My Favorites!

So it's been kinda quiet at the store, and I don't really work all that much, so there isn't much to report now. This past weekend I worked at Guest Service and other than the register, they do things SO differently at the store. I kinda feel alienated because it's either high school kids or way older people working up front. I hope it gets better. I need some damn friends here. ;)

So anyways, I'm bored out of my mind and so I decided to do a Favorite Retail Comic thing. As always, they can be found at seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/retail.asp if you want to see the daily ones.

I've been in this situation FAR too many times!

I love when people want money back for gas and whatnot. I had to pay for gas to come in and work that I pay for, so why should you get your gas paid for?

Ask ANYONE in retail, this has happened to them.

We do have nicknames for all of our "fun" customers.

The best is when they are standing right next to where it goes, and yet put it somewhere else.

Story of my old store. Yee-ikes.

Do they want us to cut out the pictures of stuff we don't have at the moment?

Sadly, I've done this before...

Especially with "Is there anything wrong with it?" I could write biographies!

Sad thing is, I've actually helped someone who finally left 40 minutes after the store closed.

Say it with me now: Canadians!

How many times have I heard this only to see the same person back in the store again? It's really funny if I'm the one helping them AGAIN.

I've had someone yell, "HEY YOU!" as I was walking by. I'll have you know, I kept on walking. Sorry, but that is not a way to get someone's attention.

250th Post!

And it's just a short post. I just had to post the Retail comic for the day. How appropriate. ;)

Enjoy!

My First 3 Days

It was fine. The lanes are completely different from my old store and I really have no idea how they cashier effectively because it seemed like I was stumbling all over the place.

They just had me cashier my first 3 shifts although I did give a few breaks in the photo lab. On Friday, I'll ask to work in Guest Service because next week I have my shifts up there and I don't want to royally screw up. They do things so differently at the store.

I'm glad I have 2 other people that transferred down that worked at my old store. Every time we see each other we comment on how weird the store is. I only see a little bit of them though because they are salesfloor and I'm stuck up at the front. Oh well, I love Guest Service, so I hope I can be as awesome as I was at my old store.

Some people think I'm "new" new, so I have to keep telling them I'm a transfer. I swear, some people think I'm really dumb. There is not that much to do cashiering.

But here's the funny/scary story of the weekend: Let me just say to begin with that my old store is ~75 miles away from my new store, and it's not exactly on a direct path to each other. So here I am cashiering away and I recognize this one guest from my old store. Well she says, "Are you stalking me?" I just laugh and say no. She says, "Don't you work in (my old town)?" And I explain that I transferred here to finish my schooling. She goes on, "Weren't you the behind the desk person?" and points to Guest Service. I say yep and we all had a good laugh. But honestly, how weird is that? To be recognized miles away from where you normally work. I hope I stood out as a nice person and not an asshole, but either one is possible. ;)

I really don't have any guest stories yet because it's just cashiering and most of the fun stories involve me at the service desk, so don't bail on me! I'm sure there will be plenty of fun and adventure once I get back to my beloved department.

Stay tuned!

Starting Today!

As you all can assume from the title and previous posts, I start at my new store today. This is going to be really weird because it's different, but not, if that makes any sense. Two other people from my old store are transferring to my new one, so I will at least see two familiar faces. I don't know if anyone can relate, but being in the same environment makes me feel like I should know everyone because I did know everyone at my old store. The job is still the same (I hope they don't have me cashier today...) but the people are different. Just plain weird.

And again, I have no idea what they are going to do with me today. I don't have an actual department because I think they just want to see how I work at first. They'll have to have someone with me at Guest Service so I know how to handle the different ways they interpret the various policies. The basic guideline is the same, but each store interprets them differently.

My new store is SO much smaller too, which will be nice. I was used to having 6 different registers at Guest Service, and the new store only has 3. Old store had carts to throw returns in, new one has bins. I hate bins. I'm also wondering how they handle defectives because we had the backroom (more like logistics or chargeback people or I actually have no idea) package them up. Some stores do EVERYTHING up at Guest Service, so I guess I'll see.

But I actually have to wear red and khaki again. It was nice having a month off, but I need some dinero. I would love a paycheck again.

I'll be back to tell y'all all about it.

New Store!

I stopped by my new store today and I'm afraid to say this, but I'm actually excited to start! The LODs were so nice and you could tell that everyone there has lots of fun. It reminds me of how my old store used to be WAY back in the day. My new store was staffed adequately and not overworked. The LOD showed me around the TM area and he told me that they were never there late. I've heard they are barely there past 10:15pm! That would be SUCH a refreshing change from my old store where it was 11pm at the earliest. Especially now that school is going to start again.

I HOPE I get to be in Guest Service mostly because, as you all know, that's what I love to do. They didn't really put me in an area for my first few shifts, so I think they are just going to see where I'm at. You better believe I'm gonna fight for GS.

Well, in just over a week I will start there, so I hope things go well. I'll keep you posted!

More...

Well today is the day that (supposedly) the new (no receipt return) exception went into place. Where if you don't have your receipt (and we can't look it up by check, credit/debit/giftcard) and the item is over $20, you are pretty much SOL. It should be fun to see when I get to my new store. The only plus side for both us and the guests is that there are no more same department exchanges for things under $20, they just get a giftcard.

I forgot to mention how on my last day, no one really cared that I was leaving, or more like, no one showed it really. My peers did, but you would think that my supervisors and managers would do something after working there for almost 5 years. I guess I don't know what I was expecting, a little party would have been cool or at least a card, but no. My supervisors just told me that they would miss me and the LOD on my last night wished me luck with everything. Am I just a little conceded here to think I should have got a going away card? It's been done with other people. I just don't know.

I've been hearing nothing but bad things about my old store. It's getting even busier with lower hours. They even broke the 11pm policy that they hyped up saying the store would get in trouble if any TM left later than 11pm.

I can't wait to start at my new store, but I don't want to be 'that' person. I'm sure you all know of an instance where a person comes from somewhere else and everything they say begins with, "Well, at MY store, we do things this way." I've gotten so used to how my store runs, that I might (but hope I don't) step on anyone's toes.

And for further proof that it's just not us (me and other co-workers) that dislike (is this the first time I used this term? haha) Canadians. I was at the liquor store and there was a Canadian in front of me and behind me in line and they were talking to each other over me. Well another lane opened up so the canuck behind me went to a different lane. When the guy was done checking out the first canuck, he was trying to make small talk and asked me, "Are you with them?" I couldn't help but answer with a stern "No." It was like 'Don't insult me' tone. Then he says, "Oh, are you Canadian?" By then I just said, "Noooooo." (Apparently this guy doesn't work too often because I can tell if they are Canadian by just looking at them. Their mannerisms are so obvious.) After I told him I wasn't Canadian he says, "Good." I just laugh at tell him that we get a lot of them where I work and they are very rude and annoying. He had that look where I could tell he was thinking 'Thank god I'm not the only one!' and I was thinking the same thing.

Well for now, I'm moving to a new city and it shall be interesting to say the least. I'll be back...