[lananans]

My store was insane for the last few days. I'm very happy that I got time off to go home, so I'm leaving town today. No more retail for me until Jan. 2! I wish all those working on Boxing Day good luck. Be strong.

[pollystyrene]

I'm not in retail per se, but it's customer service (front desk at a dental office) and I'm so sick of people who are calling this week to get in appointments before the end of the year so they can get their insurance company to pay it. Um, you realize that we have 3 work days left (tomorrow, the 27th and 28th) and they've been full for 3 weeks, mostly college kids home from school?

And you're pissed because you waited until the 4th from last business day to schedule your appointment? Pfft.

[Muffy]

lananans, yeah I don't understand why people come in the week before or even two weeks before x-mas in general but then they get pissy when you don't have what they are looking for! The only reason I wish to even go to work is because I have a crush on one of the people I work with otherwise I'd happily stay in bed, if she could just join me there I wouldn't have to go to the damn mall just to see her!

may every force be with my retail busties this week... if only our customers would give us a drink every once in awhile at least we'd be happy to see them.

[lananans]

Muffy, I understand:

"What do you mean you don't have the Magenta ink cartridge, you have all the other ones."

"It sold out"

"Who DOES KNOW WHY YOU DON"T HAVE IT"

"That would be our head office who is closed on the weekend who supplies us with our stock."

"This is ridiculous. WHY DON'T YOU HAVE IT!?!?"

"I don't know."

[Muffy]

I had this past weekend off and I worked last night until well after midnight cleaning the damn store, by the way. II have absolutely no motivation. I just want to go to bed and sleep until spring... I hate christmas shoppers. I want to be happy and in a festive mood, but when someone makes you call like 12 other locations for f'n soap because we didn't have the soap that they wanted...

[lananans]

I've had this week off because of three exams that I'm writing for school, but I'm not looking forward to working 60 hours in the next 8 days in a computer store at the Christmas rush. Wooot.

[obelix2]

Hugs to all the Busties who have to work retail during this horrible season.

Augh! Customer jokes. I used to work at Lechter's Housewares. We sold kitchen stuff. The store was around long before "The Silence of the Lambs". Customers would make Hannibal Lechter jokes all the time. I would look at them with the most expressionless face I could muster and say completely deadpan "Wow, I've never heard that joke before".

[Muffy]

sassy, I've been there with 4, 5 hours sleep. last christmas season I would get up at 6am for my part time graphic design job then work the closing shift at a store at the mall. they closed at 10 except 2 weeks before Christmas when the mall closes at 11, we'd be cleaning the store until about 1am... thankfully most of the people at the office were understanding that I was groggy and just wanted to sit in my corner and work and not be bothered. I kind of miss the graphic design paycheck even if the hours sucked.

My retail job, cut my hours this week, because retail pays so well to begin with... merry christmas! Its not the job I love, but it was okay until lately. I've worked there for almost three years, you'd think I'd have some rank as far as getting hours, instead I kind of feel like some of us get screwed lately. I don't think my new manager likes me, which is funny since almost every day for the past month in a half I've stayed extra hours for her. Apparently that wasn't enough to impress her. I think anyone who lasts more than a few months in retail is probably a person who needs a job and is reliable and is going to show up for work.

[grrrlyouwant]

a 7 hour turnaround sassy? you should check with your state's labor board about the legality of that. i know in california they have to give you at least 8 hours before making you come back in to work.

all of you that work in retail, man, i would not want your jobs. you put up with way too much shit. can i ask y'all a favor though? tell your bosses that the upselling is really fucking annoying. i went into gamestop yesterday to buy my brother halo 3 for christmas, that's it. but the guy at at the register would not stop with the "would you like to subscribe to our newsletter? would you like to join our frequent buyer's club? would you like some other useless bit of service or goods that you did not come in for?" finally i had to tell him "look, i don't even play video games, the only reason i'm in this store is to buy this one item for my brother's christmas present, could you just ring me up already?" i actually had to leave a clothing store because the clerks would not let me browse in peace. i'd leave one rack to get away from one of them, and another one would pop up at the next rack. i actually went in for a particular item, but after not being allowed to hunt around for it in peace, i left without buying anything.

