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.

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.

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.