An Assault on my Senses

[Zinjadu]

This week has been... interesting, and not always in a good way.

Highlights...


Hypocrite

Older guy comes through on Sunday, with his basket of groceries, and asks me why I'm working on a Sunday. I told him I was scheduled and have to work. He then starts a rant about how stores should be closed on Sunday and people shouldn't have to work it. I told him flat out, "Well, if people wouldn't shop on Sunday, we wouldn't have to be open, would we?" He turned a nice shade of red and shut up. What a hypocrite!


Thanks a lot

This woman is a regular. She looks like trailer trash, and is always rude and nasty. We all hope she won't come through our till! This time she had all her produce stuffed into one bag, tied of course, so I had to untie it, and pull out and sort all of it to weigh the different items she had.

If you don't want to waste bags, don't stuff everything into one bag - just don't put anything in a bag, it's easier for the poor cashier. But of course she knows that and is just being her nasty self. Grrr!


Don't touch me!

Old guy came behind me to go to the next till and said, "You're standing in a bad spot, aren't you?" and before I could reply, he grabbed/pinched my side. Unfortunately it was too busy to stop everything and tear him a new one, but I did give him the death-glare and say, "Well, if dirty old men would keep their hands to themselves, I wouldn't have to worry about where I'm standing."

I wanted to tell him that touching me without my permission is considered assault and I could have him charged. I hate hate hate when people think they have the right to touch/pinch/grab me just cuz I work there - I'm not a piece of merchandise, dammit... and if I was, they certainly couldn't afford me!!!


I didn't need to see that...

Two nasty trailer trash young women were in the store. T said he'd kicked them out for not wearing shoes (they left, got their shoes and came back in), but he should've kicked them out for being under-dressed! And of course they graced my till with their presence.

#1 had on a long elastic-waist pleated skirt that she'd hiked up to wear as a dress. It was cutting into the fat above her boobs so bad it looked like it was going to break (she was extremely overweight). She had a piece of rope as a belt thingy just under her boobs, and no bra, of course.

#2 was even worse. She was overweight and wearing a pair of shortalls (shorts coveralls) with no shirt. Her stained bra was an ugly purple, and her big yellow panties were also visible. That's just so wrong!!!


...or hear that...

Middle aged male customer. As per S______ policy, I asked if he would like parcel pick-up. He said not until he was in the old folks' home. Then out of nowhere he said that when he was at the pharmacy buying condoms they asked him if he wanted them gift-wrapped. WTF??? If you're trying to be funny, you're failing miserably. If you're trying to make me sick, congratulations.



...or smell that

Friday morning, about 10 minutes after I started. Someone was wearing waaay too much perfume/cologne. I have major scent allergies, so it doesn't matter if they tell me it's 'expensive' or 'nice smelling' - to me, it's all nasty, and potentially dangerous. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman wearing it - I had 4 people in my lineup.

I started coughing, choking, eyes watering, nose running, then gagging, and also had an instant headache. D was on the next till and asked me what was wrong. By then I didn't care if the person was still at my till or had already been served and left, with just their foul miasma hanging around (think Pigpen in the Charlie Brown cartoons with his cloud of dirt, only this was perfume being left behind on everything this person was near). I told her someone's perfume was too strong and it was making me sick. I managed to finished serving the rest of my customers, and 2 of them commented that someone must've put the whole bottle on. I cleaned the whole till, but couldn't get rid of the stink - it had migrated everywhere.

As if that wasn't bad enough, about 15 minutes later I had a lineup again, and this time it smelled like someone had crapped their pants. The customer I was serving left and I could still smell it, but stronger; the next even stronger, then the next even worse. The 4th customer was Mr Poopy-pants - totally overpowering! I smelled him 4 customers back - that's just too gross for words!!! The 2 customers that had got in line behind him were standing waaay back!

That much nastiness in less than half hour. I had the headache for most of the day and was hyper-sensitive to all smells for the rest of the day (everything smelled too strong) - lucky me.


I have 2 days off now, and after this week I need them to regain some sanity, composure and fresh air!

[Andara Bledin]

I totally feel your pain, Zinjadu. I tend to be sensitive to strong odors, and most perfumes kill me. Although I don't have allergy type reactions to them.

