Wow. Really? An F-bomb over 50 cents?

So a customer cussed at me today when I told them I can't accept rolled change. It wasn't even that they had no other way to pay for a cart full of stuff besides rolled change and they'd wasted a lot of time. No, it was one thing, and one roll of pennies that was 50 cents out of a $1.53 or something. The customer had other change and paid with that... after scoffing loudly and informing me that it was "fucking ridiculous" that I wouldn't take their pennies. They continued to argue that because people had accepted their change before, I should continue to do so. I told them I was instructed not to, so they threw their other change down and stormed out of the store.

I'm sorry you can't handle the fact that even though some employees at some stores accept rolled change, I won't because I was told by my manager not to. I'm sorry that you can't pay me in nickels and dimes and loose pennies OH WAIT YOU CAN. AND YOU DID. And I bet it hurt. Man a roll of pennies is so heavy and I'm sorry not being able to unload it on me ruined your day. I'd hate to imagine how you handle real problems if such a tiny inconvenience causes you to cuss at someone who's being very polite and just trying to do their job.

I can't imagine what could be going on in someone's life that makes it acceptable to act that way. Your shitty day doesn't give you the right to take it out the complete strangers who cross your path. So you know what? Screw your shitty attitude. You will annoy me momentarily, but I'll be damned if I let you ruin my day too.

A good day at work? What?

I actually had a good day at work yesterday. It balances out the previous day, that's for damn sure. It's much easier to work with someone who doesn't constantly pressure me about shit. I know what I need to do, and even though we were pretty busy, I found time to do it without getting stressed and freaking out. I won't blame all my issues on someone else (although it's easy to do), but it's easier to work with someone who is more laid back and patient. The chill mood passes on to others and it makes a work environment more bearable, if not enjoyable.

In the odd shit column, that rusty cart tried to escape again. It has a mind of its own, I swear. One minute I see it in the middle of the parking lot and I make a note to go get it in a second. The next thing I know it's blocking the driveway at least 50 feet away. The way the lot is, the unevenness should roll it toward the store, not away from it. I can only logically conclude it was either trying to escape its perpetual retail hell or trying to end it all in the five lane street. Not on my shift, cart. Not on my shift.

Sure, just let me stop time real quick so I can do all this work

I can't be at the back of the store while simultaneously at the front of the store watching the register. I can't. It's impossible. On a slower day, I can get away from the register and therefore get more side work done. On an extremely busy day, not much else is getting done when I'm ringing up one customer after another.

From what every supervisor has told me: Priority 1 as a cashier is to ring up purchases and deal with customers. Priority 2 is cleaning/recovering my assigned area daily. In order to complete all the work I was given tonight, I would have needed to have someone else at the register all night. I can't get shit done when I have to tend to the constant stream of patrons with purchases to make and obnoxious questions to ask.

Please also take into consideration that the last two nights, people haven't done their closing duties for what ever reason. That means I have to do even more work than usual, or leave it for the schmuck who closes the following night. OH WAIT, THAT SCHMUCK IS ME. HOW FUNNY.

So keep your expectations for what can get done reasonable, and you'll see that I do my very best to meet them. I may even do better that you expect, because that's often what I strive for. If your expectations for me are unreasonable under the given circumstances, you'll be disappointed. Don't compare my inability to get all tasks done on a busy night to someone's inability to do their job any night. I'm a hard worker, god dammit, but I can't work miracles.

Read the signs, people.

If you're so concerned about saving 25 cents on sausages, why would you not check the dates on the sale tag, just to be sure? I assure I'm not trying to "swindle" you, as you put it. I don't conspire to incorrectly label everything in an effort to steal your hard-earned quarters and dimes. Even though it's a smaller store, we keep busy and sometimes a sale tag doesn't get taken down the very second it expires. It happens. Employees are human and make mistakes.

It's not a matter of me maliciously failing to do my job. Taking down 70 or 80 sales signs all over the store while straightening shelves, cleaning, emptying totes, answering questions, and running the register, it's not inconceivable that a tiny sale sticker gets overlooked on occasion. The date's on there, right below the regular price. Read it.

Seriously, I will pay you 25 cents to stop grumbling and pouting and holding up my line.

What is this?

Apparently I created a blog while half asleep last night. I didn't even remember it this morning. That's a little creepy. However, making a little thing for me to complain and note work-related stories seems like it might be a fun and cathartic way to make the end of each day a little less stressful, so what the hell.

Maybe I'll actually stick with it.

Also, I'm the queen of run-on sentences. Deal with it.