friendly retail tip #1

here's a tip for you when you are out shopping:

do not, i repeat, do not tear off your receipt. the associate will hand it too you, rest assured. i had this happen to me twice yesterday and it almost blew a gasket. it usually happens this way:

i go ahead and ring things before i take the sensors off. just so you can see the prices on the screen before i go through the trouble of de-sesoring, de-hangering, and folding. there is a high chance of "ugh, this said it was 60% off! i don't want it anymore!". i would rather it happen before i waste 3 steps. if the sign does really make it look like a certain non-sale item is on sale, by all means i will change it. but if people are idiots and just don't know how to read or pay attention, i don't have to. if they are super super nice and feel foolish, i may change it as well. i don't do it often because it will make it look like i am just giving people deals hurvy scurvy and get my ass fired. moving on. so i am finished ringing and i turn around to start the intense process of getting your shit in a bag. i hear the card swipe and i hurry and turn around to accept it on my register because otherwise they keep on swiping and saying "this thang aint workin!" and it ends up canceling and automatically running as credit which some people do not like, even though it is all the same and still gets debited at roughly the same time. until someone tells me otherwise, i am sticking to that story. so, i turn around, accept debit and it is pin number time. half the time people do not push accept. that is not really part of this story, it just bothers me. then while i am still de sensoring and folding, the receipt comes out. most of the time people realize that it is not thier job to grab it. 49% of people know that it would be rude the reach over and take something that is kind of not officially theirs yet from an area that they have no business being in. yesterday it happened twice. the first time i said "hehe, i guess you already have your receipt huh? oh goodness." smile smile smile. the second time i said "well, it looks like somebody does not want their $40 off coupon that has to be stapled on their receipt by an associate to be vaaaaliiiiiid, haha....oh goodness". i am super nice, don't get me wrong.

friendly retail shopping tip #2 is:

think before you do stupid and/or inconsiderate things.

sometimes i have to remind myself that if people didn't do inconsiderate things, i would not have a job. but really, its not true. half the time i don't get the chance to put more product out or clean because i am busy putting back 20 items that someone took and hour to pick out but decided "eh, i don't want them anymore, i am just going to lay 'em right here". but really, it is my job and i feel happy to have it. i just don't like people all that much.

otherwise i am warming up to the ol' second job. i enjoy the discount and plan on enjoying it to buy another summer dress for 20 bucks this afternoon.

starbucks is as great as ever. i can't think of anything particularly exciting about it at the moment.

we went to georgia this passed weekend to see john's games. it was 12 hours of baseball, i kid you not. i really enjoyed the first game. he didn't play the second so i read and ate. by the 4th game i was pretty much checked out, as were the boys on the team. they were exhausted and starving. i can't imagine not wanting to pass out after one game, much less 3. it was really a good time and i am glad we got to see it.