Retail & the Holiday Season

[Ginevra]

OMFG! I CANNOT believe the masses of peoplewho came into the store I worked at today. We did OVER $50k in sales in the FIRST hour! I did NOTHING but pull fresh product for my ENTIRE 8 hour shift. (Yes, I realise there are a LoT of capital letters in that sentence, but it's really for emphasis.)

With that thought in mind, I'd just like to voice a few general thoughts which are directed to no one here at all. I just need to rant in general, plus I'd honestly like to hear how other people's days went that work retail.

PLEASE, for the love of God, shop early, if you can. Please don't wait until 5 minutes before we close and then rush in, expecting everything to be fully in stock.

If you see us talking to a customer already, please wait patiently in line. It will only make your wait longer for you to interupt and then me to tell you "I'll help you as soon as I'm done with this person."

Please don't be upset with me if I inform you that we're out of stock on something. It's not my fault, I don't do the ordering, I just get it off the shelf for you. That's ALL I have to do with it. And don't get angry if we simply don't carry an item. We're a *department* store, not a *specialty* store. If we don't have it, we don't have it and all the ranting and raving you'd like to do IS N O T going to change that.

If you have children with you, please, it's not my job to babysit them or to keep them from climbing the shelves. Technically, I can't lay a hand on your child unless they actually get injured. PlEaSe keep an eye on your little ones (and the older ones for that matter.)

When you see people in the parking lot, please be a little considerate with your driving. People STILL HAVE the right of way over vehicles last I knew.

If you're driving on the road and you run up on my ass, it's N O T going to make me go faster. If anything, I'm going to go back down to the speed limit. If you persist, I'll throw my hazards on and go even slower, thus pissing you off even more than you already are.

And finally,

For the love of God, please don't tailgate semi's! You're only asking for it.

[nodrew]

For the love of God, please don't tailgate semi's!  You're only asking for it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, that's the one thing most people should do. That way we can make room for other more important people.

[Dubh Aingeal]

Actually, that's the one thing most people should do. That way we can make room for other more important people.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I kind of have to agree with drew here... The more they do it the sooner they will get removed from the gene pool and the better off the pool will become...

Of course we could also let Shade take them out on the board walk when he decides to go on a killing rampage in GTA:SA. Besides that would help him out with his world domination by getting some of them out of the way and showing them that he has a really sadistict side to him.

[Brenda Starrr]

If you have children with you, please, it's not my job to babysit them or to keep them from climbing the shelves

Yeah.........there's nothing like picking up over 200 small boxes of eye shadow after little Tommy gets behind the counter. Thanks, Mommie Dearest, for paying attention to your kid. I'll drop mine off at 8, okay?

Of course we could also let Shade take them out on the board walk when he decides to go on a killing rampage

Wow....that could be hysterical!

[Fierce Critter]

You SO have my thoughts this season.

It was bad enough being a customer today, dealing with really RUDE other customers, while we were there just getting gift ideas. I can't imagine the horror of having to manage these stores/departments during this madness.

[Ginevra]

Thanks, folks; the thoughts are greatly appreciated.

To give some idea how Friday went, my store alone was projected to do $340k in sales. We ended up doing $370k for the day.

At Old Navy, rumour has it that they had fleece blankets on sale for $3-4 apiece. There were SOOOO many people in the store that one customer would call to another "Hey! Would you throw me one of those, please?" Can you imagine being in a store so full that you're throwing products to each other?

[Nienna]

oh god... I feel it too... Thanfully not on the retail front though.

What I do is credit card authorizations... we have been overrun with frantic merchants with credit transactions that require calling. Everyone is complaining that the merchants are being nasty.. I was like "no way man... " *L*

[Brenda Starrr]

I like how one customer tried to buy over $200.00 worth of makeup with a rubber check. Then, she had the nerve to get bent over it. Or, the lady who, when told that we charge $40.00 for a makeover, said that she could get it done for free at her salon. NO SHE CAN'T!!! I spent 20 long years in the salon industry, and makeovers are $40.00 to $50.00 on average. I know a few salon owners who charge even more than that.

