Day Two: My First Full Day

            Today was my first full day at work. Tammy and John opened up the store again at ten am. Almost immediately John was behind me as I rang up a customer, telling me that “anything you need to know about the store, just come to me”. He is confirming my suspicion that he is a serial liar and a prick. I am going to attempt to avoid talking with him unless it involves work.

            Most of the customers at the store are there to use the video kiosks. Here they can download digital media and make prints, calendars, personalized greeting cards and invitations. You could eliminate half of the staff if the video kiosks accepted money. Instead the kiosks spit out a piece of paper with an order number that must be entered into the cash register along with the customer’s name, order and phone number. It’s a retarded redundant archaic system, which I know I will soon hate and struggle with, and eventually master and accept with a Zen-like peace if I work here long enough.

Marta wasn’t in the lab today, instead it was Paula, who without looking anything like Marta seemed to be a carbon copy of weight size and attitude as her. I tried not interact with Paula too much either.

One of the customers walked in around noon and sat at one of the kiosks. Anyone over 50 who scowls at you, because you are interrupting them as they patiently make their way through their printing, is going to be fine. Anyone over 50 who smiles sweetly to you is going to have a problem interfacing with the computer. This lady was smiling hard. She had a memory card with 2,000 images on it, and was planning to make a calendar, which is one of the most in depth projects on the kiosk. But I was stuck with her, as Tammy watched on from behind the counter. Quickly I searched for a way out, volunteering to ring up any customer I was close enough to make eye contact with. But I kept getting drawn back with more inane questions. When her memory card overloaded the system, I quickly called to John, and made an escape by taking my lunch break. When I came back a half hour later she was still there talking with Frank, but seemed to be plugging along by herself quite well.

Around one I notice Tammy is in back. Eyeing alarge container of them, I asked Frank, "When do the rubber band wars start?"
"Whenever the first one strikes", he replied, and was instantly struck with a rubber band, fired one handed pistol style, but that was the end of hostilities for the day.
Most of the customers were patient with me as I fuddled my way through the archaic computer system, where one false keystroke can land you in 01010 purgatory. Here, until I can decipher the system, I wait for someone with more experience who can F12 me back to a home screen where I have to re-enter all of their coded information.  This is embarrassing when it happens twice with one customer but I try to be as quick as possible until my last ring up of the day.

Today I meet Charlie who I immediately like and realize is type B and homosexual. He seems like a decent guy who will quit this job in a couple of months when he graduates college, or gets a better job. Later I learn that Charlie is the former “rookie” of the store, having been replaced by me. When I flounder in front of the register Charlie attempts to teach me to navigate the system by calling out keystrokes as he effortless backstrokes his way through the ancient computer system. He dresses better than most of the employees at the store.  At the other end of the fashion spectrum is Frank whose clothes look like they have been put through some archeological digs, washed and left to wrinkle in the sun. Right now I’m in slightly well dressed but I’m hoping to come in a close second to Frank by most last day.

In the afternoon John asks me about my past, and I mention my work in the film industry. John tells me about his past experience, boasting of working for ESPN and CNN. Somehow I doubt he has had a solid resume with either, but he speaks with a salesman’s authority and I do not want to be caught in a game of one-upmanship with him. Then he shows me how to close out the deposits for the store, something I would never be trusted to do without months of experience. He shows me simply because he has the authority to do so and wants to demonstrate that authority.

My last customer was old, crusty and wealthy and used to being waited upon. First she balked at the price of the double exposures, then when I couldn’t find her name in the discount card system she silently motioned, beckoning my manager Tammy to my computer station. By the time she left, I think I must’ve wasted about twenty minutes of her time mostly out of a sub-conscious spite.HoJHJJoiJJ

It got slow at the end of the shift and I decided to instigate some gossip by trash talking about John. I mentioned to Tammy, who’s worked here for twenty years that John walks around the place like he owns it. Tammy agrees that John is a challenge for her to get through her day. Charlie shows her a technique he uses to tolerate John by placing his hands over his ears.

Later as my shift ended, Tammy showed me the book of commissions, whereby I can earn extra token amounts of money by selling overpriced camera products at the store. I realized that I have already made 2 extra dollars for myself today by selling a UV filter today. She encouraged me to sell the Sony products she has in stock and as I pulled one of the cameras out of the glass case I notices that the display models are collecting a lot of dust.