I Complain Too Much

Izzy complains about work then gives advice which might be helpful???

(This bit was written yesterday, I went to school today as I always do lol, I just figured there wasn't enough here to update on its own oops)

So....why the random update, Izzy? 

Honestly I don't even know at this point. Just have this random update out of nowhere just because I feel like being a tired rambling child. It happens. 

I had work today, and my till froze right after someone else's did and I swear to you, it scared the shit out of me. You sit there and you think 'oh this ain't gonna glitch when I need it the most' and guess what - it glitches when you need it the most. And the customer I was dealing with was pretty chill, which was a relief but it's just the worst feeling ever when the technology fails you and you're stuck there trying to explain how and why you need to switch tills in order for the customer to be able to leave.

And then there's the anxiety of 'what if my manager thinks I somehow fucked up something easy and what if that means I get fired I literally have no other chance at getting a job and interviews are too scary for meeee'.

And every single time I go to work, it's terrifying, because I'm always somehow scared that I'll mess up and I'm always terrified that I'll somehow get myself fired out of nowhere just because I'm unable to speak sometimes. But then there's never a disaster that's that bad.

That's what being employed is like, younger wonders. If you could avoid it, you should. People just expect you to have all the answers just because you're wearing a uniform. And for a teenager that only leaves her till when it's her lunch break, that isn't the best. 

Do we sell that random gardening related thing? I dunno, ask someone else. I've never processed it, but for all I know it could be new stock. Should I be sitting down the whole time? Probably not, but I don't really care that much about it if I'm being honest.

If it's quiet and I'm just talking to the person in the till next to mine, clearing stuff away and sorting out stuff, what harm does it do? I've never been told off for it, and I always stand up to serve a customer, so it's clearly not the worst thing I could ever do. I'm probably not the worst employee ever, but somehow I still worry that I could be? 

It's very confusing. 

There was a lot of dogs in today, though, and it was so busy, because it was raining and stuff and I don't really know why that means people appear but there ya go. I was just glad to see some cute doggos if I'm being honest. 

(Okay now we're onto today)

I don't know why I was complaining about work, but there ya go. It's just a weekend job , because I'm a student who needs money in order to life. I think that's a fair enough excuse to randomly spend six hours trying not to scream at people and attempting to handle money and receipts without looking like a total idiot. 

Of course sometimes the second one is hard to achieve. That's just part and parcel of it, though. If you don't freak out too much, customers are surprisingly chill.

Though I've had some really annoying customers in my time, and it's been extremely annoying to deal with them. 

There's the woman who walks over to my till ten minutes after we've closed, and spends twenty minutes on her transaction because there's no way that she has to pay that much for what she's brought to the till, she'd better get the youngster beside her to calculate whether I'm cheating her out of money or something dumb like that. 

She then had to count out her money, twice (just to make sure it was right), and then the receipt took forever to print, because of course it did. 

The sigh of relief and the 'well done for not killing her on the spot' that came from the managers who just wanted to cash up wasn't worth it, even if now I feel like they have a lil more respect for me as I didn't fuck up the situation completely. Which I could have done, very easily.

That in itself is a miracle. 

But honestly, there are so many tiny things that go a long way for someone who works in retail. If you see that a cashier can't scan something, don't throw a fit, just accept that it'll take that little bit longer to sort out. Let them ask if you want your receipt, and don't answer quietly because they will make a fool of themselves. And finally, tell them what you're paying with. It saves so much time.

I have to type in the exact price being paid. I automatically write in the 'balance due' in case they're paying with card, which has to be the exact total. But then having to erase that and write in a cash sum (which is sometimes less exact) within two seconds so that you don't hold up the customer? Not something that's easy. I tell you that from experience. Extensive experience. 

Also, if something doesn't work properly the first time around and things don't scan because the till isn't ready for the product, don't panic when they scan things again just to be sure they've got it in the transaction. 9 times out of 10, it's because I'm on the total screen or I haven't cleared the 'is this person of the correct age' screen which must be completed for some things. 

So yes, retail is stressful. But here's a few, kind of tips (?) for those of you who may not have experience yet with it. And if you think you'll need to use these one day, great. If not, great. They're just useful ideas potentially for some of you. I hope.

1) Have a water with you on the till. There is nothing more terrible than having five customers in a row and then a break and your throat dries up before you can speak. The water will also help you because if you're stressed it tricks your brain into thinking  headaches won't happen. At least for me. 

2) If it's possible, work next to someone. Being alone on a till can be the most boring experience of your life. Conversation is a life saver, and it means you can make a new friend (and maybe see some pictures of dogs if you're lucky). They can also act as a helping hand if something goes wrong. 

3) Don't have your lunch break too early, if you have the choice and control over it (and if you're entitled to one). If you have it toward the second half of your shift, it's actually better as then you don't feel like you've got years to wait before you can go home. 

4) Make the most of any staff discounts or benefits you get whilst they're there. If you get 25% off, awesome. Free sweets in the staff room? Take at least one or two (taking them all would not look good to others, it's about self control). 

5) Talk to people whilst on lunch break. The more friends you make at work, the more likely you are to have someone who's willing to help you with things when you need them. It's so simple, but it goes a long way. Trust me on that. 

Anyway, I can't think of any others, and I have a oneshot to write for Thursday. Taekook Valentine's Day stuff. Some uwu stuff, ya know? 

Izzy xxxx