye. But I didn't say anything because there was nothing I could do to fix it. It is what it is.

The Wrap

While I was covering the Register, the guy on lunch called to ask if I wanted his mother to make me a wrap. He asked if I ate meat (I do not) and he said it probably wouldn't be as good, but he'd bring me one anyway. And he did! I didn't know we were on that level.

My first job today was wrapping a gift from my boss to another manager at another store. Good thing I went to art school. He gave me the rest of the roll too.

I helped a foreigner find mineral oil and an eyedropper. He wanted to put the mineral oil in his ear (the back of the bottle said that it was constipation remedy). When I asked the pharmacist if the mineral oil we found was the kind a person could put in one's ear, he told me that it was an old remedy, which he does not recommend, but people do it anyway. The guy who was purchasing the oil clarified what the pharmacist said.

I rung up this woman who had two transactions. With both transactions, she was purchasing 30 99 cent cards (and 30 99 cent New Year's cards, respectively) and a package of Butterball bacon (which was also 99 cents). She had two buy-$30-save-$5-(or$10)-coupons. Then she had several Hallmark Facebook coupons. She paid about $6 total. It was pretty impressive. I was happy to scan her coupons, but I wasn't happy when she tried to tell me how to scan them. Repeatedly.

Time Warp

My outfit was kind of dated and not flattering. The pants I recently bought (with the tags still on) at Salvation Army were way to big, and my sweater was too long. But I really like that sweater. My 'business casual' black shoes are kind of hipster. Anyway, I felt like I was drowning in my clothes. And, for some reason, I wore my xtra-large workshirt. Which is a t-shirt.

Previously, a regular and I identified a local woman as a person who was from a time loop, or some kind of warp. She dresses in only 1940's gear. And today I got to ring her up! She's really nice.

I got about four 1/2 hours of sleep last night, so I was a little weird and loopy. And I felt sluggish and out of it.

I told a few people I shop at the bulk store. They seemed surprised.

The Bus

I had a mom and son team come in with a phone that was hardly compatible with our system. They couldn't upload the icon they needed. Apparently they just moved from Florida and the boy (a sophomore in high school) had been walking to school because he didn't have a bus icon on his ID. Without the bus icon he couldn't ride the bus. And the bus service costs $400 a school year. Which is insane. When I was in high school, we took the city bus. The boy's walk is classified as a mission, and the weather today didn't get past the 20's. Poor kid.
So when they couldn't upload the image, they left. The mom came back with a flash drive, which our system couldn't read. I told her to go online and upload the image. I also told her to leave her number, so I could call her to let her know how the images came out. She seemed to appreciate the effort. So I left her a crazy message.
Her and her husband re sized this stupid bus icon several times. I was on the phone with them while it was printing out. And we finally got it! When the mom came in, I comped her photos because we went through so much nonsense. And she said that she would call corporate to let them know how great I was.

We got out late because we supposedly have a visit tomorrow.

I saved 97% on my purchase today.

Despite My Best Efforts

My manager said that to me at least twice today. First in reference to me possibly messing up the drawers and second because we actually got out on time.

I forgot to give several people their dollar change after conversating. And luckily they were all pretty cool about it. Except for one of my regulars, who snatched the change away from me and mumbled something crazy. And then she stopped by the front door and said something crazy again. I only feel sort of bad. I don't know what was up with me; forgetting to give people their change. Ridiculous.

The Last Day

The coworker that I complained about a few weeks ago, will soon not be my coworker. She put in her two weeks, and apparently today was her last day. She didn't work her full shift because she may or may not have been sick. Fyi, she is a lovely woman, but a terrible coworker. I wish her all the best.

My pants were flooding, and I was wearing mismatched Christmas socks. Not exactly what I was going for.

I saw three women wearing sweats and nice shoes. I hate that look almost as much as the jeans-under-a-dress look. The greatness of the wedge boot is drastically counteracted by dumb-looking grey sweats.

I saw a girl I used to hang out with in elementary school. We had a short but sweet conversation.

I'm looking forward to my three days off.

Newish Manager

I worked with a manager that has been there for a while, but this is only our second shift working together. We got out early, made jokes, and generally did good things.


A lot of gossip happened.

My feet were hurting again, so I walked differently and awkwardly, and now my hips hurt.

I bought some Snickers Nutcrackers because I had a coupon. I like them way better then regular Snickers because the nougat and chocolate ratio is different. And better.

Mexico

I helped a guy print photos of him and his fiance's family. The almost-wife and kids live in Mexico. The guy has a 3-month old with his woman. He wants to bring his daughter over here because he doesn't like the culture's view of women. Apparently he is printing out the photos for immigration because they want to make sure the marriage is for real. He doesn't like going to Mexico (so often). And he wants everyone to move here, because this is his home.

Whenever I asked my manager a question he would look at me like I was insane. Then he would lean his head in, rub his eyes, squint, then he would rub his temples.

I found 4 pieces of ABC gum on the floor. Ridiculous.

On The Phone

A customer came to the register while on the phone. She didn't swipe her store card, she forgot her change, and she barely acknowledged me. The customer behind her said that she couldn't do what I do, because people are ridiculous. True. Retail is not for everyone.

We got out late because the safe was short and I had to finish the tags.

There was green plastic cup of what looked like pop, possibly, in front of the chairs at Pharmacy. I pointed to so the tech could see what I thought was funny. He said it reminded him of the Tea Cup from Duck Dynasty.

Midshift

Yup, another midshift.

A deaf guy yelled at me. I realized he was deaf early in the transaction, so I made sure to speak clearly with my face towards his face. He pointed to the ad paper to make sure I was getting his coupons. But at the end of the transaction we realized I didn't ring up one of his mints. He freaked out! I told him I didn't mean to...and he said that I was making all these people wait. I told him I had to return his mint, and then charge him for the second one. I did the return really fast and by the end of the transaction he was telling me to have a good day. Obviously he had calmed down. I did feel bad, but he didn't have to yell like that.

A young teen came to register and she wanted to use a previous receipt as a coupon. It took me a minute to even understand that was what she wanted to do because it doesn't make any sense. She saw the savings on the last receipt and thought she could use that for this purchase. Which obviously doesn't work. There were a couple of other transactions that made no sense because people don't speak English and don't understand coupons or our coupon policy. But there were other transactions that were very well planned out.

I helped a guy find his Coricidin. While I was ringing him up, I told him we used to lock up the boxes because people had been using them to get high a few years ago. He said he remembers that because he used to get high with it.

I saw an anorexic and my co-worker told me she wanted to be a body builder. How different the perfect female form can be perceived.

Happy Black Friday

Yesterday (Black Friday) I was sick, we were short, and I dropped a gallon of Arizona Tea off the counter, which then exploded. Not such a great day.

Jack Sprat and his fat wife came to the counter while my co-worker was leaving and I was coming in. She (the woman) had something hidden under her arm, and she waited til my co-worker left. For a second I thought it was a gun. Turned out to be a vibrator (disguised as a 'personal massager').

Pretty sure I'm going to call in sick today because I feel icky, and I have sick days, and my workplace is germy.

Happy Thanksgiving

I saved 84%, so it is a good Thanksgiving.

But after midnight, our soundtrack started playing Christmas songs, which seemed a little forward.

There is a women with a mental disorder who comes around. She calls periodically, and when she does, she directs one question towards me. Then she starts on an ongoing conversation with the folks that only she can see. And hear.

I was walking around the aisles, putting up our tags for our 4-day sale and as I was walking down aisle 7, I started blinking a lot, to clear my contact. And I collided with a guy who grabbed my shoulders, instead of letting us chest-bump. It totally scared the hell out of both of us.

I have to clean the bathrooms in the evening, but when I walked into the men's room tonight, I smelled pot! Two guys had just left, and there was weed in the toilet. Apparently, they had just shared a blunt. Seems a little ridiculous that they have no where else to go but the bathroom. Or maybe they were fiending so bad they couldn't wait.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Leggings Are Not Pants

I will say it again...leggings are not pants. I don't care how great your ass looks, I need for you to wear real pants. Or wear leggings appropriately.

My co-worker makes me mad. I feel like if you work, then work. Don't half-ass it and leave a bunch of shit for everyone else to clean up. If you are too tired, then don't work two jobs. Don't leave stuff around the floor. Answer the pages. Why bother even coming in if you're going to be an hour late and leave a half hour early? And what is up with not helping any of your co-workers? Goddamn, she makes me mad.

The door won't lock. It fell off the track and we couldn't get it back on, or lock efficiently. I left ten minutes late, but I refused to wait around to figure that out. Especially since my manager didn't want to call anyone from the rotary (is that the right word?)

That's A Lot Of Money

People spend a lot of money at my store!

A women in a local pizza place uniform came in late at night, and spent almost $80. She was alarmed about the amount. But she bought a bunch of single-serve bags of chips, a bunch of stuff not sale...it seemed like she got a big tip at work and then went crazy at my store.

I wouldn't have been at the register if the other girl hadn't gotten sick. So we were short tonight.

Some folks who looked like they might still be in high school spent $50 on candy, pop, and Arizona tea. They looked like hot messes, and they were alarmed at the amount.

Our store has a card, and having that card is the only way to get the sale price. And yet some people still don't want the card. I just do not understand how people can spend so much, and buy stuff not on sale...

Meanwhile, I saved 68% on my transaction.

