Anonymous asked: The amount of non-involved planning retail chains is staggering, I've worked 2 years of the Wii's launch and had all manner of awful things said to me because of my weight/hair length and I've even been held down by some angry parents over shortages. I can't express how important it is for shoppers to understand that if something goes wrong, it's almost never the employee's fault, and even sometimes it's rarely management's fault. Getting mad only stresses out retail workers.
This. Very much this. For example, I use to have to deal with angry customers about trade-ins. Now I can talk forever about trade-in values and stuff but I don’t want to address that. I want to address this situation:
What killed me the most about trade-ins is that here in St. Paul, there are pawn laws (I imagine this is the case in every city), and one thing they do is that your I.D. CANNOT be expired. Now, this isn’t even GameStop’s decision, but the state of Minnesota. But I’ll never forget this man who not only insisted I do the trade anyway and just “put in whatever number,” then insisted I use my own I.D., but he then turned to look at his kid and said, “Well sweetie looks like you’re not getting your DS, because this lady won’t let me do the trade.”
And this poor little girl started crying so hard in the store, and just… how is state law my fault, or the company’s fault? You just made your kid cry for no reason other than being a dick.
Nov 17
Urm I apologize for my blog getting all retail preachy, it’s just that time of year and I have 6 years of GameStop memories during the holiday season and I can only imagine what it’s going to be like this year with PS4 and XBOX ONE and opening on Thursday and just… sigh, wow.
This will be my first holiday season working in retail. I have worked in food service or as a teacher every other year, but now that I’m at Best Buy, I get to experience the hell of the holiday season in its fullest. Long story short, I’m still a relatively new employee, but I’m apparently the most competent cashier the store has, because I am scheduled from 5:30pm on Thanksgiving afternoon until 5am Friday morning, then again from 2pm Friday until 11 that night. I am incredibly lucky that my family lives in the same town as me, so I will be able to spend most of the day with them, but I’m still dreading it, far more than I was dreading working on Black Friday only.
The only thing that I absolutely hope does not happen - I am praying that this does not happen - is if a single person says to me, “I’m so sorry you have to work today.” I will absolutely lose my mind if I hear that. If someone feels like they can empathize with me while they are part of the reason why my store decided to open at 6pm on Thanksgiving day, I will not know what to say. I really hope that no one sees the irony in coming into my store with their family and pretending to empathize that I cannot be with my family. They will get to eat their Thanksgiving meal whenever they feel like it, to go buy their Christmas trees, to go shopping at their leisure, and to go home at a sane hour of the night and get some sleep. I get time and a half pay, and only for Thanksgiving day itself.
Even before I ever worked retail, I sympathized with people who had to work on retail holidays. Last year was the first year I ever shopped ON Black Friday, and I went to the mall at 3pm. I will never understand how people can care so little about each other and so much more about themselves.
That is my feeling exactly. I’m not sure when I’ll be working on Black Friday, but it just kills me that people will run over each other to get things they don’t need the day after they’re supposed to be grateful for what they have.
I feel like we should be given time and a half for Black Friday, we have to put up with so much shit and barely get to see our families the day before (if at all - I won’t see my family at all this holiday season.) If someone tells me “I’m sorry you have to work today” I’ll probably say “Yeah, me too” (to keep from saying “If you’re really sorry, GET OUT.”)
I had to work Black Friday last year and it was nuts. Everywhere I went I got stopped for questions that I couldn’t answer. The store was a giant mess because people would pick through the bins we were trying to organize. It was like, why bother putting it back on the shelf? Nosy little fuckers can’t even wait that long. Ugh. @_@ I find the whole concept of Black Friday really sickening.