I have some stuff called Nature's Own (TM) Odor Eliminator, but it was something I got from a telemarketer and I don't even know how to replace what little I have left. The stuff is the best at eating offensive odors. It's good enough that I could leave a house full of smokers, spritz myself, and not smell at all of smoke while at work, which is vehemently non-smoking.

^-.-^

[meme]

I'm highly allergic to perfume too, and I don't think that I could work mingling with the public again because of it. I confuse people because I call everything perfume, whether it's scented lotion, cleaner, etc. If it is supposed to have a "pleasant" smell-it's perfume to me. I work in a call center and only have to deal with my co-workers perfume (but that's another rant). I hope you're feeling better now.

[Andara Bledin]

If it is supposed to have a "pleasant" smell-it's perfume to me.

If it has scent added, it's perfume. End of discussion.

The only perfumed scents I go for are vanilla and musk. Anything else is just nasty, and I don't care how much it costs for 5 ounces.

^-.-^

[Gurndigarn]

I'm highly allergic to perfume too, and I don't think that I could work mingling with the public again because of it. I confuse people because I call everything perfume, whether it's scented lotion, cleaner, etc. If it is supposed to have a "pleasant" smell-it's perfume to me.

What's worse is when you get "Oh, but it's unscented." Notice the ingredient list. Masking fragrance. IE, perfume that smells like nothing. But is still made of chemicals and kills people allergic to artificial fragrances.

[Broomjockey]

If it has scent added, it's perfume. End of discussion.

The only perfumed scents I go for are vanilla and musk. Anything else is just nasty, and I don't care how much it costs for 5 ounces.

^-.-^

Oi, at the start of the last school year, my roommate asked me if I had any rules, and I said no perfumed stuff, I'm allergic. He looked at me a little funny, but agreed. I think that confused him, because obviously Axe isn't a perfume/perfumed object! Nope! Assclown.

[iradney]

What if it's little dabs of essential oils? Would that cause your allergies to act up? I'm rather fond of ylang ylang and lavender oil myself....

[queenbb]

i too feel you on the perfume issue, i tell people right out that their perfume makes me ill. there are some that i can handle and some i cant. my issues are so bad that i cant clean the house because of the cleaners and dust.

the worst was a guy who must have had it iv, i was feeling very ill and almost vomiting when he pulls out a small flavored cigar, it took all my power not to run and vomit right there, and so he finally leaves, and this woman walks in to the waiting area who also bathed in what ever she was wearing, and poor me, i had a migraine so bad and sick tummy not to mention that i could not breathe cause my throat was closing up. i had to ask some one else to take care of her cause i was so ill.

as for the working on a sunday, i had that issue once, our store was open on easter, not that i mind working on easter because i am not christian, its just not normal.

i had several people ask me why am i working on easter its a holy day. i sad well if i wasnt here working then you would not beable to get your flat tire fixed so you can continue on to your family. she said i see your point. and left it at that.

the other funny thing that happend that day *note this was the first time the store was open on easter that i know of, that when i was on my way to work, i got a call from a friend of mine who was having car problems, i told her what to do to get the car started, and to come to where i work so we can look at the problem to see if we can fix it. she ends up needing a tow cause she cant start her car at all. she tells the tow truck driver to come to my shop, and he tells her that the shopis closed, i guess they had alittle back and forth on the subject and he finally tells her that, he will take her there, and that he will just drop her car there and leave her, if the store is closed. she agrees, and when she comes up to the shop, she says see i told you it was open, he asks how she knew, and she said that she had a friend that was working and called before she called him,

[Seshat]

What if it's little dabs of essential oils? Would that cause your allergies to act up? I'm rather fond of ylang ylang and lavender oil myself....

It can. It depends on what the person is allergic to. My husband is allergic to (at least) one of the most common perfume bases - the oils or alcohols or whatever-it-is that the scents get added to. Most essential oils trigger him too.

And one time we were at a wedding where they used lavender buds as confetti. We were trapped behind the crowd, in a covered porch with buildings on either side - basically, as if we were in an open-sided box. By the time we got free, he was nauseous and I was irritable and in pain just from the lavender oil in the air. We couldn't attend the wedding reception.

