Negative Wind Chill

It was unbelievably cold today. Cold, like, negative temps with a low of -50 windchill.
We werent' that busy. Which was good because the woman in Cosmetics called in sick.
So although I had to do my department's work, I also did some extra facing, for Cosmetics. And it didn't take me long at all because we had almost no customers.

We ran out of milk, as did our sister-store.

I have a knot on my side, kind of under my left arm, but mid-way down my back. Its' a weird spot to have muscle pain.

Long Day

Things were going well today. Until I looked at the clock and realized how much time had not passed. My two co-workers were not aggressive with their breaks, so they went late. And then I had to let them know in no uncertain terms when I was going on my lunch.

My lunch was a pop, a bunch of celery sticks with peanut butter, and a few cashews.

Christmas stuff went on 75% off. So obviously I bought stuff. I used a store coupon and saved 94%.

One of my co-workers came in a hung around for a while. Then he asked to switch shifts with me. This is the fourth time he's asked to switch with me, and I figured for good workplace karma I should agree to do it one time. So I have tomorrow off.

We got out late because the new girl moves really slow and doesn't listen well. But I was able to help her because I got my stuff done early.

Eight Miles Is Too Far

My co-worker called off because he says he lives eight miles away, and it is too far to drive in the snow. I think he called off because he was afraid that someone would dent his car in our lot, or he was afraid he would get into an accident either to or from work. He seems like kind of a car guy, so I'm guessing he was more afraid that he car would get damaged than anything else.
Because of his asshole behavior, I was on the Register all night.
But because I was mostly standing and not walking, my feet didn't start hurting till a few hours before my shift ended.
I can't wait to make my podiatrist appointment.

There are people who come in several times at week, if not every day. Each day they purchase something...like candy, chips, or cigarettes. The amount of money being spent is astounding. Especially on nothing.

A woman who looks kind of rough came in to buy some Chore Boy. I spent the transaction studying her to see if I could detect crack-user behavior. I'm not sure if she is a user. Certainly not a lifelong one.
The next time she came in (about an hour later) she wanted a pack of cigarettes. She asked for reds, which I rang her up for, and she left. A second later, she comes back in, wanting lights. She says,
"I always want reds; that's what I smoke. But my husband has emphysema. So he smokes lights."
My God, it must be awful to be faced by your addiction like that, and be unable to overcome it.

New Year's Day!

I got to work a 1/2 hour early because I wasn't sure how long it would take to get there. Because of the holiday and the several inches of snow.

I burned my microwave popcorn.

We were really slow tonight.

There is a squeaking that goes on...mostly in aisle 7, 8, and 9 in the back. It reminds me of a swing-set. Which reminds me of my childhood. Or playing outside.

I made such a cost-effective purchase, even my manager was impressed. I got my $60-something bill down to $8. Using my coupons, employee discount, and points. And I got a bunch of coupons to use on future purchases.

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.