Last week I had a guy come in who wanted to make a modification to his suspenders. He had a problem: his considerable tummy splayed the 'spenders to either side and they wouldn't keep his pants up. He told me something off-color about girls' skirts blowing in the wind, but with men, you just gotta worry about their pants falling down, heh heh. He starts to raise his shirt so I can see his problem for myself. I just couldn't take it. I thought for sure he was getting ready to show me his privates and you know, I just wasn't in the mood for it. I held up my hand and shook my head and said "Sir, I just don't have it in me today . . . " and walked off.
A first.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Peoples are Strange
The other day I got to visiting with a customer who was looking for something that we no longer carry in the store, but to be honest, I have a bazillion of at home. I bought out what was left when they were put on clearance. So I told her, zap me an email and I'd send her some.
Seriously, they're small and I have more than I'll ever use, and I like sharing things with artsy people.
I promise I was not attempting to get her address so I could stalk her.
She did email me, and said that she'd pick them up at the store rather than have me mail them.
I should've insisted that I'd mail them.
Because instead of coming in herself, she sent a friend. A friend who didn't know exactly what she was looking for, and came in, and was snitty to the woman at the register for not knowing what was going on. Turns out, the woman at the register, was my boss. Yes, she didn't know where to look for the Asian coins, and responded to the woman that we don't carry them, but it wasn't long before she figured out that I'd put them in a sack in our hold bin.
I don't get it. Why do people act so rudely to clerks? Why not act with a little patience and tolerance? Even if she didn't realize I was doing her friend a favor, why did she have to get snitty?
In exchange for doing a stranger a favor, I got my boss snitted at. It just makes my heart quake with angriness.
sigh.
Seriously, they're small and I have more than I'll ever use, and I like sharing things with artsy people.
I promise I was not attempting to get her address so I could stalk her.
She did email me, and said that she'd pick them up at the store rather than have me mail them.
I should've insisted that I'd mail them.
Because instead of coming in herself, she sent a friend. A friend who didn't know exactly what she was looking for, and came in, and was snitty to the woman at the register for not knowing what was going on. Turns out, the woman at the register, was my boss. Yes, she didn't know where to look for the Asian coins, and responded to the woman that we don't carry them, but it wasn't long before she figured out that I'd put them in a sack in our hold bin.
I don't get it. Why do people act so rudely to clerks? Why not act with a little patience and tolerance? Even if she didn't realize I was doing her friend a favor, why did she have to get snitty?
In exchange for doing a stranger a favor, I got my boss snitted at. It just makes my heart quake with angriness.
sigh.
My Hero
Everyone's concerned about the economy and at the store it's no different.
We're trying to keep expenses down, and the other day the boss asked that we try to use up this stack of bags that's cheaper than our normal "Thank you" with handles "t-shirt" bag. Problem is, these bags are annoying. They look okay when you pull them out, but as soon as you put anything in them, the gussets expand and suddenly the bag is wider than it is tall and tends to want to spit out the contents.
We dutifully attempted to use this bag for the next customer who came in. We stuffed in her stamped goods, her embroidery floss, and chocolate bars. She tried to pick it up, experienced the content spit out factor, and directly took the whole bag and dropped it into one of the t-shirt bags hanging in the dispenser on the counter and walked out.
My hero.
We're trying to keep expenses down, and the other day the boss asked that we try to use up this stack of bags that's cheaper than our normal "Thank you" with handles "t-shirt" bag. Problem is, these bags are annoying. They look okay when you pull them out, but as soon as you put anything in them, the gussets expand and suddenly the bag is wider than it is tall and tends to want to spit out the contents.
We dutifully attempted to use this bag for the next customer who came in. We stuffed in her stamped goods, her embroidery floss, and chocolate bars. She tried to pick it up, experienced the content spit out factor, and directly took the whole bag and dropped it into one of the t-shirt bags hanging in the dispenser on the counter and walked out.
My hero.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Science Fair
A youngish couple comes in, picks out a display board. They're quietly talking to each other at the register.
Clerk: "When's your project due?"
Couple: "Tomorrow."
Clerk: "Oh. What grade are you in?"
Couple: sheepish "Third."
Clerk: brightly "Good luck!"
Man: "It's not going to be this way next year."
Clerk to self: "Yeah, sure." Shakes her head with a been-there smile.
Clerk: "When's your project due?"
Couple: "Tomorrow."
Clerk: "Oh. What grade are you in?"
Couple: sheepish "Third."
Clerk: brightly "Good luck!"
