Awkward Customer Situation

This may be relatively normal to people in other occupations,
but I find it strange that I have an admiirer where I work.
I expect bartenders (and maybe even waitresses) to get hit on,
but I cannot picture asking a cashier to go out for drinks
while the person has a long line of customers.

That is exactly what happened to me tonight before my shift
ended. The guy had gone through my line many times before,
but I have a lot of different customers that I consider to
be regulars.

I know I must get to the point and be evident that I'm not
interested, but I don't want him to stop shopping where I
work either.

Who knows, we'll see if I end up having a work stalker on
my hands...
TO BE CONTINUED.

Fun Times at Customer Service

Yesterday was not just a typical busy Saturday,
because for some reason I was scheduled to work my
whole shift at the customer service desk. I don't
particularly enjoy being scheduled over there because
of the additional job responsibilities (doing money
orders, cashing payroll checks, etc.) and it's also
a slightly higher pay rate than the one I am currently
receiving.

More work for less money...joy.

Anyway, on the plus side...I do get to witness even
more crazy customer situations over there than when
I am ringing register.

For instance, my most interesting customer yesterday
was a little boy who must have been under the age of
10. He came up to customer service by himself with a
container of live fish bait! He proceeded to tell me
that he went fishing with his friend, who provided them
bait, and therefore he did not need the fish bait that
he purchased.

The only thing that made this believable enough for
me was he brought in a receipt that was dated for
yesterday.

I don't know whether or not the bait was still
alive when he returned it, but I was not interested
enough to find out. I just did what I always do when
I have a questionable scenario, go to my supervisors
that approve almost ANY return.

It seems as though I am scheduled at customer service
most of next week, so maybe there will be more amusing
(and strange) tales to come...

Easter: A Day for Retail?

My initial response to this question is an
enthusiastic "NOOO!" But this Easter, I guess
I'm a bit of a hypocrite...

After ringing up endless amounts of Easter
baskets and candy, I was thrilled to have
Easter Sunday off to relax. And it was a relaxing
day...my boyfriend and I went to the small church
he attends, then we had to drive to his parents'
house to feed their cats (since they were away).

Before we got to West Newton, we ate at a quaint
little Chinese restaurant that provided us with
leftovers for Easter dinner. That was fine by me,
since I do not eat the traditional ham dinner anyway.

What did surprise me though, was when my boyfriend
informed me on the way home that we needed to stop
at the store briefly. It is not exactly the place
where I work, but similar. We did not need to go
to the store as an EMERGENCY, just to get band-aids,
but it makes me wonder what types of places SHOULD
be open on holidays such as Easter...

"I'm a DIVA...."

With how beautiful the weather was yesterday,
going to work in the afternoon was the last thing
I wanted to do. Money is always a good motivating
factor though...

I'm always glad when I have a chatty customer that
makes my day interesting (as long as the person appears
to be normal!)
Yesterday, shortly after I started my shift,
I waited on an older woman. We were talking about the
clothes she was buying, which were similar to her youthful-
looking outfit (a dress with leggings, something a college
student may wear).
Well, she said to me, "I'm a diva! I'm
pushing 70 years old! I'm like Samantha from Sex in the City.
Never get old!"

She didn't look her age, but one thing I'm sure of is that
her positive attitude definitely helps her stay youthful as
much as her appearance.
When I told her that she had a good attitude, she told me
to always keep the "stay young" attitude.

One thing's for sure...I hope I can look and think like
that woman when I am her age!

Another Lunatic Saturday

Fun, Fun, it's always a blast at my job on Saturdays!
I think I mention this in every Saturday post....but
each Saturday tends to be strange in one way or another.
I think the "Strange Customer of the Day Award" goes to the
man that started loudly yelling: "There she is again! I must
have E.S.P.! I knew it!"..etc...etc...

I was ringing up the customer ahead of him, and so I occasionally
looked back at him and smiled and laughed lightly. When I began
ringing up his items,I realized that he was the type of customer
that feels like he or she knows the cashier personally after seeing
them once or twice before.

I said "What's new?" and we proceeded some small talk.
He told me that he used to drink, but he did not eat
when he did so. "Don't do that," he said. He then told
me "what pretty green eyes" I have (although my eyes are
clearly not green).

After the awkward small talk after he was gone from my
line, the woman behind him said "Yeah, he seems like he drinks
a little too often! He must be drunk now!"

My job can be an interesting place to observe all the
colorful customers, for sure!

A Pleasant Change of Scenery...

Friday was a fun-filled day for me...I enjoy the
occasional change of scenery when me and my
boyfriend go to his parents' house in West Newton.

After we were done visiting, we decided to visit
the same thrift shop that we went to the last time
(the Salvation Army near Irwin). This time we went
early in the afternoon, the last time that we went
there the store was about to close.

Of course, I had the experience from the last time
fresh in my mind (witnessing the crazy lady rambling
on loudly and swearing). I jokingly said to my boyfriend,
"Maybe we'll see the interesting lady again!"

While I was browsing the racks of clothes, I heard
a loud, distinctive woman's voice..."It couldn't be
her," I thought to myself.