[Dubh Aingeal]

And people honestly wonder why I do 90% of my shopping on line... If I went into stores on days like these I would so get thrown out, banished from, and/or thrown in jail.... I have a very short fuse for stupidity and tend to let said people know their are being stupid in not so any words...

[Jarodaka]

Excellent reminders, Ginny, but I have to disagree with you on this one...

If you're driving on the road and you run up on my ass, it's N O T going to make me go faster.  If anything, I'm going to go back down to the speed limit.  If you persist, I'll throw my hazards on and go even slower, thus pissing you off even more than you already are.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Making an angry driving angrier is not safe and now if anything bad happens, you are more culpable. *It is not your job to enforce traffic laws.* Just get over one lane as fast as you can -- for example put on your blinker before the right lane is clear so the aggressive driver knows your intentions and doesn't try to pass you on the right -- and be relieved you don't have to deal with that driver anymore. Honestly, what good is it to react? Maybe the person really is in a hurry due to an emergency, maybe the traffic is heavy so the person can't help but be on your bumper, maybe that person wants you to get over so he can shake off the raging person behind him, and so on.

[Ginevra]

I try to keep an open mind and think like this when I'm on the road, for the most part. If someone needs to be ahead of me that badly and passes on the right, by all means, feel free.

However, on Friday, combined with everything else that was going on that day and then throw in that every other car behind me was a tailgater to boot, well, it just really didn't help me any.

Maybe the person really is in a hurry due to an emergency,

I try to think this way, truly. But when someone nearly runs me off the road (see my poll in the Poll & Quiz section) laughing, giggling and giving me the bird, yes, I'm sure they're on their way to a great emergency and need my lane ever so much more than I do.

maybe the traffic is heavy so the person can't help but be on your bumper,

Then they need to take their foot off the tall skinny pedal and put it on the one that's horizontally wider, like I do. It's rare that I'll ride anyone's ass and it's usually due to someone a car or two up braking faster than anyone expected. I don't ride bumpers for the hell of it or just to get someone out of my way because they're not going as fast as I want them to. Some conditions are going to simply happen, even to the best driver; it's to be expected. But many situations can be easily avoided by reducing one's speed or paying more attention to what one is doing.

maybe that person wants you to get over so he can shake off the raging person behind him

Piss me off because someone's pissing you off? Yup, share da love.

*It is not your job to enforce traffic laws.*

You're right. It's not. However, it is my job to make sure that the car that I pulled out of the driveway that morning arrives back in the same condition it left in. I don't think this is an unreasonable mindset, *especially* when it's not my car I'm driving. I'm even more careful then.

Just get over one lane as fast as you can -- for example put on your blinker before the right lane is clear so the aggressive driver knows your intentions and doesn't try to pass you on the right

I know that a person would have to know and have ridden with me to know this but: I typically drive in the right lane as a rule. I can't possibly pull over any further because there's no place else to go except in a parking lot. The only time I don't do this is if traffic is rather light. I'm one of the type of drivers that when I realise my exit is like 2-3 miles away, I'll start my migration over on the highway just to ensure that I have enough time to move over.

[Brenda Starrr]

Hey...you know what's REALLY cool? People who sit on any given level of a 6 floor parking garage, closest to the entrances, just WAITING like f***ing vultures for some poor schmuck to get into his/her car to leave. This doesn't hold up traffic at ALL!! Noooo! Just sit there, you wast of f***ing skin, so that I can't get to ANY parking space and get to work on time. Stupid f***s......

Wow. I feel more festive already.

[Nienna]

Wow. I feel more festive already.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm really holding to this theory that I'm not really sick, my body is just faking it so I'll stay home where there is no Xmas music...

[Brenda Starrr]

Maybe that's what is wrong with me!

[Jarodaka]

Ginny, perhaps we just need better tools while driving to clearly indicate our feelings.

[Fierce Critter]

That's funny. Back in the 80's, they came out with a similar concept - it was a paddle, sorta the size & shape of a ping-pong paddle, with flip-over messages. More tame than the road rage cards, however.

I've often thought I'd like one of those when I've been in similar situations to Ginny's.