A Lengthy Transaction

I was rung up and voided three times. The first time, my Similac check didn't go through, because my coworker couldn't figure out which numbers to punch it in. Then my manager came over, and said that the check has to be entered in before the coupons. Which isn't true. So when he voided out my transaction, rung me up again, and tried to enter the check in first, he realized, as I stated, he was wrong. Then he rung me up again. And he misheard me when I said how many Hershey Kisses I had, so my coupon didn't go through. I made him put it through, because I knew it was valid. When I looked at my receipt, I realized he didn't charge me for one of my Kisses and he put through a coupon that wasn't actually valid. So we had to post-void it, and then re-ring it. Finally. I saved 38%

While in the aisles unloading totes, my manager came up to me and told me to switch with the guy at One because he is better at unloading totes. Which is true. But as I was about to agree, my manager also said he wanted me to switch because men are better at unloading that women. I found it odd and offensive that he would even bring up gender. I told him I thought he might be going to Hell.

While at the Register, I got a few questions and comments about my lip ring. One guy, with very obvious dentures, made a comment questioning how and why I would do that to my face, and I think I might have been so friendly, I threw him off. He seemed to regret his tone, and he tried to make nice. Then he told me he really liked my eyes, 'they are kinda scary!' and he seemed to regret that too. He let me know that he was really tired; he had just finished a 13 hour shift. He had to come back in because he forgot something.

We got out kind of late because my manager was dazed and confused. 

Bales of Cocaine

Twice today, a group of teenagers came in and left us with a cloud of weed smell. I think the pot that people smoke today is stronger than what I knew when I was a teen.

I rushed over to the Hallmark aisle to blow up the balloons. I was pleased I had the time to do that. But then I had too much time, because after the balloons, there wasn't another project for me. So I puttered around the photo department.

I need new pants for work. I can't go on like this.

There Is A Coupon In Your Shoe

Somehow, I got roped into taking a passport picture instead of doing my ad tags or puttering. I was dealing with a serious Type A lady. She was really nice, the nicest A-type I've ever encountered, but she was very exact and obviously needed perfection. I took her picture eight times. She had to look at each one, and analyze her hair, and make sure everything was right. She finally settled on one. She asked if we had special lighting or a different area to take the picture. We do not. I noticed that she was wearing a blue and white vertically-striped button-up, a pair of light jeans and loafers. While I was ringing her up, she showed me her driver's license to show me how good that photo was. It was quite good; she looked awesome.

When I got to work, it was noon. And it was about 60 degrees, even though it is November. The sky was cloudy, tumultuous; there were tornado watches and flood warnings. The rain came down hard, then lessened, then came down hard again. There was a brief moment of sun. And then, before I knew it, the sun had set, and the temperature had dropped.
I told my husband to call work if the tornado watch turned to a warning, because I wasn't going to die at work, or be without my family during a crisis such as that. I thought of the end of the world, but also of the movie The Mist. 

Candy

Currently I am snacking on the Jolly Rancher Sour Bites, given to me by the girl at One. I was trying to purchase them, but my coupon didn't go through, so I left them at the register. Apparently I triggered a craving in her, so she had to buy them. And as we were leaving, she asked if I wanted them. Of course I do.

I can't be sure, but I think the new girl called me 'gorgeous'. But then she left early without finishing her work. She told the girl at One that she would help with the overstock, but she left before she did. And she had told the manager she was done. I mentioned all this to the manager, and I tried not to be petty about it. I hope I succeeded.

The customers were outrageous today. Whats' the lunar cycle?

Mom and Son

Yesterday was a super-long day at work. It was terrible.

Today was better.

There was a mom and son who came to the register, while I was covering a break. The mom and son were kind of dressed up, and the mom kept asking her boy if he wanted anything else. He said no, and she said that it wouldn't be a problem if he did. He seemed reluctant to accept her gifts (they were buying toys) and she seemed to want to shell them out. She kept kissing the top of his head and whispering sweet nothings. It kind of freaked me out. I hope I'm not that weird with my son.

We got out early.

While on my lunch break I read an article in Tribune about a guy I used to know. He is looking at 10 years for hacking into websites and throwing out (on the Internet) personal information. But he also discovered some information about the U.S government, about them 'keeping track' of people who had participated in certain protests. He got caught because he was snitched out. It gave me something to think about while I finished closing. I hope he doesn't do 10 years.

Extreme Couponing

I saved 89% today.
And I rung up a couple of ladies who saved 90-something-percent. They were stacking coupons, and we had a few coupon-convos. They agreed I was the best cashier they have ever had, or at least in a long time. I did some finagling with the receipt and some forgotten coupons, and now I'm afraid I might have been to generous. But they had coupon binders, so I got distracted.

The pain in my feet was excruciating.

While I was on the register, I pretty much almost always said our branded lines.

The Terriable Smell

Pretty sure I got that title from a Seinfeld episode.

There were some awful smells at work today. And I can only hope that none of them came from me.
Someone keeps putting milk in the sink in the Photo Department. Either it's rotting in the carton, or no one washes it down the drain.
A lot of people came in smelling like cold sweat. Meaning, they rushed over to my store, sweated, and they smelled like the cold air outside. I know you know what I'm talking about.
I have to clean the bathrooms, so there is another set of smells.
 The store heats unevenly, so there are weird smells that drift in and out. Obviously, so does the heat. Which means my layering needs to get creative.

My Magical Coupons

I'm not sure how this happens, but this isn't the first time, and hopefully not the last time, it has happened. When I have coupons for a free item (buy this product, get that one free) the coupon will scan at the original retail price. Because I only purchase items on sale (and I get my employee discount), I get those items for free, and I get extra money off my other items. Sweet.
My purchase for today:
Gillette Mach 3 Sensitive Disposable Razors- $9.77
Gillette Venus Disposable Razors 3 pk- $4.88
(these were buy one get one 1/2 off)
Satin Olay Shave Gel- $3.82
Gillette Series Shave Gel -$1.40
(these were buy one get one 1/2 off too, unexpectedly)
Purell Hand Sanitizer -$2.54
Gilette Mach 3 Razor System- $6.79
Both my 'buy this razor, get this shave cream free' coupons scanned at $4.99. Which is awesome additional savings!
I had a $3-off coupon for the Razor System, and I had a $1-off coupon for the Purell.
My total: $17.85
My savings: $27.12
I saved 64%!
And I got a $2-off-my-next-purchase coupon.

Post-It

Yes, I was kind of dicking around. Which might be why I wasn't able to get done earlier. Luckily the guy at One got my back.

I rung up three carts of school/office supplies for three kids. There was almost nothing on sale, and they spent over $300. It was intense. I'm not sure why they would be shopping for supplies now...school started a few months ago. And it astounded me that they would spend that much.

I clocked in four minutes late, because while on my way out the door, my son splashed around in the cat's water bowl. And the punch-in clock wasn't working. But then we punched out seven minutes late. And by 'punch-out' I mean 'write our time on a Post-It for our manager to enter in manually.' Hopefully.

New Manager

I completed two canvas prints! All by myself! I set up my little 'craft corner' on the floor in the corner of the photo department. I followed all the directions on the template for the prints, and the only thing I needed help with was pushing the corner in. I was pretty psyched.

I printed out a 16x20 for a woman who came from the other store because she got the wrong size and they were having trouble giving her what she wanted. I was the only one who could change the paper and get the printer going. I was pretty psyched about that too.

My coworker gave me the drink and the candy bar from his Lunchable, which I thought was very sweet. And yummy.

When pictures print out, I like to look at them. Like a creep.

It's Monday

I grunted when my boss asked me to take the shift tonight and next thing I knew I was on the schedule.

Because I was in the Cosmetics department, I did some recon on the make-up. There was a CoverGirl display of their Hunger Games line. There were pictures of models with "The Coal-Mining Look- inspired by District 11" (I apologize if district 11 wouldn't inspire mining coal. I can't remember which district was which.) Other districts inspired other looks.
I also noticed that there was a lot of make-up on clearance.

I missed the Halloween clearance. I'm very annoyed.

I did not miss my manager's last day. Which I would have if I didn't go to work today.

I finally finished all my projects!

Late, Again

I was two minutes late. But we clocked out a 1/2 hour late. So I guess it all evens out. I was mad about having to stay late...but I got over it.

I wanted to get full case done, but I was stuck doing trivial things for the manager, and getting called up to the front register a lot. We were really busy.

When I was putting away stuff my manger gave me, I asked this guy if he needed help finding anything. And he listed a bunch of symptoms and asked what he should get to relieve them. What about me looks like I would give sound medical advice?

I Forgot!

About two minutes before I was supposed to clock in, I realized that I forgot my uniform shirt! Luckily, I was able to borrow my co-worker's. I left him candy as a thank-you.

I thought I was really on top of things today; I did what my managers told me to do...I was getting things done, and going fast. And then, at about a half hour before we clocked out, I realized I forgot some important things. Like facing aisle 7, and taking some boxes to the baler. Dang.

I got to order some stick balloons! I look forward to their arrival.

The Rumors Are True

I worked the midshift today, and I feel like I worked hard. However, there is a rumor spreading around that I don't finish my projects. Which is true, so I guess it would just be a fact spreading around. I'll tell ya, the reasons for me not finishing my projects are the following:
1) I get a list at the beginning of my shift, and that list expands and contracts like a living entity. It makes it hard to prioritize and actually finish anything.
2) Customers.
3) Unforeseen incidences.