[sassygrrl]

FUCK. I just got off of closing the store, and then coming in 7 hours later to open the store. Working on 5 hours of sleep, so my other co-worker could "go party." Ah, to be 22 again. I'm beginning to hate retail, and have that talk with myself saying "I went to school for this?"

I had a customer tell me to smile the other day as well. I felt like saying, "If you had my boss, you wouldn't smile."

((busties))

[lananans]

haha ophelia I'm glad you liked my story.

One of the things that bothers me about my job is that in Computers there's just so much information about all the products that it is impossible to know everything. However, every once in a while a customer will come in and start laughing at me if I don't know every minute detail that they ask about (even though most of the time these people are the ones who already know the answers.) When they start laughing it makes me so incredibly angry and its very hard to be civil.

[octobersky]

I had a guy tell me that I could be happier about making his drink, he said I needed to smile more when I made it. The guy was only about 18-20 and man did that piss me off more than an older man telling me. I find it offensive either way, but when a guy 10 or 15 years my junior tells me, it really pisses me off.

[hellotampon]

Oh my god I HATE it when people tell me to smile! That's the absolute worst.

I don't know why it bothers me so much. It's always a man telling me to do it, and I think that has something to do with it.


Zora, you should say yes, it's calorie-free if you puke it up quick enough.

[opheliathemuse]

Why the fuck do people say that stuff? I can unfortunately identify with all of those sayings...
Also: smile! It's not that bad!

And OMFG re:

My favourite retail story: A guy walks into the store, is the epitome of white trash, and is with his sister. He says to the sister "A GIRL! Working in a computer store! And a PRETTY girl! Better not flirt with IT!" I had become an IT. Then I ran away and hid in the back until they were gone because they scared me.

[sarasota]

lananans, i get the same joke working registers, "if it doesnt scan, its free, right?" ha. ha.

i also used to work valet parking and i think every man over 45 said as we got their keys was "you're bringing me the red corvette, right?" or some such semblance of them having a corvette.

black friday wasnt too terrible for me, but then again, at Borders, it gets busier the closer we get to christmas. lines to the back of the store, oh joy!

[Muffy]

octobersky, people are evil when it comes to their food and beverages. I think food service of any sort may be worse than retail.
I had a lot of bitchy customers yesterday too, don't come to my store if your going to be like that, just go home. I worked a six hour shift, came in early, left late...didn't even get a break, no one did. We have a new manager who cares more about herself than other people. she took a few breaks however.

[zora]

The worst joke in my profession (I'm a pastry chef at an upscale grocery) is "It's all calorie-free right?"
FUCK YOU AND GET OUT OF MY GODDAMNED STORE OR I WILL TEAR OFF YOUR LIPS.

Yeah, I hear that joke 3 times a week. I don't know what bothers me about it so much. The other one that bothers me is boys will always make a "I'm going to knock this nice looking cake out of your hands" motion when I walk by them. It's seems almost involuntary for them.

[faerietails2]

((((((october)))))) that sucks!

((((((hugs to all the retail busties)))))) hang in there, gals!

re: joke-telling customers...my dad is one of those people. i always glare at him when he's doing it, too. i always hated when customers would do that to me.

[octobersky]

Just got back from working a 6 hour shift and I feel like I worked 12. (((())))) to all the Busties who worked today!!!

You would think that the holidays would make people a little more happy - but no it seems to bring out the worst in people. I'm not in retail exactly, I work at giant coffee conglomeration, but it's still kinda like retail. People were pounding on the door at 5am - we open at 5:30 and they couldn't understand why we couldn't serve them right then!! I swear we couldn't do anything right today - I even had a woman complain that she had to wait for her drink - it's the day after Thanksgiving - everyone is gonna wait. Another particularly kind man berated me and told me to "clean out my ears" 'cause I didn't hear him say he wanted me to add the cream to his coffee. Yeah he was that lazy he couldn't be bothered to add his own cream to his coffee. To add to the melee, people were allowing their crotchfruit to run rampant all over the store and get underfoot.

It was hell.

[Muffy]

I wish all you retail busties well on black friday. may every deity be with you because we're all going to need divine intervention
hopefully to cause a mass black out so no one can go shopping, lol!