Sunday, October 11, 2009
Everything I Learned About Life I Learned from Working in Retail: Fact #3
Fact #3:
If you work in a busy retail store, a LOT of people can come through your doors each day. Most of these customers pass through your store without leaving much of an impact. They buy stuff, they leave. Then there are some who just don't leave soon enough (the ones that cause you to scream in your head: OHMYGOD do you even care that your son is tearing apart the shoe display?! DEMON CHILDREN!). Then there are the "golden customers." The ones who go out of their way to be courteous, who only make you get down exactly what they need from the very tippy-top shelf. The ones who sympathize with you about the insane little boy who is now running laps around the store, dressed head to toe in unbought merchandise, while their own children stand quietly by their side, well-behaved and mannered. These are the customers you bond with. These are the customers you eventually come to greet by name. These are the customers that make an entire day of DEMON CHILDREN a little bit brighter.
Translated:
People come and people go. Acquaintances flit through our lives more numerous than we can quite count. But every so often, people stick. Some we REALLY wish wouldn't stick (I don't feel I can give an example of this without insulting any one group of people, but I'm sure you have your own image of who I'm talking about), and others we're REALLY glad did stick. The ones we're glad did stick are the ones who make days filled with stress and just all around nastiness a little bit brighter. They're the ones we look forward to seeing or talking with, the ones who go out of their way to make sure we're doing swell. They're our "golden friends." Yes, I did just coin that phrase. And yes, it is extremely corny.
PS: I'm about two months late in realizing this, but look! Over on Elana Johnson's blog, I'm in her list of her favorite blogs! Yay, people like me!
PPS: I keep forgetting to remind yourselves about my super fun Halloween Candy Contest. That bag is getting awfully low, folks. Place your bets now!
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12 comments:
Aww. "Golden friends".
Thank you for being a friend, dum dum da dum, travel down the road and back again...
No, I didn't just start singing the Golden Girls. You imagined it.
Mariah -- I really didn't know what song that was from, as I've never seen the Golden Girls.
*dodges flying objects from angry GG fans*
Now I feel really bad, because my child is a demon child. And now all my worst fears have been proven—people blame me for his energy. I'm sorry. I promise—we know hour demon children are awful and hard to control.
(Sorry, been a very hard day with my demon child. I always hope other people don't notice...dangit.)
Natalie -- The demon children I'm talking about are the children who do these things, yet their parents have absolutely no idea that their kids SHOULDN'T run around the store dressed head-to-toe in unbought merchandise. And when we try to suggest politely that their child not tear the shoes off the shoes display and hide them in clothing racks, they look at us like "You...AREN'T here to babysit my kid? But-- but--"
As long as you are aware that your child shouldn't act like that, we retail folk don't frown on you ;)
Like I said, Oct 15th!
As well, I remember those demon children, which is why I'm always ensuring that my preschool age sister, is always with me or my mom at all time, and no touching!
Ah, the memories of demon children from my past!
I totally agree with the rest of your post too. It makes me realise how glad I am that I started my blog because it opened up a whole new world of awesome people I wouldn't normally have met--not that I've really 'met' anyone. You know what I mean.
I have zombie children. Is that the same category as demon children? Sadly, I suspect that it is.
Anie -- On behalf of the retail industry, I thank you for controlling your sister.
Jade -- Bloggers are a particularly AWESOME breed of awesome :) They make life golden. Teehee.
Carrie -- Eh, zombie kids aren't so bad. They just moan a lot and bump into things, mumbling stuff about "bbbbrrraaaaaiiinnnsss." We don't mind them so much, because as long as we give them brains (preferably the brains of the DEMON CHILDREN. Too gruesome?), they don't touch the shoe display. That's all that matters.
Aww, golden friends, Sara you're a golden friend :)
And I'm glad you convinced me to get a blog because its a whole new world. That and getting everyone elses blog updates saves me so much time. Which give me more time to procrastinate, well you know the cycle... And whenever I'm with my cousins I try to control their inner demon child, they drive me nuts, but they mostly only act out in restaurants, H. fell out of his chair on purpose because he thought it was funny that I flipped out. Not cool. Though I'm not sure he's a demon child, maybe though maybe. It would explain oh so much.
Amen, sista'! I worked retail for 6 years. I was a store manager for a huge video rental company (I'm sure you can imagine which one)and honestly, my best days were when I got "man" enough to put a few customers in their place. I only got away with it cause of being the manager tho lol. I'd get someone talking all nasty and being like "Let me talk to your manager!" I'll smile sweetly (I was like, 21) and say "Here I am. You're still paying the fee for a movie that is 5 days late, bucko." Ok, maybe I never really said THAT but I have threatened to escort people out by security (or bicycle cops) if they didn't pipe down. All over a stupid late fee THEY had control over.
Of course, now, I'm the one paying the late fees lol.
Then there was the big chain electronic store that went out of business this year. I have lots of fun stories there, too. Retail is grand, ain't it? Great post :)
Now finish that bag of candy already!
Hayley -- Aw, shucks :) But Blogging is so awesome -- great friends, and yes, fast updates, thus prolonging procrastination on other less-important things!
Christa -- I SO wish I could put some customers in their place, but alas, there's a huge "customer courtesy" thing, or whatever. Grr customer courtesy.
lol yeah, like I said, I only got away with it because they would have to go above me to complain (to the DM) and well, most customers knew they were in the wrong anyway. So muhahahaha.
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