New EXA and Old Assholes

The title is misleading. The old asshole I am referring to is this middle or high school girl who comes in many mornings, buys junk food, and is very rude. Today she was making snide comments about me to her friend...making it sound like I was stupid for asking if the drinks were together. When she got her change from the coin machine she, with attitude, slams down the quarter and asks for a "less yucky" one. Then she asks for a quarter instead of the two dimes and nickel the machine gave her. I opened up the drawer, saw that we had no change, slammed it, and said "nope". And she said, sideways and to her friend,
"Baaadd service. I'ma tell everyone to shop at the store at the corner."
Her friend said that if she was the cashier, she would have already slapped her. Thanks, honey.

I was having such a good morning, and then I got to work. I was unnecessarily short and kind of rude to an employee from another store. Not even sure why. Maybe because it was early and the machines weren't working right.

My coworkers made fun of me, then my lunch. Just like middle school. Except now I actually tell people to "shut the fuck up."

Poor Scheduling

My manager had me stay a half hour overtime because he didn't schedule enough people.

 On my way off the register, some woman asked if I could help her in Cosmetics. Which I stupidly agreed to. I met her over there, and she showed me some make-up. Then she handed me the kind of remover she wanted. She asked for the aloe vera and when I told her where it was, she just stood there until I walked her over there. And she handed me the bottle she wanted. We went back to the make-up and she stood there until I pointed out exactly what she wanted, and I had to hold that too. FYI, she had no apparent disability. I tried to tell her where the Advil was, and then she repeated "Aisle 9", like I just said "Uzbeckistan". She needed some insoles for her heels, and when she asked for help finding out which ones, I told her to ask the pharmacist. Then she looked down to aisle 9 like the walk was unbearable. I ended up walking over there with her because her stupidity was unbelievable that I felt like I should help. Apparently she couldn't tell the difference between "high heel" and "open toe" insoles. My god. She asked if I could ring her up and I told her no because I had to go. I handed her all her stuff, which she reluctantly took.

Of Course I Have One

The loyalty program cards are continuing to be a huge nuisance. People who speak Russian to their older companions and completely ignore their cashiers should not yell and be ignorant to said cashier.

I think we have a new girl. She was very elusive.

I told the lovely magazine vendor about this fantastic online publication, such as it is. She was surprised I actually had one, and she was appalled I never told her about it before. Hopefully it lives up to expectations. Past, even.

Cheetos are on sale, 2/$5. Should I get them? Of course not. Will I? Perhaps.

Mean Girls

Everyone was mean today. There was a lot of stress going on because today was the day that our loyalty card really took hold. When I came back from lunch, our customers couldn't get the sale price without having our loyalty card. It is very difficult to set up cards for old people who can't hear, see, or think at 100%. It is even more difficult to set up cards for people who don't speak English. I don't think corporate thought this through at all. I have had a few people say they would no longer shop at our store, which I do not believe or care about, but it is the thought that counts.

My anger level had better mellow out before I bust something.

Back To Normal

I was back at my home store. Today was warehouse day. I noticed there were fewer totes, and that the warehouse sent over a lot of our stuff in kinda flimsy boxes. I wonder what their reasoning is.

I helped this older woman find nail polish. She was flustered at the colors we had, which were apparently too bright and for young people. She also had a problem with chipping, and she wanted something that wouldn't show it too much. After I recommended Wet N' Wild and Sally Hansen Hard As Nails, I rung her up at my register. She had told me she was headed on vacation within the next few days, and she wanted something for her vaycay to show off to her friends. So when I told her to have a good trip, she said she might, because of my help. She also told me I was very sweet. I felt like I might be starring in a training video for how to interact with customers nicely, while in Cos.

I saw this mom and kid wandering through my store, and the kid had one of my big balloons from the Hallmark aisle. I knew she wasn't going to buy it, and sure enough, ten minutes later, the damn kid is screaming his head off near the door. I will never understand why parents let their kids hold balloons and toys they have no intention of buying. It seems like it sends mixed signals to the child. And it creates work for us. And it makes those damn kids act a fool when they leave. Although maybe I should wait for a few months before I start judging.

I prevented two unwanted belly-touches by yelling and backing away. The second one was more funny because she said she acted like that too, except more rude.

I'm exhausted.

The New Store

I got sent over to work in the new store today. And it went pretty well. For a few reasons: First, I got there on time and we left early (good for my psyche, bad for my paycheck). Second, no customers because the store isn't actually open yet. Third, our boss got us pizza and some pops. Yes, I can be cheered with grade-school bribery. I felt like I made a good impression because I didn't spend the day gossiping (I didn't know anyone there and it wasn't until late afternoon that someone started talking to me), I know how to do resets (apparently he didn't think I did) and I worked consistantly hard throughout the day.
When someone did start talking to me, she told me her life story pretty much. I can't remember her name or store but I know that she is a mom, her man left after screwing her life up, and she lives with her parents. She talked about being pregnant, and about how lonely she is, and how she wishes she could have done a few things differently. Why she chose to share all this is beyond me. It is not the first time I've had that affect on someone. Obviously I have chosen the wrong profession.

The Repeater

There was some unrest today. As usual, I felt kind of persecuted, although I'm not sure why. The new guy moved and/or got rid of the boxes I was saving even though they were labeled "save". Either he has OCD or he is an asshole. Or he is stupid.

I finally got the info I need to take my leave sucessfully. I got all the telephone numbers and the forms and hopefully all the right info. I'm not trying to cheat the system, but I want what I want and I will be sure I get it.  And I am someone who reads the fine print and makes sure she is getting the most out of whatever is going on. I got this.

The Repeater came in today. And she asked when the baby was due.
"January."
"Oh, January? Oh, you should be fine. ... You should be fine. You'll be fine."
"Umm, yes I know I'll be fine."
"Because we are almost in November, and January isn't that far away from November, so you should be fine."
"Yes, I know that."