I hope people are civilized for your shift. You’ll have my thoughts. <3
The other thing that killed me the time I worked (when this whole Thursday thing started) was when the higher ups would try and sympathize. We got an email that was like, “We appreciate your hard work blah blah blah,” and it was like, “Wow it must be nice that you get to sit at home right now and relax after the holiday while I stand here and deal with people who are going to bite my head off when I sell out of that PS3 or XBOX or whatever.” And not only would we get the, “Man it sucks that you have to work today,” customers, but we’d get the, “I don’t even want to be here,” customers. The ones who thought video games were a waste of time but they just haaaaaaaaaaaaaaad to get the new Call of Duty for their kid no matter what and they just think it’s so dumb to even be there so early and I want to say THEN DON’T COME HERE ON THURSDAY GO HOME FUCK!
And depending on where you work, there’s no time and a half, it’s just a normal shift. There’s no overtime, either. And no option on what time you work (corporate sent an email on what time key holders had to work, absolutely had to).
NOT ONLY THAT, but since we opened so early, after the mad rush it was dead for hours until the normal shoppers woke up, you know, the ones who will enjoy Thanksgiving, sleep in, wake up, take their time, maybe grab breakfast or something, and then leisurely come into your store? So from the midnight madness until about ten a.m. it was dead. I think the rush was done around 2 or 3 a.m. and then we literally stood there, because who cares about your B2G1 free sale at 4 in the morning if they didn’t run out to sit outside on Thursday night?
Oh, and as for that corporate email of “you’re awesome” that we got? Our district manager actually did go to his stores to check in… at 10 in the morning. So you know, he slept, and relaxed, and then woke up. I had already worked 12 hours by then.
But as a general PSA, since I’m sure some people do shop on Black Friday, please please PLEASE be nice to the employees for the love of god. Chances are they’ve been on their feet since Thursday night, with few breaks (or if they even had any) and it’s not their fault that such and such sold out because the back room does not have an endless supply. No they can’t call another store for you there’s no time, and no they can’t put one on hold. And please please PLEASE make sure you have enough money in your bank account so your card isn’t declined and then you feel the need to yell at said employee about it like it’s their fault and no they can’t hold it for you while you go to the atm. Please don’t complain about the line, don’t be all “I’m sorry you’re here” because they’re there because you’re there, and just… please don’t. What the employee would appreciate most is just… being nice to them, o.k.? Thank them for their help, tell them to have a good day, fuck bring them some Starbucks or something (actually had a regular customer do that for me once) I dunno, just… please?
Anonymous asked: What is your favorite pairing? (It can be gay, lesbian, and straight)
Kanji and Naoto from Persona 4! Still! Even now! Still them <3 I mean I have pairings I enjoy and shippy feelings and stuff but those two, just… yep :)
Just take the day off. You don’t have a boss to tell you no.
Bill is a common last name for writers’ bosses. Light Bill, Phone Bill, Insurance Bill, Internet Bill. The Bills are kind of jerky if they don’t get paid. Another common name – Deadline.
Write about me! Writer about me! Write about me!
Okay, but you need to know the accident will be so horrible your coffin has to be closed.
It’s not like you have a real job.
That one makes me want to give the person’s shin a real bruise.
I wish my job was as easy as yours.
Please, have a seat. Write something. Not much, just 500 words that are good enough to satisfy the Bills. I.Dare.You.
How much do you get paid?
Writers shouldn’t get paid. All you do is sit all day.
You act like writing is a real job, like a job a man gets.
That neighbor wonders why I don’t speak to her.
Maybe you’ll have a life when you quit writing and get a job.
It must be nice to be home all day so you can get your housework and laundry done while you work.
I can’t use the keyboard and load the washers at the same time but thanks for thinking I’m that talented. Now go the eff away.
You’re home all day so can you babysit for me?
Sure, as long as you don’t mind me putting Junior in an empty stall in the barn so I can get my work done.
Listening to a show about people scamming other people, and heard the typical, “He was in the church and we trusted him and if you can’t trust church people who can you trust?” And I get that church is supposed to be a holy, trusting place, but I wish people would realize that just because someone goes to church doesn’t mean that they’re a good person.
