Working in retail can be pretty dull sometimes, especially on weekdays, and most definately on weekday evenings (the store is open until 9pm). There's generally something to do at the store: straightening and stocking. But when there's a string of "bad days" (=few customers and efficient employees who've kept everything looking great and filled in), you have to find ways to keep occupied. Here are some things I've done:
1. re-fold an entire section (not because it wasn't folded already, but because it wasn't folded identically)
2. go around the entire store with the basket of what I call "clippies," basically the size clips to put on hangers, and add them to the naked hangers
3. organize the cupboards behind the counter
4. dust
5. chat with coworkers
6. re-order all the hangers from xs to xxl
7. organize the hangers on the hanger bars (behind the counter) between kids, adult regular and adult pant hangers
8. ... stare into nothingness ...
9. pray for a busload of customers
A prayer, which, by the way, has been answered on a few occasions. We had Model UN teenagers, we had asians, we had middle schoolers from charter schools, we had reunions for a cappella groups, we had college visits, and soccer kids.
When the groups come in, the store becomes alive and all of us rejoice, until we see what they've done to the store. Then we have to undo the damage. It's OK, I keep telling myself, if they there wasn't a mess, I wouldn't have a job... It's OK Rebekah.
But through the busy and not-so-busy times, I've developed a fascination for customer's unusual names. Here's my list so far and they are all REAL.
1. Ms. Duck
2. Ms. Einstein (yes, it's true)
3. Mrs. Fleury (in French = floral)
4. Mr. Apfelbaum (apple tree in German)
5. Mr. Heavenrich
6. Mr. Cashdollar (no joke--I told him I loved his name and he told me that if he was younger and if I wasn't married, we could revisit that! He was an older man)
7. Mr. Usa
8. Mr. Chicken
Mr. Chicken is my all time favorite. I've been giggling about it since yesterday morning. I keep putting him into different contexts and wondering how the poor soul survived childhood and especially middle school and high school. Professor Chicken? Father Chicken? Dr. Chicken? Coach Chicken? Chef Chicken? Uncle Chicken?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Love your musings, Shao-Shen. dad
ReplyDeleteWe once met a man named Adolph Hitsler! Poor guy. Mom
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked in retail, taking flower heads of 1,000 bells (or some other flower name) was the worst!!! There were a ton of dead flowers, they were sticky, and they dyed your fingers the color of the flowers. The second worst was sweeping the floor. I already detest sweeping, but sweeping a dirt-colored cement floor always seemed pointless. Good luck with things to do. :o)
ReplyDeletelol Rebekah, I always wrote down weird names from when I worked debt collection. I eventually threw the paper away because they were always yelling about HIPA and I thought they may fire me if they found it.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite was a little boy named 'Boy Battle'....