I drank two Rockstar Punches so I was feeling a little discombobulated.

I really hope I don't get fired, or written up, or anything else that could threaten my employment.

Friday and Today (Saturday)

Friday:
I received the balloons that I was allowed to order without supervision. Hence the Nightmare Before Christmas and red heart-shaped-with-a-moustache balloons. I blew them up, then moved on to another project. Which I didn't finish. And it occurred to me that I very rarely, if ever, finish the projects assigned to me. It's a mystery to me how I remain employed. And I found out I got a raise. Go figure.


Today (Saturday):
The pain in my feet is incredible. We got out late (35 minutes) for the following reasons:
1) My manger has poor time management and didn't start closing procedures till way to late.
2) My store manager scheduled someone who could not make it. But she consistently can't make it and my manager consistently schedules her.
3) We were super-busy.
4) My feet hurt real bad, which made it hard me to move it the hell along.

While I was at the Register, I saw three boys who looked a lot alike (brothers, obviously. possibly triplets) hanging around the Hallmark aisle. They had some kind of verbal altercation, and one bro punched the other one in the jaw. The punchee turned red and looked pissed, and then the three of them left. They fourth guy who was unrelated came to my register to purchase a pop, and I asked him how they were doing. He hadn't even seen the punch, and then he seemed worried that he had to get in the same car with them.
Later one of the brothers came in with the friend, and two hipster girls. They got two cans of Brisk. The boys stayed in front of the girls the whole time. I wonder where the other two brothers were?

Shout-Out!

I wouldn't scan this woman's coupon. It was for a $1 off a Greencard purchase of $150 and she was putting $80 on her card. I scanned a coupon from her before, which I shouldn't have scanned. So this time I wouldn't scan it, and her face turned bright red and she told me that the other store scanned it. I nodded, and then she called me unethical. So be it.

I had two visitors today! You know who you are. It broke up my day, and I was glad to catch up. Thanks guys! Miss you!

Before work I was really sick; throwing up, achy, had an awful headache, neck ache, and shoulder ache. I was a little queasy when I got to work, but I felt o.k through out my shift. I have to remember to maintain good posture and not slouch around like a Photo Troll. My shoulders are consistently tense. I need to make an appointment.

The manager that I screwed over yesterday barely spoke to me today. But I wasn't the only one he was ignoring. I did notice that there were some baked goods on clearance that I resisted purchasing today. Tomorrow is another day.

Weight Gain, Price Checks and Rehab

For some reason, one of my regulars thought it was appropriate to let me know that I did, in fact, gain weight after the birth of my child. I did know that, and I'm ok with it. But I wanted to tell him how inappropriate it is that he would say something like that. But I was afraid if I opened my mouth, I would fly off the handle. So I said nothing. And his wife was embarrassed that he said that.

I tried to finish a project for a manager and I totally screwed it up. I think I was supposed to put all the baked goods up, wherever they could go. But I couldn't find a lot of the mylars and I wasn't sure where to put things. After putting a bunch of stuff up, I realized I forgot to date them. When I did date them, I realized I put the wrong date on. So basically I just moved a lot of stuff around, in and out of different milk crates. I left a crazy note, and I feel terrible. I hope my manager doesn't think I'm a dum-dum. And I hope I don't get fired.

The guy that came in drunk the other day, came in drunk again. He was with his woman, who was ignoring him. And he asked me if he had said anything wrong, or if he got crazy. I guess he had a black-out. He was really worried about what he may or may not have said.
I told the next person in line that at least he stopped doing blow. She mentioned that she was a consular at one of the intense rehab around here. We had a transaction-length conversation about being ready for  getting help and getting clean and sober.

We got out early.

Free Items And Almost Free Items

I got two free bottles of Purex laundry detergent. And a  80 count package of Dentyne Ice gum for 64 cents. And a roll of store-brand foil for 63 cents.

I wish I could tell some of our customers that leggings are not pants.

Mixed Signals

Last night one of my regulars came in drunk. He said he was on his way to stalk Lewis Black. He also said that I was The Queen Bee and he has my back. I appreciate the sentiment, not the inebriation.

My manager called me into the office to tell me not to tell him to 'relax' in front of a customer, especially when I (supposedly) asked him for help. But then he bought me an Affy Tapple.
P.S: I apologized to him for seeming disrespectful. Prior to the Affy Tapple acquisition. 

Venus Flytraps

We have Venus Flytraps! They come all in a neat little row, in a box that says,
Mother Nature's Savage Garden
and they come with a little plastic top over it. Love it. I will probably purchase one at some point.

I helped this woman purchase a memory card for her camera. I tried to explain what a gigabyte was, but when she told me she still had a rotary phone, I stopped. We turned on the camera to make sure everything worked, and she held it up...and took my picture! Not sure why, but she showed it to me before she left, and I look like I'm telling somehow how it is. Very accurate.

Speaking of photos, I fixed a jam in the phaser printer all by myself! And I located an order I thought I deleted and/or lost. But not after I made a slightly frantic call to the Head Photo tech. And then sent a slightly less-frantic text to the Head Photo tech.

There is an angst-y high schooler who comes in. She has bright dyed hair (pink, green, blue) which she keeps combed to one side and has to constantly pull it to one side with a head flip. She usually has an attitude, and today was no different. But she also had two fake liprings in. I guess she's just trying something new.

I rung up this guy who asked me how my night was going. I told him that it was going good, but I wished it was busier because it keeps me focused. I told him I feel flighty and weird. And he said,
"Oh yeah. Standing around and talking to the product and yourself."
For some reason the way he said it cracked me up.

We got out early. The new guy is good. 

Russain Mullet

The woman who has cancer came in. She was buying a Lunchable and a disposable camera for her son who is going on a field trip. She has a sense of humor about her situation. Because she has to, she says. Apparently when the cashier up front up asked if she wanted to donate to the Susan B. Kohmen foundation she told them that she was donating her own boobs to the foundation. And the cashier didn't laugh. I said maybe it was because it is hard for people to understand and find humor in jokes like that. Which is when she told me she has to joke. Then she told me that she'll get new boobs. Which will be like mine. So I bounced them at her, which luckily she thought was funny.

I printed some photos of someone's facebook profile. The quality was very poor. And the rest of her photos were self-portraits, and her phone was in the way of her face.

Money=Purchase

We were short today. Again. And we got out 25 minutes late.

While I was on the register covering a lunch, this woman came in a got me all kinds of frazzled. She brought a bunch of stuff, and I was too polite to ask if she had money. She had been in earlier and got to the register, and didn't have any money, but was snacking on her wanna-be purchases. This time around, she still had no money. I told her politely that she needed money to finish this transaction. She said that she has no money, but she just asks people to pay for her stuff. So I told her that she should gather her money first before coming to register. She nodded and said was very agreeable about being so difficult. Over the next twenty minutes she got people to purchase her two boxes of sleep-aid, a six pack of Diet Coke, a yogurt, and a caramel. While she was standing next to this guy who was trying to finish his transaction, she started breathing all heavy. The guy asked if she was ok, and she said she would be as soon as I gave her the cigarettes. He told her that probably wouldn't help and she got irate with him, telling him that the smokes would help. Then she told me to get them for her, so I explained that I had to finish the transaction with this gentleman. She was obviously not quite right, but I told her I would call the cops if she continued to hang around. My co-worker said I had balls for telling her how "the shopping experience" works. (I.e: you need money to make a purchase.)


I've grown to expect this kind of nonsense. But it is still stressful.

95%

Yes, that was me saving 95% on my purchase today. Go me!
Robitussin 4oz $4.99
Lays Pico de Gallo 91/2 oz $1.99
Lays Lightly Salted 9 1/2oz $1.99
Advil (that new shiny one) 20 ct $3.99
I had a $2 Advil coupon, a $3 Robitussin coupon, and a $5 blanket coupon.

A Jewish woman called me a "mitzha". Perhaps? Obviously not the correct spelling, but she meant it as a compliment. She had negatives she wanted prints from, and she wanted to know how long I had been working there. She was at one of our stores but she left because she felt like the women at Photo was too young and hadn't been working there long enough to know what was going on. I had to break the news to her that we don't deal with actual negatives anymore. But I called another store for her, and she really appreciated it. And I told her I understood about the feelings surrounding negatives.

The Injustice!

I was puttering around on Freeflys.com (not at work) and entered at sweepstakes to win free milk. I won! They emailed me a coupon, which I printed out, with low ink. So my store didn't accept my coupon! My manager said he would about a week ago, then decided not to today. So on my way home, I stopped by the other store and they were able to use my coupon. Because it is real. And I wanted my free milk!

The soundtrack my store is playing makes me feel like I'm in a weird B-movie.

Cancer

I put up new price changes. Prices are rising! Up and up. We had to put up new ad tags to match those higher prices. It is a little alarming when prices goes up and paychecks stay the same.

A regular of mine announced to the rest of the line, but mostly to another mom, that she had just been diagonosed with cancer. No one really knew what to say. But it was scary and awful. She tried to lighten the mood by saying that she was going to lose her hair.

$5

I got a tip! I helped this guy load his pictures, then I trimmed them so they fit in the envelope he has to send to the city. Obviously I did awesome, because he threw me a five.

This week has been going super-slow. Me and the guy at Register One switched places so I was relieved of the monotony of the evening duties of Photo.

