Well, let's see.
Hmmm. I've been reading smart blogs, and witty blogs, and highly amusing blogs, and creative blogs.
So now what?
The pressure is overwhelming! Do I need this? ;->
Odds are this is going to wind up being a series of free-associative thoughts on my job, which is one of those "invisible" jobs . . . no one ever thinks of this as a career option (and for jolly good reason, too) - I work in the tabletop department at a Foley's department store.
For them as doesn't know, "tabletop" = china, crystal stemware, stainless steel and sterling flatware, etc.
Tell me this, if you can: when the store is shortstaffed (as most stores are today, times being what they are), I can understand people's frustration and annoyance at having to wait a long time to be checked out, but what the deuce is the point of getting mad at the ONE person behind the counter?
Yesterday I finally got Pinkie (an 82 year old woman who has been at Foley's since the mall opened 25 years ago) to go to lunch (she's hard to pry away from a sale), which left me alone. Two terminals open at the wrap stand, people on both sides.
Anne is working like the proverbial dog, and trying very hard to be cheerful all the while.
Was involved in cutting bubble wrap to wrap up someone's glasses (eight Butler's Pantry iced teas) when a woman demanded, "Are YOU the ONLY one here?"
Well, yes. I'll be with you as soon as ever I can.
"Where can I go where it's manned? This is ridiculous."
I looked up from where I was bent over (it's a big roll of bubble wrap that sits on the floor) and tried to courteously, yet firmly, point out that I had been behind that stand for the past hour and a half (it'd taken me half an hour to get Pinkie to finally go, and she was due back any time), so was the wrong person to ask . . . I had no idea what the situation was anywhere else.
If she wanted to plaintively solicit my opinion as to where she might go which would be faster, fine.
Don't have any ideas for her, but couldn't fault the request.
But why get mad at ME? I'm just a peon . . . she wants someone to holler at, she should holler at the store manager and/or ops manager, who are the ones who make the decisions to cut staffing. Yelling at the poor peons who are stuck dealing with the results of those staff cuts is simply silly.
On the plus side, a customer brought me homemade fudge and peanut brittle Thursday, and raved to Tony (my manager) about how wonderful I am.
It was good candy.
