My Pisces boss (I have two bosses, a Pisces and a Virgo, ahhhh) calls me last night to say there's going to be some electrical work going on at the shop and not to come in until noon. Woohoo! I get to sleep a little later. So today when I get there, there's guys crawling all over the place sticking stuff in outlets and flipping breakers and shouting "Yep!"  My boss is sitting on the front steps and tells me its taking longer than expected and to go do whatever, and come back in an hour.  Woohoo! I get an unexpected, yet limited allowence of free time.  I went to the drug store and bought batteries. 

When I got back I started doing all the opening prep work when five minutes later My boss's old boss from back when he was a theater tech walks in and yells at me from the counter "Hello, I need some service."  I went out there and said "I'm sooo sorry, we're not open yet." She scrunched up her face and said "The sign says 12:30." I looked at the open sign that had not yet been flipped to indicate that we were open. I looked at the cold espresso machine that had not yet been warmed up or flushed. I looked at the empty rack where the coffee carafes would be sitting if there was any coffee ready. I looked at the light above the bar that had not been turned on.  "I'm sorry, we had some electrical wor...." She interupted "I just saw T outside and he said you were open."

Dammit.

"um, ok, what can I get for you?"

She wanted a complicated drink and a special bagel.  I had to make the drink twice because she didnt bother to tell me that she actually wanted something completly different from what she ordered, she just likes to call it something else.  When I heard the timer ding, I discovered that the toaster oven was not plugged in and we would have to wait another six minutes, ahhhhhh! Oh and we were out of to-go boxes so I had to improvise with wax paper and a sac. She stood and talked to my boss for 15-20 minutes about "whats wrong with the kids today" and then looked at her watch and screamed "I'm running late, bye."

"special bagel" means a bagel you secretly spit in, amirite?

I would never do that...

...I swear :)

Beeeutiful.

Nice narrative. 

Hey, I've worked in retail, if not full-time, then at least part-time, almost my entire adult life.  Right now, it's only part-time (but I love my part-time gig). 

Here's the thing: customers see me out of the venue? Doesn't matter.  I don't work at the supermarket, but I go there for food sometimes (potato chips and dip).  But people think I'm there to serve.  They want something.  Hey, write this down, could you? Yeah.

My whole family? Mostly merchants.  Goes back to the 1500's.  Venice in one case, but mostly London and then America.  My uncle told me, "Give 'em what they want." 

One time in '94, about a year after I kicked my fifth a day whiskey habit, a customer brought me a bottle of Scotch for Christmas.  You think anyone gave me free hooch when I was drinking?

Well, I mooched a little...

Vicaris, so true, people associate your face with your work and Bam! Thats who you are, Helper Monkey.

In a previous barista incarnation I worked for that most imfamous of corporate coffee houses, SBUX.  I couldn't even ride my bike in peace. People would drive by me and shout out the window, pointing "Hey Starbucks!" I would scream back "Good, now find Waldo!"

Oh, man, what a day!    It's stories like these that remind me of the times I hated working retail.  Although, to be fair, sometimes I miss it, too.

On the flipside, even though I haven't been in retail for almost a decade, I'm the person everyone assumes works someplace.  Wherever I am, I work there.  *nodnodnod*  "Excuse me, do you carry blah blah blah?"  "I don't work here."  "Oh.  You looked like you do."  Keep in mind, I'm probably wearing a do-rag, paint-splattered jeans, a tee, and my argyle sneaks when they ask.  *eyeroll*  What's worse is when I can answer the question.  "Where's x?"  "Aisle 10.  *points*"

I can only chalk this up to Pisces MC (job confusion, anyone?).  Apparently, when I don't look completely helpless, I look entirely competant.  *laughs*