The Adventures of Being Me

Having a good day at work (cashier at a retail store), keeping busy so my long day goes by quicker. 9 hours is a long time to stand on my feet, but next week I'm getting a nice paycheck so feet will just have to get use to it. Then a note appears and I'm the first to read it. A customer had emailed the corporate office a complaint that a cashier was rude. So with lots of notes in margins from management on how badly they are horrifed such a person would say these things about "us". Then later another note was added of a list of complaints against us cashiers. My real opinion would get me fired so I have to resort to apply for other jobs in the hope of an interview. At least businesses are expanding instead of closing so I have hope. So I will just state facts here. Fact #1: Management did their math wrong but then people don't like their math (or grammar) corrected. Fact #2: Rude is open to interpretation and often used when customers have a temper tantrum an...

I just love being taken for granted. We get a video from the corporate office to describe the changes coming in new computer system. Complete waste of time if you ask me (nobody ever does). So it is installed 2 days late so I, customer service, and jewelry counter are first to explore it. Asking a manager what to do is useless becasue they know less than we do (rarely do they touch the cash registers). All alone with nobody to help me, I figure things out (always taken for granted by corporate that everyone can do things without directions and considered stupid if we fail). I apologize for learning a new system when taking too long with a customer. Takes about 2 hours to get use to it and tell my incoming coworker the basics. I take a break as incoming coworker arrives. She panics at firts customer calling for the manager to help her. At the sight of anything new throws anyone over 50 into a panic. She slowly figures things out with my help. Coworkers and cashier manager compare notes ...

Tonight changed the baby fish tank water and set the baby fish next to adult tanks. Baby Beta fish Dovey changed color and set off vertical horny female stripes viewing the male Beta fish. Male fish strutted for her turning bright red. So renamed the adolescent girl Thalia.

Took niece and nephew to the pool at my apartment complex. Went over to pick up kids and nephew has appointment so went there first w/brother-in-law. Walked niece over to the river bridge and looked at the ducks swimming in built up garbage on edge of the dam. Then brother-in-law left for work and kids went with me to my apartment. It was snacktime. Ate some freezer pops and juice. Sprayed on the suntan lotion. Nephew didn't want to swim, but once we got there he did. I brought life jackets in case they wanted to swim on the deep end. They freaked a little when couldn't touch the bottom. I couldn't touch it either, but I could swim so I didn't need a life jacket. I swam with the kids across the pool to calm them down. Auntie would never let them drown. Sister was suppose to join us for swimming after her errands, but took so long she just picked them up. We all went out to eat at a pizza place. Nephew told the clerk he liked another pizza place better to my sister'...

We are making progress on the cat harness. Precious put his face in the loop and promptly took it out before I slid it down his neck. Stinker. Got to be called a mean lady by a customer the other day. Her daughter grabbed gift cards to play with and I ever so nicely asked for them back now please (since they were leaving). Oh no, her daughter is going to play with them if that's alright with me. I want the cards back (hey nice didn't work). Lady gives me the cards and as they leave she tells her daughter I was a mean lady. Well, that little girl will become a shoplifter in the future since her mother teaches her that stealing okay. And customer called the store to complain I was rude for not letting her daughter keep the gift cards. I know we aren't suppose to make customers angry, but sometimes we have to. I guess a new person has been complaining how the store is not just like the store person came from. Cashiers should always be busy and never stand around waiting for ...

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. Got to be called a mean lady by a customer today. Her daughter grabbed gift cards to play with and I ever so nicely asked for them back now please (since they were leaving). Oh no, her daughter is going to play with if that's alright with me. I want the cards back (hey nice didn't work). Lady gives me cards and as they leave she tells her daughter I was a mean lady. Well, that little girl will become a shoplifter in the future since her mother teaches her that stealing okay. And customer called the store to complain I was rude for not letting her daughter keep the gift cards. I know we aren't suppose to make customers angry, but sometimes we have to. I guess a new person has been complaining how the store is not just like the store person came from. Cashiers should always be busy and never stand around waiting for customers to come (customers don't know we are available to check them out when not standing at the cas...

Finally a day off tomorrow. I'm exhausted. I know you think a cashier standing still for 8 hours is easy, but if it was then everybody would be doing it. I walk around straightening, greet people walking in the door, saying "Have a nice day" to people leaving, tell people with returns where service desk is, and hope the person to aid in carrying heavy objects to customer's cars shows up cause I don't like lifting heavy objects with my bad back and knees. And of course, check out people, argue with prices cause people can't read signs, try to sell our store credit card, and today stopped a couple from leaving with unpaid merchandise. Lady got defensive that they were not thieves and I never said they were, I just noticed pillows deep in the basket (when moved away from the counter) that I did not scan before that's all. Another lady got her coupons and credit card read and asked what else I needed, "Merchandise would be good" I told her. Got to be...

Made it to dance recital just before it began. No dinner for me since the line was to long at McD's They did ballet Giselle and then all the tap, lyrical, modern, etc. Aunt was confused by the ballet story, "It was just a bunch of dancing to me", she said. Yeah, that is what ballet is: a bunch of dancing. I told her to familiarize herself with ballets beyond The Nutcracker.

Feeding the cats this morning, I get a call to babysit the niece and nephew. So drive them to the zoo to find the gate closed. So go the mall that has a bowling alley. Niece got 59, Nephew 65, and I 103, w/bumpers. Very last bowl for me was a strike, they were so proud of me. Walked to Food Court for our snack and played in play area. When they announced to leave so they could clean the play area, we went home. They played w/toys until my sister came home. Nephew took apart his Lego jet and wanted me to put back together following the instructions. I wanted a nap so said no.

I ordered some dog tags todqay with my Dad's name on them. He told me once he had dog tags (he was in the Air National Guard during Vietnam Era, but never served in combat), but he never showed them to me and after he died we couldn't find them cleaning out the house. So I looked the proper format of militry tags and ordered them. I plan to wear them during special events, under my shirt of course.

Did my good deed of the day. Mother told me to hide a toy from her son. Son comes and I asked if he was having a good day. Mother said it was his birthday today. Oh, it IS a good day. So sang Happy Birthday song to him. He wouldn't tell me his name so I sang "dear little boy". Mother laughed. And Wow, I have an amazing coworker. It was the end of her shift and she was so concerned about leaving me alone that she waited 15 mins for the next coworker to arrive. Turns out next person wasn't coming in today so she made sure everything was in order before she left. Geez people, this ain't first time I worked by myself. Even better, they let me go home 15 mins early.