Sure enough, the same woman that I saw the last time
was only a few feet away from me, talking to herself!

Needless to say, I had to hurry away from her in order
to restrain my laughter. I know that I get plenty of
amusement from the customers where I work, and I'm
probably not the only one!

Buyer Beware: Please Know How to Read Before Buying!

Yesterday was yet another typical Saturday in retail heaven!
I would like to say that I do have a word of advice for
shoppers, advice that I learned from a not-so-fun
experience with customers at the registers where you
ring up your own purchases:

PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE PRODUCTS YOU ARE BUYING AND BE
SURE THAT THEY MATCH YOUR COUPONS!

A relatively simple concept, yes, but it can cause a
lot of wasted time, effort and irritation when not
followed!

Case in point: The customers I were "helping" had
a coupon from another store that did not scan when
they tried it. I came over to them and said that the
reason it doesn't scan is because our store does not
accept coupons that are evidently from other stores.

The 2 customers then proceeded to have me void the
item that was not honored by the coupon, in addition
to 2 other items that they thought they had valid
coupons for.

Another piece of advice for when you decide to
ring your own items out: Please have an idea of
how to use the machine that you are about to use!

This also saves unnecessary irritation that
sometimes results in customers yelling at machines!
(Believe me, I've seen that happen multiple times.
At least it provides me with slight amusement.)

Retail Shopper Madness!!

Yesterday was quite eventful. Friday is my usual day off from
both work and classes, so I spent the day out with my boyfriend.
We visited his parents, who live out in the country (West Newton
is what I consider to be country). On the way back to more familiar
land, we went to a thrift shop in Irwin.

It was quite a shopping experience, to say the least! My boyfriend
and I didn't get to the thrift shop until about 7, and we didn't
know that the fitting rooms there closed at 7:30. Unfortunately I
only had time to try 1 thing on, and I later found the dress section.
While I was looking through the dresses, a rather loud woman began
talking to me. She appeared to be helpful, but she quickly became
OVERLY helpful!

She told me to try on dresses right in the back of the store, and even
though I felt awkward doing so I tried one on. She then started telling
me to try other ones on, while mumbling and swearing to either me or
herself!

I will be on the lookout for her if I ever go to that thrift store
again! I get plenty of amusement from customers where I work, but
at least that's a change of scenery!

Work on a Saturday = Zoo (Or Kiddie Land)

Well,
I must say that it was yet another eventful Saturday
at my workplace. I worked 10:30 to 7, and I saw the
not-so-usual sights. A kid walked around my store dressed
like the green Tebetubby from that wonderful childrens'
show! It would have been cute if it was a toddler, but it
was a teenager!

3-Ring Circus...a.k.a. Retail on a Saturday

So,
Today was a typical crazy Saturday where I work.
Saturdays tend to be the most interesting,
fun-filled days for me because Saturday is the
only day of the week that I work a full 8-hour
shift.

I would have to say that the highlight of my day
was when I witnessed a group of about 8 high-school
students with Letterman "band" jackets on singing
(and doing the motions to" the song "YMCA" quite
loudly...AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE STORE!

If only everyone could have that much fun during
a grocery shopping run!!

Other than that one amusing moment, I had the pleasure
of dealing with irritating customers. One person in
particular had 50 or 60 items that I had to ring up...
In the 10 items or less line!

Later, I was at Customer Service and I had a woman
that wanted to return a bra with the tag not attached.
This, of course, is not allowed (I would think that is
common sense). However, she said it was sold to her
without a tag. In the end, she kept the bra.

Usually, where I work if a customer complains
enough about something it WILL be returned in one
way or other...regardless of the return policy.

Oh, well...guess that's the way it is in retail.
Where I work, anyway.

Let the fun begin...

Today was an extremely interesting day. I only had two classes,
but I was so tired that I had some difficulty waking up. I
wanted to stay in bed until my evening shift, but since I only
have classes 2 days a week I realize I cannot afford to miss any
classes.

When my classes ended around 2:00, I was wide awake again. I sat
in the computer lab with my friends and fulfilled my "Facebook
obsession" (as my boyfriend calls it). OK, OK, so maybe spending
1 to 2 hours on there after class may be slightly obsessive...but
that's a generous estimate.

I headed straight to work on the trolley, like I always do on
Mondays. The only difference is I actually fell asleep on the
trolley! I mean, sound asleep to the point when you wake up
and feel a little achy. Luckily, I somehow didn't miss my stop.

The day only got more interesting by the end of the night. I didn't
have many customers until the last hour or so of my shift. One lady
caught me by surprise when she mentioned that the men's shave gel is
great to use, especially on the bikini line! Too much information!
She did give a piece of helpful advice..."You need to try it!"

I have to say that I doubt I would say something like that to a
cashier at any store, but that's just me...

A Romantic Valentine's Day in the Retail World

Today was ridiculously crazy at my job. There were long
From the moment I went to the front to ring register.
I was glad that the customers seemed nice today, more so
than usual.

I would advise people to buy gifts for their "sweeties"
BEFORE Valentine's day, though. My boyfriend was lucky
enough to forget Valentine's Day a few days before today,
so he was able to proceed with his plans after I reminded
him over the phone.