I helped out my favorite regular again, and she was more hilarious tonight then she was last night. She told me about her and her husband's eating schedule (she doesn't cook on Sundays) and I told her to eat her vegetables. When we got to images she already printed, I let her know. Then she had a few questions about the price. (Actually, one question repeated).

I chatted with a mom of an older boy, who said that yes, the Tooth Fairy comes to boys, and perhaps she would bring me her son's old Halloween costume (pumpkin-related) but only if it wasn't in storage. Understandable. And appreciated.

Apparently I had an evaluation tonight. Whatevs.

Voyeuristic Photo Tech

A new grandma came in a wanted to print photos of her brand-new grand-baby, still in the hospital. Her son wouldn't let her use the flash, so we had to work around the florescent lighting. When the photos came out, they were very yellow, and a tad green. She hadn't bothered to correct them at all. I told her I would able to fiddle with them on the main computer we had. She was to come back after dinner. (She took her son out for a celebration dinner...not sure how I would feel if my hubs was out and about right after I gave birth.) I was able to color-correct the images to an acceptable near- flesh tone. There was still a green and yellow tint, but it was slight, and it just showed where the images were taken. One of them was of the proud papa and stressed-out newborn. There were some hospital see-it-all lamps behind them, and when I adjusted the brightness and the color, the lamp glowed from behind them like an translucent and eerie (in a good way) cloud. It looked almost ghost-like, and despite the modern equipment and clothes, it looked like it could transcend through time. They were memorable and beautiful images, and I feel blessed to have been able to see them. I wish there were more pictures of my birth experience.

Sometimes I feel very lucky when people allow me access to their images. I very much enjoy the glimpse into people's lives. It gives me time to think about the fact that even in this day and age, we still like our images printed, we still need to have a snapshot of that birthday or that car ride. I also like looking through old photos and postcards when I browse in antique stores. I'm that nosey.

A photo regular of mine came in, having stolen her husband's camera when he was sleeping so she could make prints of his images. We spent a long time talking about her fish images, which were of the fish they caught, her with the fish, and some fish guts on the ground. I printed 246 4x6s for her because her husband is a good photographer and had images from 2010. She can't see very well, and has a really thick accent, and she is getting old and crazy. But I like looking through her images, because evidentially she is very active. I also helped her pick out mousse.

When my coworker went on her fifteen minute break, I thought she went on her lunch, which means I thought it was a lot later than it was. The day dragged on.

Before And After

Before Work:
Yesterday:
 I read (in one day) a book called The Customer Is Always Wrong-The Retail Chronicles. It was pretty awesome. A series of essays, illustrating the back stories of how a person gets into retail, what happened to them while they were there and how they are different and intrigued because of the experience. If you read this, read that.
Today:
I was cooking lunch for me and the boy, and I set a pan of grease on fire. I tried to cover it, I got totally freaked out, so I grabbed my son and ran out the door. We called 911. There is some damage to my home. Obviously the ordeal was stressful. Then I went to work with soot on pants.
Also Today, But At Work:
I clocked in three minutes late, which as you know, I hate. Then we left early. Time seemed to go by super-fast. I had no photo orders to speak of, so it was pretty much like I was on the floor.

The Game

It took me almost my entire to realize why we weren't that busy. Go Bears!

I talked to a woman who evidently is my friend. She told me her mom had her 76th birthday coming up (or had recently occured) and her mother was talking about how old she was. My friend told me she is 47, and her son is 26, but age is just a number. She asked how my son was doing, and said he is awesome, but when I said bye to him today (before I left for work) he cried as I was leaving. I told her that made me feel good, because it means he knows me and loves me, and doesn't want me to go. But its' bad for whomever I'm leaving him with. She said that is good, because only smart boys love their mother. Then she told me her son is bald, with a lot of tattoos and piercings, and he drinks and smokes too much. She told him that he has to think of his liver and kidneys because he is getting older. Apparently her son said that she was the coolest mom ever, but she needs to shush. Then she told me I was very pretty, and every time she sees a pretty girl, she wishes her son would find one, and settle down. When she had her son, he looked like a clone of his father. And his father told her, when she went to the hospital to give birth (without him?) he told her not to come home without a boy. When her son was little, he looked so much like his father, people joked that she wasn't involved. Her and her then-husband are divorced now, and her son resembles her more. While she was telling me all this, she seemed to be fighting back tears and/or a lot of emotion. She hugged me at the end of our convo.

I was suffering from sleep depravation and was feeling weird and out of it all day.

This guy comes in and buys a huge stack of newspapers, which he does about once a week. I'm pretty sure they aren't all current. Today he was buying some women's magazines too.

I asked my young co-worker if he's seen Clerks. Which he hasn't even heard of, because he is to young. But today was kind of a "I'm not even supposed to be here today!" day.

My manager doesn't know anything and I had to deal with a customer service issue on my own.

Baby!

I was busy closing and doing my thing, when two women with teeny-tiny new babies (with their weird-lookin' faces and odd-shaped heads) came in wanting a passport. I spent about an hour and a half with them. I was trying to get these babies faces, with their eyes open and both their ears showing. It was awful. The mothers weren't getting my hints about me needing to finish closing, or me having a lot of anxiety about taking their crazy pictures. The camera's batteries went out, and they still wanted me to keep going. I finally told them I couldn't do it anymore. They looked at me like I was crazy. They totally threw me off. I struggled to get all my shit done.

One of my co-workers turned out to be good to work with.

Day Three

We had no Cosmetics again today. Which was fine, because we managed to get out early.

My toes kept getting tingly and weird and painful. So yes, I need to make an appointment with the podiatrist.

No Cosmetics, Again

This woman had me print out one 4x6. I couldn't tell if she was trying to be difficult, or if she just couldn't print her own stuff. She had me print out homemade passport prints. (We offer that service for considerably more than 33 cents.) They looked like they might pass, but possibly not. Being the frugal mom I am, I suppose I should appreciate her effort.

One of my regulars came in, drunk. He told my manager that there were two kids outside soliciting for a non-school. My manager did nothing, so I went outside and told them they couldn't be on our property doing that. Then my regular started talking about how bad-ass I am, and how he doesn't like people fucking around in his neighborhood. He showed me his lighter, which was also a mini-knife. I was a little concerned about him busting that out at my register. And he also said that him and his business partner said that I look like Danielle from that t.v show, American Pickers. Right on.

My manager brought in some Polish candy, which I can get down with.

I spilled some laundry detergent in Aisle 7.

While I was facing Aisle 8, I noticed some bizarre packaging on a product called Zanfel. There were three faces, a before, middle, and after-product-use face. The first one was of the model weirdly puffy, in the middle one he was slightly less puffy. And the last one he looked relatively normal. The cream was for an outbreak of a rash from poison ivy, oak and sumac.

I saved 55% off my purchase of M&Ms and Oxyclean Stainfighters.

B.F.A

I was color-correcting a passport photo, and my customer asked if I had a photo background and/or schooling. Yes, I do! Thank you for noticing! He suggested I get a studio and do weddings and baptisms, like his friend. I probably wouldn't get my health insurance.

An old co-worker stopped by! Unfortuantly, when he did, I was trying to work on something for my present co-worker, who was off the clock, I had a passport to do, and there was a woman who was needing help upload her photos from her phone. So we really didn't chat.

For some reason, my manager didn't schedule someone in Cosmetics, so we were one short today. We got out only seven minutes late. The same situation is happening tomorrow, and I'm dreading it. We're "trimming the fat", I guess.

I got a few comments about my bandanna, which I wear frequently. But people acted as if it was totally something new.

I got my flu shot today. And the band-aid I got was super-cute. And my arm hurt for a few hours.

The Following

I really like the following of crazies I seem to have. There is a couple who comes to the photo kiosk to print their anniversary pictures, there is the pale guy who drinks a lot and has crazy conversations with me, and there are the various weirdos.

Parent's Night

Yes, that was me who "reorganized" the cases of Arizona Tea. And it was also me who popped a can of Mucho Mango. So yes, I am responsible for the stickiness that has occurred.

While I was sweeping, I found a crunched up piece of paper. It was blue, with child's writing, imploring the reader to come to Parent's Night. It made me kind of sad, the way I found it.

We were so busy at the end of the night. And because of a register melt-down, we didn't close until 12:10. And I may or may not have forgotten to close the door.

I have a lot of resentment built up because my manager does not seem to realize how much work I actually put in. He also leaves little messes all around the store that I clean up for him.

I feel that if a person has a part-time job, she should work at said job. She should be able to do what is required of her, because she is at work. It does not make sense to come late and leave early and ignore your co-workers pleas for help. But evidently, some people are allowed to do whatever the fuck they want.

Sundown comes at 7:30ish. Pretty disappointing.

Freaky Eyes

My eye doctor appointment went much later than I thought it would, so I went to work with my eyes super-dialated. It was hard to read the WIC numbers, and look at people's change. One of my co-workers said my eyes were really freaky, and to not look at her. And I rung up these two Koreans, one of whom asked me if we took Korean money.
"Not today", I said.  "Although I my eyes are still so dilated I might not know the difference."
He asked me if I should be wearing sunglasses, and I said that it seems to be getting better. He disagreed.

Our manager yelled at me and one of my fave co-workers! We apparently were talking too much.

I couldn't get into my employee info part of our website. This is turning into a great source of frustration for me. I need to know what is going on with my health insurance, profit sharing and 401(k). How am I supposed to manage my freaking money if I can't even navigate the website?!

Hi-Five!

