retail brings out the worst of people ..

i finish work. mum comes to pick me up. walking through chaddy carpark. i see my car. standing there waiting for mum to unlock it. nothing happens. what the? battery flat? try again. nothing. ooh, crap i never realised how dirty my car was. in desperate need of a washing. wait a second - shit. it's not my car!

i woke up this morning feeling better than i did yesterday! i was absolutely elated! that is, until i arrived at work. i guess i spoke too soon. i was coughing and sniffing all day. it doesn't help when everyone else around you is also sick! i think there's a virus going around work. i think it's the flu - and damn you know how contageous that is! i kept on half-sneezing! how annoying is that .. i really felt like snorting pepper up my nose just to get those damn sneezes out! ugh, and elly had to go home early 'cause she was about to faint! so i was pretty much by myself the whole day and it was so darn busy!

working in retail is mentally and physically draining. i am absolutely knackered. i am about to fall off my chair, so i don't understand why my fingers keep typing away. and if this entry makes absolutely no sense and lacks cohesiveness, then i apologise. my half-dead self needs to rant right now.

during my time in the retail industry (2 years), i have seen/experienced some pretty appauling things like:

• countless mutilated security tags hidden under the upholstery of chairs and behind mirrors
• countless mutilated GARMENTS! (in an attempt to rip off the security tags only to realise they've just f*cked it up and it's no longer wearable or in a condition fit for sale)
• many many dodgy swaps (swapping new garments and replacing them with their old stuff!)
• customers who'll ask me a question, and make me repeat the answer because they are talking on the freaking mobile phone at the same time! so rude. where's your common courtesy?!
• customers who give me a blank look or pretend i don't exist when i greet them. hello, that is so rude! and you know who the majority of this group is? disappointingly enough, it's the young asian ladies. what, i intimidate you or something? no need to act so prissy and stuck-up la ..
• people who do not show the slighest appreciation when i go out of my way to do something for them. how hard is it to say 'thank you'?!
• being yelled and spoken to in such a derogatory manner for refusing to return something. no, i will not return that coffee-stained garment because you've obviously worn it - no matter how many times you attempt to convince me (and yourself) that you bought it in that condition
• a huge pile of garments left on the floor in the fitting rooms (think delicate silk tops and designer dresses) - people these days do not have the courtesy to hang clothing. these are the same people who come back complaining that a garment is dirty/damaged and demand a discount ..
• shoplifting - in front of my face! smart, very smart ..
• garments with blood stains on them
• a pair of pants with some random lady's period stain .....

and last but not least (boy, this really takes the cake):

• a plastic bag left in a fitting room - filled with human faeces and urine!!

it is amusing in a sense, 'cause never in my wildest dreams would i ever have thought people were capable of such acts. there are many many more .. i just can't think of any at the moment.

- - -

you know, sometimes doing a return (or not) for a customer, can get so out of hand that it somehow ends up being a one-way screaming match (of course me being the recipient) in front of everyone. why on earth would i risk any chance of losing my job just to return a pair of pants that has obviously been worn, just to make you happy?! you really think i'll be dumb and blind enough to overlook the fact that you've busted the waistband of pants that don't even stretch! you should of gotten the next size up la! unfortunately we only cater up to size 14! you think that if you keep pressuring and intimidating me, i will end up waving the white flag and relenting. i think not!

fortunately for me, i have been strong enough to avoid a public breakdown and have been able to bite my tongue - so much so that it won't surprise me if half my tongue fell out one day. unfortunately for others, many a times have i seen my poor colleagues cry. we try to be as tolerable as possible, but we all have our individual limits ..

this entry is a shoutout to all those disrespectful and intolerable customers i/everyone has had the grand opportunity of serving. some of you might look down on people who work in retail. you might think it's one of the easiest jobs in the world. well, i guess that would vary depending on the company you work for and the expectations they have for their employees. but let me ask you, what job did YOU have when YOU were my age?!

at the end of the day, we are living, breathing, human beings, trying to make a living - just like you. so who are you to stand on your invisible pedestool and look down on us? sure it is our job to be at your beck and call and to cater for you as much as we can - but you cannot expect us to break rules and regulations in the process! i know you don't care if i get a written warning, or if i lose my job. how does that affect you? it doesn't. that's why you don't give a flying duck (yes duck). no matter how condescending you are, we will still treat you with as much respect as we did when we first greeted you - in a polite matter with a smile on our face - oh, with the exception of that rolled-up fist hiding behind our back.

what's worse is when you call us all stupid and incompetent all because of one girls mistake. hey, nobodys perfect (especially you), we apologise and we are willing to compromise. and do you really think bringing our heritage into discussion is really necessary? what does me being asian, and her being greek, have anything to do with our companys returns policy?

and a problematic private life by no means give you a valid reason to vent it out on us. since when was i paid to be your psychological punching bag? lady, i am sorry i've sold out of the size you are after - let me order you another - don't give me attitude just because another lady has bet you to it! be more rational will you!

please, someone release a book called "the dummys guide to common courtesy and etiquette".

thank you for leaving us emotionally battered, for ruining our day, our self-esteem, our overall morale. you ruin one girls day, you ruin everyones. ever heard of the ripple effect?! thank you for giving us insight into how ungreatful one person can be. oh, and ever heard of karma? that's ok if you haven't, for i am sure you will experience it soon =)

pooh boh ..

being exposed to such people has actually help build up my tolerance and confidence levels. however, it has giving me valuable insight into how selfish and disrespectful some people can actually be. if anything, i have come out of this with a stronger determination to be a better person - not like those that consciously drag down other people's spirits.

so you're probably thinking, 'gee she must hate her job, why doesn't she just quit?!'

i am still here because and the end of the day the positives far outweigh the negatives. difficult customers come around maybe once a week? those others aren't so bad. but it's the opportunity you get to build rapport and friendship with your customers: to know them by name and make them feel that extra bit special, to give them such service that they give you lollies, or notify your manager on your performance, to receive a simple heartfelt 'thank-you' - a genuine appreciation and validation that they've acknowledged the effort you've put it, or for them to come back and soley ask for you - by name - to personally serve them! that by far makes it all worthwhile. =)

so at the end of the day i do love my job, the people i work with, the customers i have the pleasure of serving, and the terrific company i work for =)

goodness. what a LONG RANT! i never expected for it to drag on as much as it has. i only wanted to complain about being sick .. sorry =(. time to sleep now. *fingers crossed* i come out alive tomorrow morning .. i hate being sick.