Poor Darlin’

I got to work last night and was in a really happy mood.  I said ‘Hello!’ cheerfully to the new girl who was on the shift before me.  I’d arrived half an hour early, as I always usually do, and asked how she was doing.  She’d just finished serving a customer.  I didn’t get any response from her.  That was weird considering she is the bubbliest, most friendly chick I think I’ve ever met.  It was then I noticed she was avoiding eye-contact from me, clearly crying.
I joked straight away, saying ‘Awww that’s not the response I was looking for!’ but she just let it all out to me.  Basically she’d had a shit of a shift.  Customers were absolutely ruthless to her.  She’s new and is still learning so is a little slow at some things, but she’s learning quickly.  Anyway, apparently some guy was screaming at her, calling her a ‘Fucking dumb blonde bitch’ and all the other names under the sun.  It must have been busy and this guy was causing a scene, which is never good because she was there by herself and has to serve other customers whom are waiting as well.
She also charged a cop’s fuel to his personal card rather than his business card because he bought good as well, which understandably, can easily happen.  I’ve done it before.  But she isn’t used to refunds, or hasn’t been shown how, I dunno. 
She served a few more customers, so I used my time of getting there early to fill the fridges full for her.  It took me a while as the fridges were pretty empty but I just wanted to help her out so she could get out as soon as possible.  The poor darling let’s people walk all over her.  I’ve been there a year and a half.  She said she didn’t think this job was for her 🙁  Anyway I managed to cheer her up a little.  She must’ve been talking to the manager about me about how nice and friendly I am and the manager apparently said, ‘Yeah Matt’s wonderful’, so that was nice of my manager and for her to let me know.  I see no reason why she’d lie to me.  I said to her, "Yeah I’m nice, but you should see me with a lot of the customers I have to deal with.  I tell ’em to fuck off and everything.’

It can be a tough job.  It can be an easy job.  But after almost a year and a half of being there now, it definitely toughens you up.  The male owner of the store I’m at told me when I first started, ‘Do what you gotta do.’  So I do.  If it gets to the stage where I’m dealing with a stubborn wanker, I will tell them to fuck off and not come back.  Let them report me.  Like I give a shit.

But not poor new girl.  She’s so used to being on the other side of the counter, seeing everyone as friendly.  It’s certainly a huge shock for her.  I’ve told her a few times now, ‘I have to keep telling myself that the majority of people aren’t assholes.’  Which is true.  Most of my nights I get through fine – people do the right thing, pay for their goods, smile and wish me a good night, as I do them.  Other nights, people drive off without paying, complain about the prices of the fuel/cigarettes, are in a rush so burst through customers in front of them and tell me to hurry up (THAT one doesn’t go down well with me and is usually responded with a ‘WAIT YOUR FUCKING TURN!’ unless there’s a kid in the store of course 🙂 or are just on drugs or drunk and trying to flog shit.  THAT pisses me off as well.  It usually results in me warning them I’ll call the cops if they don’t pay for it, and if they don’t put it back, I do call the cops.  It’s just frustrating and it amazes me how people just can’t do the right thing.  How fucking hard is it!?  

Anyway, she said she was going to fill the fridge and I interrupted, ‘Already done it for you, you get out of here.’ with a smile.  By the time she left to go home she said she was feeling much better and thanked me for cheering her up.  That makes me happy.  I try to entertain people, especially when they are down, but I don’t always know what to say.  I’ve just gotta toughen her up a little, and hope she doesn’t decide to quit already.  It’s quite easy to.  Even I’ve been thinking my time there is coming to an end.  Although this week I get Saturday and Sunday off, then next week I get Monday, Wednesday and Thursday off.  If only I wasn’t rostered on that damned Tuesday!  Next week is the Queer Film Festival, and one of the movies I wanted to see is on Tuesday night, so I’m gunna have to miss out on that one 🙁  Unless I can get someone to do that shift for me.  That’d be pretty sweet.  One of the other girls only has 2 shifts next week, and she always says she needs three, but she’d worried if she does one graveyard that they’ll expect her to do more.  Oh well, I’m happy to give up my shift if she needs it.  I have four shifts.  I can comfortably live on three.  Or maybe I should just miss out on that movie 🙁  I can see the other five and probably choose another one instead at a better time.

That’s about all I wanna say.  And I wanna say a quick happy birthday to JohannSebastian – go to his profile and say congrats on another year =)

Oh I used that new App I got on my phone at the gym today.  It’s AMAZING!  It even has a timer that goes off after you’ve been resting too long lol, and you can set it how long you want it to be for each exercise.  I’ve now got a record of all I did today.  It’s pretty awesome having a record, and I really pushed myself today, so pretty happy.  Now that I’m home and have eaten it’s time to go and watch some more Glee.  I’m almost done with the first season =D