A regular customer came in and said,
"hey, whats' up?"
he had his hand out so I gave him a hi-five! What the hell was that? It was totally weird and I don't know what I was thinking.

Another regular of mine came in and stood around Aisle 9 while he was waiting for his friend. He asked if 'they' were cool with my tattoos and piercings. I told him they were, kind of.

I printed several 5x7 folded cards, several different orders. They had princesses on them, and bizarre wording. They were cards from a soon-to-be bride, asking her friends to be her bridesmaids. I was confused about the Disney princess theme, which seemed childish. And she spelled maid-of-honor, "maid's of honor". Which is just sad. Hope her wedding goes better.

Awkward Since 1985

Their are groups of high school and middle school kids who come in and act a fool. Some groups are too cool for school, and they talk about things they shouldn't be doing. Other groups have weird inside jokes and say odd things to each other. In every group, someone is wearing a article of clothing that is too small or very weird.
Two girls in crazy but awesome outfits (involving a lot of t-shirt fringe and denium shorts) came to my register. They met up with two boys at the register. I think they all came from the football game. The girls were going to head over to the beach and the boys were trying to convince them not to go. Not sure why. There was a moment when the girls said they were going, the boys seemed like they were about to make fun of them. During that split-second, I saw the girls' face fall. I felt that sting of thinking that you're doing the cool thing and wanting to impress someone, only to have them make fun of you and saying you're doing the wrong thing. The boys kept looking over to me to see if I was listening, which I was, of course. Turns out the girls were going to the beach to go smoke cigarettes and/or pot.
Watching these groups reminds me of how awkward and awful my middle-school and high-school years were. I always feel like there is one kid who rules the roost and one kid at the bottom of the barrel. I worry about those kids who think that friends are the people who loudly make fun of you in a public place.

I mopped the floor. After I spilled a bunch of water in the closet. And instead of soap, I used some super-slippery floor treatment.

Today was pretty relaxing because I was at the Register instead of Photo. It was a nice change of pace.

I think I'm getting old, because I noticed that the high school kids are getting skankier and skankier. Girls are wearing almost nothing, or articles of clothing that are far too tight. And these damn kids get crazy! Talking about ratchet-faces, getting high, who they want to 'be' with, who is buying what...I just remember how I was in high-school, and I don't think I was like that at all. I was, however, a hot mess.

We got out late, even though all of us on the floor were ready.

I forgot how crazy and weird people when they come up to the register. I hear a lot of personal information and people's life stories.

That Is What She Said

We got out early tonight. To even things out from last night.

I had no socks on today. Don't tell the hubs.

I did a lot of passports. Its getting easier to color-correct while someone is breathing down my neck.

Summer Aisle

We would have gotten out on time, but my manager has poor workplace time management. At the beginning of the shift he tried to give me his work. And then right before I went on lunch, he tried to get me to head over to that aisle to take care of business. But I went on lunch instead. Then, while I was trying to face, and do my other closing duties, he called me over to scan stuff. Which I did, but I was super-salty.
We ended up getting out twenty minutes late because instead of checking out drawers, he was putting up add tags.
I don't know what he was doing at the beginning of his shift, but obviously it wasn't as important as what made us so goddamn late.

A coworker I really like working with will be around in the evenings now. I'm stoked. 

Day And Night

I had a mid-shift today, and the diffrence between the night and day crew was...night and day. Everyone in the morning was happy, enegenic, giggly, and hard-working. The night crew was more focused on stocking than customers, and they were not enthusiastic. There were more people during the day shift, which could explain the emotional diffrence.

About a minute after I clocked in, I helped an older customer. He had a hat that said he was a WWII vetern. I did a return for him, then I ran around the store to pick up his items, because he has a hard time walking. I did a stock check for him, and then I rung him up. While I was ringing him up, he asked me about the profit-sharing options for us and he told me that for every paycheck, I should invest some. And that is how I will become a millionare. Like him. Then he told me this story about visiting his brother in Wyoming, sometime around WWII. He told his brother he needed to go to the drug store, and his brother said to shout out the store name. So he did, in a sing-song voice, and a horse comes running up to the house. He got on the horse, and went to the drugstore of his choice (the only one in the area). To get home, he yelled "home" at the horse. He said that I am young and pretty, and have a lot of time to invest wisely. And he wanted to know if I was single.

I got the giggles a lot today. And I got a good deal on foundation, eggs, eyeliner, and cookies. (72% off!)

Lots of Things

For "lunch" at work I had a container of musk melon I bought at the farmer's market and two fold-over bags of pretzels I bought at the hardware store. And a Pepsi Throwback. I felt pretty good about this consumption.

I rung up a woman for some M&M's for her son's birthday. She doesn't come in often, but I recognize her for the following reasons:
1) she is small
2) she always has her own bag
3) she is always super-friendly and super-energetic, no matter the time
4) she always has coupons! and she is willing to tell me the date of the paper they came in. and she is always willing to engage in a brief conversation about coupons
The Harvest M&M's were on sale, but not the regular ones. We only had the milk chocolate peanut flavor in the Harvest, but she couldn't buy them because her son has friends with peanut allergies. She noticed the price difference and came back in for an adjustment (while still being friendly!). I returned the candy at the bought price, she "bought" them back at the sale price, and I didn't bother factoring in her coupons. She mentioned that, and I told her to consider the money she may or may not have "made" as a gift from God...or a gift to her son for his birthday. She liked that.

I turned down 2 Purex coupons because one was for the the crystals and the customer was buying the detergent, and one was for a size she wasn't buying. She didn't fight me, because she knew I was right. The Gain coupon she used had a picture of the laundry detergent on it, and she was buying the dish detergent. But the wording on that coupon didn't specify laundry, dish, or size. I scanned it, and it worked! Obviously that is how those folks on Extreme Couponing do it. Almost cheating...

My coworker has a thing about pens. She likes them to be gel, not ink. And they need to write smooth. None of that cheap stuff!

An older woman (elderly, even) came in to pick up some prints. She told me that today was the first time she ordered prints online. And she did it during her class. I thought that was so cute and heartwarming! Maybe she'll realize how easy it is and she'll be able to do it again by herself.

A disheveled regular came in to return some spray-on red hair dye because it wasn't "a necessity". She said she is on Link and she is putting stuff on credit...yet she buys "necessities" like Arizona Sweet Tea, a single-serve of apple juice and frozen chicken quesidillas.

As I've mentioned before, this shift gives me a lot of time to think.

The Mist

Yesterday there was a very large, prehistoric-looking bug flying around, and hitting the lights. It looked moth-like, but when it hit stuff, there was a audible smack. It had the camouflage and markings for the wild! I tried to catch it with a box to bring it back outside, but I failed. 

Today there was a HUGE storm. I heard about it's possible arrival via the radio on the way to work. I told my co-worker this, he looked surprised, and I stood at the register while he went to close his windows. The storm came through, with super-heavy rain, hail, lightening and the wrath of God. A few tree branches went down, some power went out (not at our store), and people flocked to our store. We were super-busy! My manager had me defrost an absurd amount of bread because he said that we were the store people go to...in general and also in an emergency. Which is true, but how many bags of seeded kaiser rolls do we need?
Many people bought candles and flashlights. Although not as many batteries as I expected. Or eggs.

Born To Party, Forced To Work

This guy came to the photo counter all kinds of stressed out. He wanted to print a photo from Facebook. His USB cord didn't work and he couldn't figure out how to get the photo in his gallery. He kept saying to hook it up to the computer. Which wouldn't work because the computer in the Lab is not that type of machine. I finally had to tell him there was nothing more I could do. I even suggested to get our App, but he got all stressed out and told me his niece does all that.
The guy came back with a different shirt on. Previously he had a pink shirt with an Olde English lion on it. The second shirt was blue with "Born to party Forced to work" written across the front. He seemed a little old to be wearing a shirt like that. When he came back he was much more excited and slightly less stressed out. We figured out how to print his photo, of which he needed 40 because he was using them in centerpieces for a wedding. Apparently he used to live in Saudi Arabia, and worked as a wedding planner. He said he sewed stuff for princes. Then he said my eyes looked Lebanese. He wanted the photos to be laminated so he could display them in a tank of water with lights surrounding it. But he can't find laminate.

The employee that was making everyone crazy quit the other day. Then he tried to get his old job back at the other store, which didn't work out.

We have a visit coming up, and I'm not super-impressed with my work tonight.

A Full Half Hour

We clocked out a full half hour late because we had the slowest crew possible. And we were really busy again. I was really mad at the end of the shift.

I had a long conversation with a woman who had to put her kid in a mental instituition. The girl had run away to the south side and her mom couldn't find her for days. Until her mom bribed one of daughter's friends to tell her where she was. Now the mom wants to move because apparently our suburb is getting really dangerous on account of all the Section 8 housing.

I was freaking out at the end of my shift about my tooth extraction going on tomorrow.

And Then There Were Three

We were short one person and it threw us off.

A woman wanted to buy a whole case of eggs, which is fifteen cartons. We only had that one until Tuesday, so my manager said no. She said they go through 24 eggs a day. Which is obscene to me. There better be 12 people in that family. Reminds me of the John Waters film, "Pink Flamingos".

The new guy is highly suspicious. He wanted to leave early tonight, but no one would let him. He says that the manager was going to let him end his shift at 10:30, but this week he has to stay till 12:30. But just for this week. According to the manager, he never said that he had to leave early.

