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.