Man: "It's not going to be this way next year."
Clerk to self: "Yeah, sure." Shakes her head with a been-there smile.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Bonus
Crazy Cat Lady did come in tonight. She was still miffed at me for my giggles the last time she was in. She hardly spoke to me at all. But she brought herself to ask if I was sure I'd rung up her fabric correctly.
That's the thing about CCL. She's always paranoid that we're trying to cheat her. The last time she was in, that I was there, was actually a return visit to check up on whether the night shift clerk had written down her fabric purchase correctly on the frequent buyers club card . . . Alice, (who she has compared to Mother Theresa), was helping another customer and said she'd write a note to herself to check it out . . she wasn't sure that Alice would remember so she had me write a note to remind Alice about HER note . . . well, about twenty minutes later she came sneaking in . . . tried to slip past the register without me seeing her, and I turned to another co-worker and giggled, I bet you anything she's going over to check up on Alice!
Well, joke was on me--she caught me and came over and asked me what I was whispering about! Ooops!
Luckily just that day there had been an article about her in the paper:
http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/12/29/news/local/doc4958398b8e1f3932205029.txt#cancel
so I thought I was pretty smooth when I said that I was just pointing out to my friend that she's the one the story was about.
She didn't buy it, and has been giving me the cold shoulder ever since.
Oh darn. No more stories about her cat, no more standing beside her "helping" her pick out fabrics for cat pillows (when no matter what I thought, my opinion was WRONG.)
That's the thing about CCL. She's always paranoid that we're trying to cheat her. The last time she was in, that I was there, was actually a return visit to check up on whether the night shift clerk had written down her fabric purchase correctly on the frequent buyers club card . . . Alice, (who she has compared to Mother Theresa), was helping another customer and said she'd write a note to herself to check it out . . she wasn't sure that Alice would remember so she had me write a note to remind Alice about HER note . . . well, about twenty minutes later she came sneaking in . . . tried to slip past the register without me seeing her, and I turned to another co-worker and giggled, I bet you anything she's going over to check up on Alice!
Well, joke was on me--she caught me and came over and asked me what I was whispering about! Ooops!
Luckily just that day there had been an article about her in the paper:
http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/12/29/news/local/doc4958398b8e1f3932205029.txt#cancel
so I thought I was pretty smooth when I said that I was just pointing out to my friend that she's the one the story was about.
She didn't buy it, and has been giving me the cold shoulder ever since.
Oh darn. No more stories about her cat, no more standing beside her "helping" her pick out fabrics for cat pillows (when no matter what I thought, my opinion was WRONG.)
Loads of Memorial Day Flowers
Today we got in about twenty coffin sized boxes of Memorial Day Flowers: wreaths, crosses with sprays, "pillows" that say things like mother, father, son, beloved . . . it was pretty intense opening all those boxes and getting them all priced and on display.
The most memorable customer today was a super sweet young woman . . . 18? 19? who came in with two kids, a boy and a girl, both wearing thick glasses, both probably pre-K. They spent their time choosing candy, they came up to pay, she brought out her credit card, and when I rang it through it came up "Card Lost or Stolen". Shoot! Turns out she just got a new card but was still carrying the old one, and she didn't have any other money on her . . . if I would've had $5 in my pocket I would've bought the candy for them.
The most memorable customer today was a super sweet young woman . . . 18? 19? who came in with two kids, a boy and a girl, both wearing thick glasses, both probably pre-K. They spent their time choosing candy, they came up to pay, she brought out her credit card, and when I rang it through it came up "Card Lost or Stolen". Shoot! Turns out she just got a new card but was still carrying the old one, and she didn't have any other money on her . . . if I would've had $5 in my pocket I would've bought the candy for them.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Mardi Gras
Tuesday.
A very large man comes in to the store. Asks for Mardi Gras beads. I point him to the display of purple, green and gold beads. He looks for a minute then turns to me: "Don't you have any that are a little less, um, feminine?"
I was floored. I tried to wrap my mind around it then I had to ask. "I don't know--what exactly makes the difference between feminine beads and masculine beads? As far as I know, these would work for either gender."
He bought them.
A very large man comes in to the store. Asks for Mardi Gras beads. I point him to the display of purple, green and gold beads. He looks for a minute then turns to me: "Don't you have any that are a little less, um, feminine?"
I was floored. I tried to wrap my mind around it then I had to ask. "I don't know--what exactly makes the difference between feminine beads and masculine beads? As far as I know, these would work for either gender."
He bought them.
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