I had to re-do the reader board again this week. I was a lot faster at it, so I was pretty proud of myself. While I was out there, I was blowing bubbles with my gum and when I brought it back into my mouth, there was a little crunch. I think I might have gotten a bug. Also, I hit my leg, and I got a nasty bruise right on my vein.

I close again tomorrow, and then on Monday I get my wisdom teeth taken out. I'm very stressed.

First Things First

We were super-busy today. I think it might be because of the back-to-school stuff.

I rung up a mom and daughter, and when the mom rushed away to grab something else, I asked the girl (who was maybe 12) when school started. She looked at me like I was a moron, and said in a low voice,
"It already started."
The mom came back, and I told her about our 'conversation', and she and I had a good laugh. She said she hoped I wasn't offended. I said,
"Not at all! It was very funny, the way she answered. And obviously I should know when school starts...I mean, what kind of dum-dum doesn't know that?"
We had another good chuckle.

I was ringing up a woman with a lot of tattoos, and a guy in another store's uniform. I complimented her on her ink because they were bright, and well done, and I don't see that many women with ink like that. I told her me and my sister have matching tatts, and we wanted to get an embellishment done on them. She asked what it was of, our matchies, so I awkwardly lifted my leg up and showed her the one on my right leg. Then she told me her sister, who is in her fifties, just got one done. We admitted that they do hurt. In retrospect, it was a little weird of me to show her like that, but whats' done is done.

Apparently everyone in the store needs Sundays off, which annoys me greatly. I am hoping because I was one of the first to start this trend, the manager will remember that and act accordingly.

Some young guy came up to the photo counter to ask about his application. I hope we hire someone new, because some of the folks we have need help.

I called another store to ask if they would process a customer's black and white film. We chatted for a minute, and he said they would try. I asked if they still did the 1-hour photo service, and he said no! I was totally surprised and told him that the system told me they did, and I may or may not have been sending customers there for that service. He jokingly said,
"That was you?! I'll have to remember your name. Yeah, we've been getting a lot of people in."
I found a store that actually still has that service, verified with a phone call. And I was telling all involved that a person could process black and white film with color chemicals, but it gives the film a slightly pinkish tint. I know this because I went to college.

We put up some Halloween candy! Already!

There Is A Storm A-Brewin'

When we left work today, it was windy and really warm; and there was a slight drizzle going on. I thought it was beautiful.

There was a paper jam in one of the photo printers, which I did nothing about because it was too late. I did leave a sweet note, though.

A lot of other things happened. But for some reason I can't write about it.

We Were Short One Person

We didn't have a person in Cosmetics, but we still made it out on time. Not sure how, but I'm glad we did.

There were two guys who came in about three times each, buying a few things each time. I guess they're just disorganized, although one of them informed me he would be back everyday to purchase a small bag of nuts. Right on.

Even though it was over 60 degrees outside all night, this woman came in an outfit that was very suspicious. Her legs looked like they were covered by maybe two or three pairs of pants, she had hiking boots on, a button-up with a few t-shirts underneath, a sweater tied around her shoulders, and a jacket tied around her waist. She bought a package of Hanes Men's T-Shirts. I've seen her before, but never in so many layers.

Why children come into my store after 8pm is beyond me. There was a super-cute kid in a thermal pajama set, with his pull-up visible. His head was enormous, and he was in the cart, just looking around. His family were all on their phones.

During one of our rushes, a bouncy-ball bounced behind the register. Because of a few rambuncious kids whose parents didn't want to tell them how to live.

There were a few sets of parents-with-children purchasing a bunch of school supplies. All parties looked upset at the idea of the school year upon us and the prices of such important items.

I saved 71% on my purchase of notebooks, erasers, hair dye, make-up remover and chocolate. Yes. My co-workers were duly impressed.

I have tomorrow and the next day off, for which I am grateful.

Late Photos

I made a photo book! It was my first one, and it printed out from a printer that sits taller that I am. I arranged the pages and set them in a linen-bound book. It was pretty sweet.

A woman was going through her photos and she told me about her trip to San Diego to visit her daughter and her son. Her son is stationed at the Navel Base and her daughter just lives there. She spent a while editing her photos. She needed some help in finalizing her order. Anyway, I always appreciate people's photo stories, which people are so willing to share.

We got out late because the manager on duty had just come back from a two-week vay-cay and forgot what was happening.

I'm Thinking

Usually I'm ok with my life. I have a great husband, a wonderful baby, and a supportive and loving extended family. I'm employed full-time. But there is something about the evening/night shift that can make a person re-evaluate everything. I don't know why that is, but now I feel all discombobulated. Should I go back to school? Get a degree/liecense in massage therapy? Should I just keep plugging away at this job? What I do know is that I am very blessed. I also know that I have wanted many careers and/or jobs in my life, but I have always wanted to be a mom. Some women don't have that calling, and I respect that. I just ask that they respect my desire and need to be a mommy. But now I am forced to ask: What should I do now? Are there other goals I want to work towards? How do I go about doing them if I have trouble getting all the housework done?
Everyday before I drop my kid off at his grandparent's house and head to work, I am filled with anxiety about all the stuff I did not accomplish before work. And then I stress about not spending enough time with son, or not expanding his horizons enough, or not showing him enough attention...oh my Lord, this madness must end.

I only processed four photo orders today.

Back Again

I had work this evening, after a lovable four days off.

I got a true and great compliment on my eyes...yes, they are amazing.

I helped the new guy learn photo. And I took in a disposable camera for this girl's order; upon closer inspection it had
"Makes you see weird shit"
or something like that, written on the front. The wrapper was covered in pot leaves, and the examples on it were pictures of "weird shit". Like a dog wearing sunglasses, or cupcakes dancing around the open road/sky. She said she got it from Urban Outfitters. Seemed pretty cool, although a little stupid. It would be annoying to me to know there would be other images over my images, but not know what or where those other images were.

I was processing an order, and noticed there seemed to be something a little odd about the images. As more and more of them came in, I realized they were old (from the early 60's, probably) and they were just regular family snapshots! I love that stuff! I did my senior thesis on the idea of a snapshot, and how we look at them today, how we can interpret them differently based on the time period, how frequent they are with the coming of the digital age...it took a lot of willpower not to stand there and look at all of them (there were over 50). But I'm really happy I got to glimpse what I did, being the voyeur that I am.

It was the last day for a coworker I was really beginning to like. She says she'll be back in December. I hope so!

Getting Out Late

We got out late because the new manager wasn't paying attention to the time. And he interfered with my closing schedule by asking me the same questions about making signs and mylars over and over. Finally I told him I wasn't going to help him anymore because I was on schedule and because his duties were not my concern. Because I don't get paid the same as he does. He also asked me why I wasn't a manager, didn't I want to be one, wasn't I trained like a manager..etc. etc. And I had a little freak-out and told him I tried to take the skills assessment test, couldn't get into it, went on vacation, and when I came back, he was there. Oops.

On the upside, my sister came to visit. And my son and husband came in to say hey and possibly get pizzas. The lady I was helping in photo, and the girl at the register both said he (my son) was crazy-cute. And I helped the same woman I helped a few days ago. We printed a lot of pictures. I like her, although I think she might be a tad crazy.

The Photo Regular

I turned off one of the photo kiosks and couldn't figure out how to turn it back on.

A regular since before I started working came in and needed help with her photos. I went on lunch a few minutes after she came in, and when I got back, she was still there. So I felt obligated. We spent about two hours together, scanning in photos and choosing some from a CD and some from a memory card. Her first order was just over $50. We scanned in some old photos from her past, and she told me a little about the time frame. Then we had a CD from a studio (I made her sign the release form, even though she told me to sign it). She has some great portraits of her whole family (kids, grandkids, husband...) on it. We had to go through her memory card, which had over 1000 photos, and I chose the best ones from certain dates. Turns out she goes to a peculiar church I had been wondering about. Finally I had to tell her that we had to start closing the store, so she needs to come back at a later time. Incidentally, English is not her first language which was almost as much of a barrier as the fact that she is a repeater. Most people at the store, past, present, and probably future, get really aggravated with her. But I kind of liked hanging out with her. Whenever someone came to the counter, she told me to help them. And while I normally encourage customers to get their shit together and do their own photo order, I advised her not to touch anything. I got her the coupons and I gave her such great customer service that she called when she got home to let me know she got home safe.

My co-worker and I were talking about the new manager and we decided that while we understand that he is new to the store (and to the freaking company...what happened to hiring from the inside?) there is a point in which a person must be left to sink or swim. We are no longer his lifeguards. Go team.

Bitterness

I am trying to get over my bitterness about being at a job that is seemingly going nowhere. I feel that I am under-paid and under-appreciated. I mostly like the benefits I get, but I am highly annoyed about the manager situation. Obviously I need to apply to something else. Yes, I am happy I have a job. But I feel that people look down on me for having the job I do. I wish I could be a SAHM (stay at home mom), but that is just not reality for us. It is what it is.

A woman I was ringing up was on the phone. I think that is totally rude and obnoxious and often leads to a minor mishap. The gentleman behind her was one of our pharmacy techs, and I asked him if he gets annoyed when people do that to him. He said he won't ring people up when they are on the phone. I told him I wish I had that kind of power.

An ex-co-worker of mine came in and said my facing sucks. Which was totally annoying and obviously not true. Shortly after that my manger said my aisles looked really good. So there.

