On Sundays we open at noon. I do not open the doors at 11:37 because the rest of the staff is not there, the tills are not ready, and I do not have to open until 12:00.
Last Sunday, at about 11:37 a.m., I saw a young man yank on the door. He had a french press in his hand, which means he was probably after a new glass beaker to replace a broken one. He looked down at the posted hours and then walked away.
When I did open the doors at 11:56 a.m., he was sitting outside our doors with his french press. He asked the price of replacement beakers. I led him to the coffee supply section. After I told him the beaker price, he unloaded his little planned speech:
"Wow. Your replacement beakers are almost as much as a new french press. Yea, I already went and bought a new french press because you guys opened late. Thanks though."
As we parted ways I said "we open at 12:00 on Sundays" to remind him that we opened right on time.
So he found that we were closed, went somewhere else for 15 minutes to buy a new french press, then came back to wait outside the store so he could "punish" me by telling me he didn't need the thing he had needed because he went somewhere else and bought it AND it was cheaper AND we opened "late."
Um, jerk.
Showing posts with label sunday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sunday. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday Funday
Sundays are family and couple days at our store. People are out and about, strolling with their kids or their mate and they might wander in and play with gadgets and sit on some sofas. There I am, creepy clerk, bored, possible hungover and over caffeinated, leering from behind the counter or windowpane.
Depending on my mood, customer watching can make me depressed or thankful: depressed that I can't have a leisurely Sunday with my lover or thankful that I am not dating a jerk and we are fighting about furniture at 11:08 on a Sunday morning.
Sundays are a day that people, especially woman, often have on a nice little outfit. Maybe they have gone to church or they just wanted to get a little dolled up for an afternoon of shopping. They are trying out new accessories and shoes and are stressed because they didn't transfer all their necessities from one handbag to the next.
I observed one dressed up woman, doing her best to be polished and chic, walking a little awkwardly in some heels. She was following her boyfriend, who didn't slow his pace so that she could keep up. I watched them as they went from our store to a coffee shop down the street and from the coffee shop back to their car. He never walked with her, but always 2 paces ahead of her. I saw their mouths moving, so they were talking, and they didn't look angry, like "Eff you! I'm walking back here!" They were just together but not. It made me feel sort of sad.
Customers are people too, I guess.
Depending on my mood, customer watching can make me depressed or thankful: depressed that I can't have a leisurely Sunday with my lover or thankful that I am not dating a jerk and we are fighting about furniture at 11:08 on a Sunday morning.
Sundays are a day that people, especially woman, often have on a nice little outfit. Maybe they have gone to church or they just wanted to get a little dolled up for an afternoon of shopping. They are trying out new accessories and shoes and are stressed because they didn't transfer all their necessities from one handbag to the next.
I observed one dressed up woman, doing her best to be polished and chic, walking a little awkwardly in some heels. She was following her boyfriend, who didn't slow his pace so that she could keep up. I watched them as they went from our store to a coffee shop down the street and from the coffee shop back to their car. He never walked with her, but always 2 paces ahead of her. I saw their mouths moving, so they were talking, and they didn't look angry, like "Eff you! I'm walking back here!" They were just together but not. It made me feel sort of sad.
Customers are people too, I guess.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Cheerful thoughts
When I am on my way to work, I pass by this cafe. On Sundays, I often see this one particular couple. I know them through work because they are reps for some of the products we sell. They never acknowledge me. I used to give a little smile, nod, or wave, but gave that up when I realized what was going on. I will admit that it annoys me greatly. I don't want to be their flippin friend, but I am a person, and purposely ignoring me is just rude.
It's like I am not important enough to acknowledge. They are chummy with some of the higher-ups, but I am just a clerk in the store, a poor wage-slave that doesn't run in their circles. I suppose it doesn't matter that, in the trickle down, me and all of my colleagues in retail are part of the reason that they can have their cushy, casual Sunday life.
Maybe they just want to have work and personal life separate. That is fine. So do I. But this is not a big town, and it is just weird to ignore someone. We know each others' names! I went to their freaking baby shower for shit's sake (it was through work, but I was still there listened to them ramble on about their kid and oohed and aahed at stupid baby gifts). It would not be difficult to at least just smile at me.
I am going to make a choice to be over this. If they want to be rude, crappy people, I say good luck. I am going to try to be a better person and appreciate all the clerks in my daily life. A kind word can go a long way.
It's like I am not important enough to acknowledge. They are chummy with some of the higher-ups, but I am just a clerk in the store, a poor wage-slave that doesn't run in their circles. I suppose it doesn't matter that, in the trickle down, me and all of my colleagues in retail are part of the reason that they can have their cushy, casual Sunday life.
Maybe they just want to have work and personal life separate. That is fine. So do I. But this is not a big town, and it is just weird to ignore someone. We know each others' names! I went to their freaking baby shower for shit's sake (it was through work, but I was still there listened to them ramble on about their kid and oohed and aahed at stupid baby gifts). It would not be difficult to at least just smile at me.
I am going to make a choice to be over this. If they want to be rude, crappy people, I say good luck. I am going to try to be a better person and appreciate all the clerks in my daily life. A kind word can go a long way.
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