New Management

I forgot an important password today. I forgot how to log into my employee account.

There is a posting in the office about a management position opening. I think I will apply, even though I'm pretty sure I'll be turned down. That is, if I can remember my damn password.

Lollipops

A tall, kind of goofy looking gentleman comes in pretty frequently. He wears hip rubber bracelets and a fanny pack. I believe he is mentally unwell. While on my break one day, a car is waiting to turn right out of our parking lot. The car is in the way of the sidewalk and this guys kicks the car and starts screaming
"Get out of my way! Get the fuck out of my way!"
Another time one of my regulars was in front of him buying cigarettes and he kept saying
"I don't smoke. So I have money for milk."
Obviously, he was purchasing milk. I noticed he buys a lot of lollipops. Only a certain brand. We chat about them sometimes. Today he said he was saving the one he was buying today for Friday. He only eats the lollipops on Friday or Saturday night. He didn't need to buy one for this Saturday because he was going out. I said
"Isn't it a little early to be buying your lollipop for Friday?"
He said no, because he has a special spot he puts them that he only looks at on Friday and Saturday night. Sometimes he purchases them for a few weekends at a time. As he was leaving, I noticed one of the head pharmacists give him a crazy look. I said
"What's that look for, man? You don't like him?"
He proceeded to tell me that this gentleman couldn't get his prescription filled and he freaked out! He threw himself on the floor, screaming and looking like he might be having a seizure. He was really upset and was swearing, yelling and screaming. I am surprised I missed it. I usually have a sixth sense about stuff that like going on in my store. So because of that freak-out, pharmacy does not like that man. I do, because I appreciate his Lollipop schedule.

New Management

I felt a little out of it and just a tad stupid for the part of my workday.
The good news is that one of my old managers filled in today. It was nice to work with him again.

I "got paid" to buy a protein/energy bar. The product was $1.60 and I had a 55 cent coupon. My discount rang up the product as $1.39. I got a $1.60 coupon for my next in-store purchase. I bought two. Separately, of course.

The Bus Is Here!

There is a bus of elderly people who arrive about once a month or maybe once every two weeks. Every time they come in, they put a strain on our crew. They are short-tempered, confused, hard to please, and hard of hearing. They often come in with cosmetics products that weren't made in decades or ones we don't carry. There is usually one or two attendants for about six of the elders. I try to be nice and courteous to them, but it can be very difficult.
One of the elders came up to my register with a Covergirl foundation and a blush. The deal we have this week is buy one get one at 50% off. She didn't realize the foundation was about twice as much as the blush and wanted to know why it was so expensive. Then she said she didn't want the foundation. So I rung her up for just the blush. She went to go sit at a then unused register and discovered the foundation wasn't in her bag. She starts yelling to me, asking where it was. I am in the middle of ringing up a loud Russian woman, who was only sort-of polite, so I told the elder to wait until I finished so I could help her. She told me she did want the foundation, so I rung it up for her, and I realized my line has quadrupled. I handed it back, she told me to open it for her. A few minutes later she is yelling to me again saying I didn't give her her change. Which of course I did, because she found it in her coat pocket a few minutes later.
Another elder in a wheelchair yelled to me from the front door, asking who was here. I asked her who she needed to speak to, and she told me to start naming names and she would choose somebody. I started listing a few of us off, but then had to tell her her first choice had temporarily left the country. She asked for another woman on staff. When I called my co-worker to the front:
"What, Kim? What?!"
"That woman needs help."
"In cosmetics?"
"Probably. She asked for a woman."
"I'm not in cosmetics!"
"What do you want me to do? She asked for a woman, I can't help her from behind this register, and the rest of the staff are men. What do you want me to do?"
She and I didn't speak for the rest of the day.

The First Day of Fall

Today is the first day of Fall and we were expecting a visit from corporate. So last night I baked cupcakes with chocolate frosting and leaf sprinkles and brought them to work. More than I expected were consumed, which is good because it means people listened to me when I told them to have a cupcake.

Julia

A curly-haired woman came in today. She was buying Perrier Sparkling water. She told me she "didn't need a bag or anything" and she had a very peculiar voice. Nasal and harsh and just a tad familiar. I looked her over while she was punching in her pin number and saw a name tag. She was the older sister of a friend of mine in elementary school. She was the cool and slightly inappropriate sister whom we all tried to hang out with or avoid at all costs, depending on her mood. I don't think she recognized me. It is kind of creepy the way people's paths cross and then criss-cross.

Employee Discount

If you have an employee discount card, most likely you are an employee. Or you know an employee. So you understand the hardships we face when ringing customers up. If you have an employee discount, you should start the transaction by getting off the damn phone. You should also let me know you have a discount by telling me before I grab your merchandise and start ringing. When I have to move to a different register because you failed to notify me about your discount prior to me scanning an item, you should thank me instead of continuing to talk on the fucking phone. You could also acknowledge me by exchanging pleasantries, such as "Thank you",  "Have a nice day", or, "Have a good one". Also, I don't mind if you look at me during this transaction. Perhaps a head nod, or some eye contact. Really, anything that lets me know that you are aware of the services being provided. Dang, I love those fucking employee discounts.