The Reader Board

I am exhausted.

About five minutes after I clocked in, this guy came in with a huge bag of 8mm film. I think there was twenty-two rolls. Some of them were still in the boxes they came, and they came from our store! The address on the box didn't even have a zip code! We talked about the coming of zip codes and area codes arriving in our lifetime. He was really nice, even though I admitted I wasn't sure what exactly I was doing. I hope his coupon code goes through. I tried to get him to fill out the survey to give me a good review, but I couldn't even find the web address for the damn survey. The reels are from the 60's, and he told me his estranged brother is probably in a few of them. But he is willing to deal with that, because his parents are in their 80's, and there is a film-watching party coming up. When he told me that, I thanked him for not coming in a few hours before the party and then freaking out when realizing that it takes approximately three weeks to process. It was a nostalgic and interesting conversation.

In the stationary aisle, I found some ripped up flowers. And lots of paper from the Sharpie display that said stuff like,
"Alana wuz here."
"Turn up"
"Turn down".

I had to do the reader board. It was a freakin' disaster. I had to go up and down the stairs a bazillion times because I kept forgetting letters. Most of the letters were mixed up, and it took me a long time to find all the ones I needed. I hope I don't have to do that again. And I hope I didn't misspell something! I know I forgot the decimal in "$2.49". But who would think a case of water was $249?

Photo, Again

I don't know if it's because we have new people, or if it's because we have been busy, but I find myself answering IC3s and spending too much time at the register.

Today I managed my time well. I was able to get all my chores done, and I didn't really have to rush or skip steps. I was pretty proud of myself. Wish someone else was.

When I pulled into the only parking spot left along the back of the lot, I suddenly heard a loud pop. I scared the hell out of the kid who was waiting for the bus, and I thought I popped my tire. Turns out I just ran over an fucking aerosol can. Of disinfectant spray. From another store. I was super-salty, and I was totally frazzled. Before I went inside, I made sure the girl at the bus stop was ok. It took me about an hour to fully recover. (My tire is fine, thanks for asking.)

I rung up this woman who told her kid that he spent so much time at 'that house' that he smells like cat piss. And she asked him to step away from her. I recognized the kid from a while ago; he would come in unsupervised, wearing a bathrobe, and being intimidated by the other kids. It made me really sad. And now him and his mom were here, and she was a lot less white trash than I was expecting. And she gave me a recipe for removing the cat piss smell on (your kid's) clothes. She got the recipe from her daughter who got a chemistry degree. (The mom said she paid for the degree, and her daughter is probably using it for evil (a.k.a a drug problem), so she felt she could get a piss-removing recipe out of the experience.)
Load clothes in washer with soap, as usual. Wait until washer fills, then add a cup of lemon juice and...a 1/2 (?) cup of baking soda. I told her I like Nature's Miracle, but her plan was cheaper.
We did talk briefly about the importance of cleaning one's house, at least enough so that one's guests don't go home smelling like disgusting.

There was a guy who told me he pre-paid for his photos, but we had no record of that. And he tried to name-drop, but he kept getting mixed up. If he was trying to scam me, he didn't do a good job. Although I did punch in a belated coupon code for him.

Newspapers and New Guys

There is a normal-looking white guy that comes in and buys a whole bunch of newspapers. A while ago I asked him why he needed so many papers, and he replied,
"Well, they aren't all for me."
That's it. I didn't question further even though I wanted to. He came in again today, and bought a bunch of papers. Then I overheard him asking my co-worker if we had any glitter, and possibly glitter paint.

We closed with the new manager tonight. He's ok. He came from our competition, but he was a manager there, so perhaps he knows what he's doing.

The New Kid and The Late Night

My co-worker and I agreed that if our manager wants to get out early, he should help us close. And he should be aware that the new guy doesn't know how to face or manage his time or anything. If my manger wants to get out early, he shouldn't give me a couple of extra chores, or tell me to help the new guy. Incidentally, the other managers help us close.

This woman that I'm "friends" with (her baby is three months younger than mine), came to my register. We were having a good conversation, until I told her she couldn't get the Dole pineapple juice on her WIC check. She started saying that she could get any kind of juice she wanted and the there was a sign in front of it that said we accept SNAP, and she just kept talking. It was really irritating. Then I noticed the damn check was expired. So even when I told her she couldn't use that one, she was still talking about the f'ing juice. Her new check didn't have any juice...but it did have beans. Which she didn't want. Why bother with WIC checks if you're going to let them expire and you're not going to get everything on the list?

During my lunch break I listened to the rain on the roof, and the thunder rumbling. The room I was in doesn't allow me to hear the pages that well. So that was nice.

Oily Skin and Interviews

I was on the floor until 8:30 pm, putting up tags and answering IC3s. Then I had to go on the register.

I had an improptu interview today, for the position I wanted. I only knew it was an interview because my boss said,
"I'm interviewing you for the position now."

I rung up this woman and her daughter, but before I did I overheard what the girl was saying about her face.
"I don't know what skin type I have. Like, I think it's oily, but it's not oily, like you-need-to-do-something-about-that-oily. It's just kind of oily. What should I do?"
Her mother seemed tired and she was overwhelmed by all the products her kid wanted. They spent about $80 and I just thought that they could have avoided that price tag with the use of coupons and better planning.

The crazies were out tonight. We got out early.

This Position Has Been Filled

I was in photo today, sort of. I was also on the floor, doing my mid-shift duties. Mostly ad tags.

Two older gentlemen came into photo today (not together), and I helped them out. Tried to, anyway. The first guy asked me to help print out his photos from his camera battery. When I told him it was his battery and not his memory card, he was kind of embaressed. He left and came back with his memory card, and we ended up printing over 200 of his photos.
The second guy came in with a woman, presumably his wife. He was all kinds of mixed up about the technology; he did some yelling, and getting indignant. Finally his woman told him to sit down, and look at the images properly. He asked me if I heard the way she spoke to him, and I said it sounds like she needs too. He thought that was funny. We went about trying to crop his photos, which took him a while to figure out what that meant. He seemed to understand color-correction, but the way he pressed the buttons, with little control and a lot of impatience, led to confusion and annoyance for everyone involved. Eventually we got him what he wanted.

Milk and eggs are on sale, so I filled them three times today.

Day Five and Six

I forgot all the madness that occurred yesterday. All the days blend together.

Today we had a visiting manager. I had a good time.
And tomorrow I'm going on an unpaid vaycay for a week! I'm super-excited!

Where Is My Photo Label?

*SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!*




I had another nine hour day today. And I found out that my pay is lower than other folks. Perhaps I should ask for a raise soon. If I don't get a raise by September, I'm asking.

The label-maker for the photos stopped printing, for no apparent reason. The label has the name, the order number, the price and the type of photos on it. So I decided to get crafty and make my own dang labels! I got all the info I needed, hand-wrote it on the label sticker, and rung people up all kinds of crazy. I would ring up an item (seemed to be a Dawn dish detergent or a box of light bulbs mostly), modify the price to reflect the price of the photos, and then write down what I just sold on a piece of scrap paper. I don't know how our inventory is going to look, but I'm pretty sure that is not my problem. The guy who closes in Camera was not pleased by this nonsense.

I saved 63% on my purchase of Diet Coke (3/$9 with a $1-off coupon) and some store brand eggs for a $1. I feel bad about buying non-free-range eggs but my hubs eats eggs every morning and things can get expensive!

Day Four

Wow. Today was a little weird. I'm pretty sure it was because of the heat.

I left my open Starbucks Frappacino on the shelf, along with my tags. Some kids came by and were looking at all the toys, and one kid picked up the lid and fucking LICKED it! I luckily was watching out of my periphs and said,
"Seriously? Are you serious? Really?"
When I told all my co-workers I got an appropriate response and when I told my regular about it he said,
"Now that either means that he wasn't raised right, he's a little weird, or he's got HIV and was trying to spread it."
Really? Are you fucking serious?
For the record, I did finish my coffee because the actual drink wasn't touched.

A regular came in at the last second and bought a bunch of heavy stuff. My co-worker went out to the lot to collect the carts and saw her trying to leave with two of them. They lock up when taken out of bounds, which he told her. So she left a cartful of stuff by the door. At 12:30 she came back and packed up her stuff in front of the door. I think she might have been drunk.

Two people called me fat, and two people hit on me. Everything evens out.

Day Three

We have a lot of our summer stuff on clearance, to make room for the school supplies! I can't believe we already have that stuff out. And yes, I bought some of the summer stuff; a baby flotation device, some fish toys, a badmitton game, and a frisbee thing.

I'm way too excited about the arrival of the school supplies. I really like planners, pens, and notebooks.

The tech came in to give us a new label-maker in the photo department. The label-maker was broken and the setting were wrong in the main computer. Now we know.

I got my raise. Although much smaller than it should be.

Day Two

I'm on day two of a six day work week.

My now-former assistant manager's last day was today. He seems to think that I will get the promotion that I may or may not be in line for, so he was giving me tips on how to be a good manager. I just realized I forgot to say 'thank you'.

Thank you!

Anxiety-Inducing Visit

We have a visit tomorrow, and even though I don't work tomorrow, I feel super-stressed about it. I started the closing procedure late, and I feel like I forgot to do something important. Also, this woman that I pretty much hate came in and wanted a canvas print from her phone images. I told her the resolution wasn't high enough to support a good image (and our photo app told her that too), but she said she would "risk it". So of course, they don't look that awesome. My manager said to make sure she gets charged for them because she was told ahead of time they wouldn't look that great. I got the paper loaded, the images printed, one cut, and I started to put together the canvas structure when my manager told me to start facing. I think I might have put a piece in wrong. I just feel like someone tomorrow will be agitated at me.

