Customers

Sometimes they suck. People. It's not who they are, but what they do. So far, twice this week alone, someone has called 10 minutes before closing to ask if I can stay open for them. I'm nice and I say yes, but it's exhausting. This is my job. You need to realize that I do this because I need money. I don't do this for fun. Please respect that I want to get out of here just as much as you want to get out of your office.

Anecdote time!
Yesterday at 5:52 I was just starting to pack up when the phone rang. I answered it. The lady on the other end of the line asked how late we were staying open. I told her 10 more minutes, because I didn't want to sounds stingy by saying 8. She said she could get here in 8 minutes. I thought that was a cool statement. By using a number that isn't in some interval of 5, it seemed like she actually knew how long it might take. No. She got in at about 6:08. That is 16 minutes. 16 does not equal 8. This felt bad. She didn't get into the store until a time when I would normally already be on the train out of here. This does not bode well. Then she proceeded to ask me what fonts I have. I had to hold in a sigh as hard as I could. Font selection is inevitably a 15 minute ordeal. Most people feel the need to see every single font, and then evaluate their top 15 selections. Fun stuff. Then she had to decide between brown and grey thread, which she called copper and taupe. Grey does not equal taupe. I think she might have had fading eyesight. She decided on the brown. We actually have colors called copper and taupe, but she didn't want to see those. Now I'm afraid to see what the finished result is going to look like. I surely hope that she likes it. I will not be responsible if she thinks it looks bad. I suggested tons of options to her. This is her creation. I'm just the man with the machines that do what she tells them to do. By the time we got through the color, font, and size selection, it was already 6:28. She didn't leave until after 6:30 and I didn't leave until after 6:45.

Now I wonder. Would this lady stay at her work for an extra half of an hour so that I can browse randomly through their selection books? I don't really want an answer. I just want people to put themselves in my shoes. I like going home at 7 rather than leaving for home at 7. I don't enjoy losing my free time. It's also frustrating that I have tons of time with nothing to do and no one around, but they always show up right before work ends. I understand they have jobs too, but if I need to go to the bank, then I use my lunch hour. I don't beg the bank to stay open another half hour. I suppose that my workplace isn't like a bank, but they are both service stores. The bank sells money insurance and safety. We sell embroidery and screen printing.

There are many customer that I really like. I just feel like this lady isn't one of them. There are others that frustrate me too. I like it when people know what they want. I understand that sometimes people just want to come in and browse, but please don't use my time to do that. Use my on-the-clock hours. Basically, I'm asking that I get paid for the work I'm doing, rather then getting paid to sit around (which is less fun than sitting around at home where I have TV), and not getting paid to actually help customers (since I get no overtime payment).

UPDATE:
The crazy lady that annoyed me yesterday came in again today. I pointed out one or two fonts and she picked one instantly. I made up a sample that she loved and she even went to go buy another product from us that she also wants embroidered. I really don't hate her anymore. I actually feel bad for hating her earlier. I was wrong.