Honestly, I do not believe in the commercialized "holiday"
anymore. Last year on this day I sat around in the lobby at
college feeling bitter from being burned one too many times
by guys, and now that I am happy in my current relationship
I don't feel the need to celebrate us 1 day of the year.

After spending a full day at Point Park, it's always
fun to go straight to work and deal with interesting
customers. Lucky for me, I have both class and work
only one day a week this semester.

Today was yet another day of being annoyed by customers.
I rang up an older woman's purchases, and she was the "I
need a separate bag for each item" type. I understand that
food and chemicals must be bagged separately, but she made
her own rules for bagging items!

The greeting cards needed to be bagged separate from her
paper gift bag, her movies needed to be separate from her
books, her books needed to be double-bagged, her silk
flowers weren't in a bag big enough to suit her needs,
and so on and so forth.

Things That Have Been Irritating Me...

I notice that the retail store where I work seems to be a top
place for social gatherings...one would think that a restaurant
would be a better spot for those kinds of things.

I was standing up front near the checkouts where I work,
and I watched a group of about 7 people stand in a circle right
in front of the cart return area at the entrance. This was such a
convenient spot to be in the way of customers leaving and entering the
store.

Another thing at work that annoys me...people that repeat themselves
when asking me for help. It would not be so bad if those people did not
use a sarcastic voice when repeating themselves, like I have some type of
mental disorder.

For example, I was standing at my work post and a lady came up to me and
began asking me where the jewelry counter is, but she was not yet close
enough for me to hear her. I said, "The jewelry counter?", and she
practically yelled back "Yeah, the jewelry counter!" in a not-so-pleasant
tone. My only intent was to make sure I heard her correctly and to
help. You can't please everyone, I guess...

Both of the things I mentioned above happen more than I would expect
them to, and the rude customers wanting help actually happened twice
today during my 4-hour shift.

Hopefully not many of my blog entries will not be ranting ones like this!

Steelers Victory Parade!

Today was quite an eventful day. First and foremost, the Steelers victory parade took place downtown. I heard on Channel 4 news that an estimated 350,000 people attended the parade. Although I was planning to go, my friend and I decided that we would rather enjoy our day off from classes and watch the parade from the comfort of our own homes.

I felt that the crowds of people downtown would be too much to handle, but I did get to experience the people coming home from the parade on the trolley. Amazingly enough, I quickly got a seat. As an added bonus, I even made the trolley driver angry by trying to get off too early! My only intention was to make my way to the front to avoid missing my stop! However, as soon as I got up and told someone that I was getting off, a bunch of girls on the trolley started screaming "GETTING OFF!"

So, in the end I did get the best of both worlds...getting a good view of the parade from my television AND people watching the hyped crowd when it ended.
Needless to say, everyone was in a good mood...except the poor trolley driver!

If anyone has a good firsthand experience from being at the parade, feel free to leave a comment!

Superbowl 2009 Highlights

As you might have heard, the Steelers won the Superbowl last night.

Santonio Holmes was named MVP of the game.


Bruce Springsteen played the Superbowl halftime show.



More importantly, there was a lot of good commercials. My favorite commercials were the ones for Budweiser.



What was your favorite commercial?

Buyer Beware...A Purchase is Worth a Thousand Words!

Yesterday was an uneventful day...until I decided to take a bus downtown and a trolley out of town just to get to work (and to work a whopping 4 hour shift!). My car is currently snowed in in my steep driveway and I need new tires, so I didn't even bother driving. Those of you that commute know that traveling on the bus or the trolley can be an adventure in itself. I tend to read while I'm on the trolley, but that doesn't allow me to tune out people's overly loud cell phone conversations.

While I was at work yesterday the customers were particularly talkative. I waited
on one guy that I see often but have never really had an in-depth conversation with,
and he started telling me what he planned on using the glass vases he purchased for...
not for flowers, but for holy water!
I ended up getting into a conversation with him about religion and the similarities
and differences of different types of churches. It turns out that he is a deacon and he
and I used to follow the same religion, but he is now following a different one. He
told me to always go back to my own religion as a point of reference, even if I am
considering a change in religious beliefs.
He told me that he bought those items for his church because he buys items
for his church service on his own and does not believe in taking money from the
church. He also bought smaller glass containers to distribute Holy Communion.
It's amazing what you can learn from a person just by what he or she buys,
especially if you don't even know the customer's name.
I never really thought about that until yesterday....
A purchase is worth a thousand words!

A Little Introduction...

Hello...
I am a 23-year-old college student and I am trying to make the most of my last year at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. There is a lot that I've learned and witnessed during the course of my 5-year time period of attending college full-time, from having to pay my way through school and buying my first car, to living my dream of traveling.                                      

I studied briefly in London last year                

 and hope to go to Paris  at the  end of 

this semester. In addition, I have been 

working in retail for the past 5 years. I 

hope to share my observations of everyday 

life (which includes some amusing people-

watching tales), as well as what I have learned from various experiences that may be able to help others make the most of the college experience.

....Enjoy reading!