One of my co-workers noticed that I buy something almost everyday. True. Don't judge!

I got a terrible phone call from the hubs who said he kicked the garage door in to get to his vehicle and his keys. I obviously did not intend to put those turn of events into action.

Around ten or eleven the new girl came by to say 'hi'. I was very startled and asked if she was working. Dumb question because she was wearing her name tag. She was (obviously) and said she had been there since eight. How did I not see her for about three hours? Where was she? What had she been doing? I have a lot of questions.

Let go and let God. It is what it is.

Busy Bugs

We were so busy tonight! We got out late because of the crowds, and tomorrow we'll be getting out late  because we'll be prepping for a visit. If I'm mentally prepared for that sort of thing, I don't get as hostile.  I just can't understand why we're so busy these days.

While I was cleaning the women's restroom, I noticed a freaky-looking bug. It was reddish-brown; possibly a spider. At first I thought it was a Wolf Spider, but then it looked too oblong to be a spider. It crawled under the toilet before I could get too freaked out.
On the bathroom cleaning schedule sheet, someone wrote in that at 3:35 pm, the condition was "Bug flying". Who could have written that?

Yucky Hands Touching School Supplies

The toilet in the regular-sized stall won't stop running, so I finally put an "Out of Order" sign on it. But before I did, a woman used it while I was using the other one. She didn't flush, although she tried to, and she didn't wash her hands either! That is so gross, I can hardly stand it. I feel like my store is very germy, and not washing one's hand's after using the restroom is not making things less germy. I tried not to think about all the things she touched.

We have an endstand of school supplies. Already! And there is a half-page in the ad paper advertising some supplies on sale. I happen to love school supplies, probably because I don't go to school or have an office job. What I don't like about the supplies being on sale is that it means time is passing quickly, almost without my awareness.

A regular saw me and said "Back to Skinny Minnie, I see. That didn't take long!"
I laughed and said "thank you".

Crazy Bread

A woman has been coming in more and more frequently. She talks to herself while in line, but she listens and responds when people (me) speak to her. She has two clumps of chin hair, and the hair on her head is splotchy. Usually she wears a do-rag and I noticed some designs tattooed around her temple. I have to say, she as very pretty teeth, but everything else about her kind of grosses me out. It was about 80 degrees outside, and very humid, yet she came in in a series of layers, including a fleece hoodie. 

She came in several times, and the last time she had a dirty washcloth over her single-serving of orange juice. 

The time before that she had a fistful of white bread, and she left a large piece of crust on my register. 

Twice now she has introduced herself to me. Also, she keep her money and her card in a dirty white sock. Which she pulls out when its' time to pay, then she laughs and puts it away, then pulls it out again. 

I'm afraid that one day she will snap and get crazy on me. But perhaps I watch too many crime shows. 

Crying Over Spilled Milk

I did not cry. But I was very annoyed that the cooler was in the state it was. There was a gallon of spilled milk, which was difficult to clean up because the dang cooler was so crowded. I had to get in sideways, and then find the corner at the end to start filling the milk. My shoes may or may not smell like milk now, and I am very happy I didn't pay much for them. I lost a roll of paper towels and a bag of trash in there...my manager found them later, buried under many crates. It did seem to be a health/safety hazard in there.

I notice that I shop the department I am in, mostly. I was putting up ad tags and clearance tags in our summer/promo aisle and then I bought a few floaties. I was facing my grocery aisle, and I decided I needed the olives that were on sale. On the upside, even with all that crazy, I saved 59%.

Happy 4th of July! Yes, we will be open. But you won't see me because I have the next three days off! Go team!

The Fire Alarm And Crazies

Whoa. We got out 15 minutes late because my manager was on the phone with the fire alarm people. Our fire alarm went off, and my manager and I rushed to the fire doors to see if someone had left the building. The catch on the door was popped and I realized the trash had given someone access to our stockroom. However, upon further inspection by my manager, no one had gone into the stockroom except for employees. So how was the alarm tripped? I suggested something paranormal, and I do not think my manager appreciated my brainstorming. The fireman came one time, even though our alarm kept going off.

I rung up this woman who wanted to do some switcharoos with her photos. I hope I did the transaction right. This woman has come in before...talking about ex-boyfriends. But today she told me she came out on Facebook. And I heard her arguing with the pharmacist about the perscription strength. She had a few teeth pulled and just wanted some painkillers. There is something odd and kind of disturbing about her.

The Photo Department had almost run out of 4x6 photo paper, our most popular size. So I called our sister store and asked if I could have a few rolls of theirs. Whenever I call their store, the automated menu thinks I'm calling from a doctor's office so I have to navigate out of the pharmacy area. I finally get a hold of the manager, who reluctantly agrees to give me a roll. When I went into the stockroom, I was floored! The boxes extend to the ceiling and there are narrow little aisles to navigate around. It was like a freaky game of Tetrus. I got the wrong kind of paper. I will be going back tomorrow.

Economy As Described With Mucinex

We lock our Mucinex up in little boxes that we have trouble opening even with our magnetic key. My manager said that we spent millions of dollars locking things up, but someone will always find away around it. He says that because of the economy, theft is on the rise. Pretty soon, he says, people won't be able to afford to eat. We do price changes relatively frequently, and both of us noticed the rising prices. Our government should think about raising the minimum wage.

There also seems to be a rise of the mentally ill hanging out at our store. When we locked the door, this woman was hanging out in the handicapped spot in our parking lot. She was looking around like she expected us to open the doors back up for her. A car drove by, and she appeared startled. Prior to our closing, she hung out by the door and talked to herself.

Back again tomorrow.

Retro Hair

Everyone knows I dye my hair. So the S.B.A mentioned that my hair is always kind of blotchy...but
"its' so retro and cute, and it works on you."
Good save.
I just like to switch hair colors a lot, and I don't mind that people know that I dye my hair. Some people (not many) think it's natural. She was talking about how she wanted her hair to be black/burgundy, and she was asking about how she should do it.
She also commented/complimented me on my eyeshadow. Which I appreciated.

I was mid-shift today, so I worked noon to eight-thirty. The woman who was supposed to be at Register One called off because she was supposedly sick. And the woman who was supposed to be in Cosmetics works at a bank now and she didn't bother finding anyone to cover her shift before she left. So for a little while it was just me and the manager. But the guy in Photo showed up almost an hour late. So it will be just him and the manager closing. I was expecting some sort of guilt trip and luckily did not receive one.

Ungrateful People

We were so freakin' busy today! I rung up people non-stop from 4:30 pm until 9:30 pm. That was the latest I have taken my lunch in years.

This family of three came to my register. The dad was really tan with a big tattoo on his forearm. They were buying a swim noodle for the boy. Instead of saying 'thanks', the boy wanted to know why they got that ugly color. And then he bonked his mom on the head with it. All she did about that was tell him not to do that anymore. He was so talkative and disrespectful. I hope my kid doesn't act like that when I buy him stuff.

Voyerism in the Camera Department

One of the reasons I like being in the Camera Department is because I like looking at other people's photos. I scanned in a few pictures for an older gentleman, and he told me the guy in the picture was him in 1975. And he told me the woman in the picture was his wife, so I told him she was beautiful and I liked her sweater. There was another older picture of someone that I scanned for him, but he didn't tell me who it was.
A few of the images we processed were of flooding in people's homes.


I have also been picking up notes people drop on the floor. Post-its, shopping lists, and the like. They are like a small window into people's lives.

My wisdom teeth are coming in, I think. The pain is making me cranky.

Free And Funny

I was doing my overstock and facing and I decided to purchase the 8 pack of Bounty paper towels on sale for $9.99. I had a coupon. I also had a cart full of overstock. So when I got to the register I told the cashier I just wanted the towels. And crayons. I was getting ready to swipe my card and she said,
"Will you be making a separate purchase?"
"What?"
"Oh! Umm, nothing."
And then we both laughed hysterically.
I guess you had to be there.

I got a free 2-liter of A&W 10 Root Beer. It was on sale and I had a coupon. All I had to do was pay tax!

Inventory

Because of Inventory happening tomorrow, we had to stay late. I hope it was worth it.

Around 6-ish, I noticed that it had gotten way darker than it should have. There was a pretty intense storm! And it ended as abruptly as it came.

I was in Photo tonight, and I had the pleasure of helping out a couple of old folks. She had printed out a few pictures from the past. The husband usually sat in the car and honked the horn while she shopped. But he came in and asked if I thought he was good-looking as a young man. He was! There was a super-cute photo of two fat babies wearing a weird knit outfit, with a big bow-string around their necks. It was him and his twin. And there was another picture of him and his twin at their Bat Mizfah. (No, I am not Jewish, and no, I don't know how to spell).

Waste Of Time

I wasted a few hours pulling shorts unnecessarily. I spent all this time in the stockroom, putting stuff in totes, and bringing it downstairs. Only to find out that most of the stuff I pulled was actually overstock. That never would have happened if we had better communication.

I was really sad right before I left for work. I wanted to stay at home with my boy. He was looking especially cute and the sky was looking especially cloudy and I just wanted to hang out in my bed and/or putter around my house.