Finally, of course, people who are perfume-allergic tend to get nervous at the smell of anything perfumed. We can't tell until after we get sick whether this particular perfumed-thing is going to make us ill. It's just easier to avoid them entirely.

my issues are so bad that i cant clean the house because of the cleaners and dust.

The microfibre cleaning cloths are a godsend: I use those a LOT.

Vinegar and baking soda between them can get a surprising amount of the house clean. Vinegar smells strongly when you use it, but the smell fades surprisingly quickly. Salt works well as an abrasive cleaner.

Lemon juice cleans a lot of things that vinegar and baking soda can't.

I use a finely woven silk facemask when dusting or vacuuming. You can also sometimes find ones with a carbon filter built in.

For those things which must use soaps, I use stuff from a 'green' cleaning products company near us: even their scented things are mild enough that my husband can handle them, and use a base he can manage.

Basically, if you look up 'old-fashioned cleaning' in Google, you can probably find a wealth of ideas.

[Becks]

Older guy comes through on Sunday, with his basket of groceries, and asks me why I'm working on a Sunday. I told him I was scheduled and have to work. He then starts a rant about how stores should be closed on Sunday and people shouldn't have to work it. I told him flat out, "Well, if people wouldn't shop on Sunday, we wouldn't have to be open, would we?" He turned a nice shade of red and shut up. What a hypocrite!

Ah, yes. I sincerely enjoy people like that.

I hate hate hate when people think they have the right to touch/pinch/grab me just cuz I work there - I'm not a piece of merchandise, dammit... and if I was, they certainly couldn't afford me!!!

I know the feeling. I really do. The "couldn't afford me" line? I use it all the time.

[meme]

Finally, of course, people who are perfume-allergic tend to get nervous at the smell of anything perfumed. We can't tell until after we get sick whether this particular perfumed-thing is going to make us ill. It's just easier to avoid them entirely.

Thank you! I thought that I was a panicky freak. I'll smell something and get really worried until I know what it was. It's good to know that I'm not the only one.

[Raieth]

Personally I'm allergic to the "Freshness" Chemical.

Fabrezee can kill me if I breath it in. Instant anaphaxtic shock.

When I worked at Z(big retail chain) someone brought a fabrezee bottle up to my counter with a bad top. I can't even touch the bottle so I ask the customer to place the item in the bag because i'm allergic. She gives me a yeah right look and goes to pick it up. She of course knocks it over and it spills everywhere. I end up waking up outside with a very worried paramedic leaning over me.

The only reason I didn't die was because I had been talking to a coworker about how the company didn't belive that I was allergic to fabrezee. And he got me outside the store and away from the product while yelling for someone to call an ambulance.

Since then I've become much more sensitive to purfume in general. I can only use Gain laundry soap. Pamolive dish soap and lady speedstick watermelon/rasberry deodernt. (And I really like the axe before too.) Hell most essencial oils set off my allergy these days.

[Pezzle]

Personally I'm allergic to the "Freshness" Chemical.

Fabrezee can kill me if I breath it in. Instant anaphaxtic shock.

That sucks. Fabreze is the only reason I haven't washed my work pants in 2 weeks and nobody can tell!

(Gross yes, washing machine = broken, laundromat = money)

I do notice though if I breathe in Lysol spray, my throat feels tight and I feel nauseated.

[SCSlave]

The customers that come in on a Sunday/Holiday/Holy Day to shop/complain and then ask WHY we're open irritate me. If you're so offended by us being open today, then why are you here in the first place? Dumbass. Take a stand, man! Show us you don't need us to be open on MLK day or Grandparents Day and we will be closed. No, really, PLEASE. I could use another company paid holiday.

Side note: There's a store here in town that is open all day long on Christmas Day. This makes me sad. I feel so bad for the employees that have to be away from their families because someone must have beer or chips or something stupid. Plan ahead people! Let these employees enjoy Christmas along with the rest of us. I absolutely will not go there on Christmas.

I think it should be a law that people must bathe before going out in public. Preferrably not in 'old lady' perfume.

[queenbb]

It can. It depends on what the person is allergic to. My husband is allergic to (at least) one of the most common perfume bases - the oils or alcohols or whatever-it-is that the scents get added to. Most essential oils trigger him too.

And one time we were at a wedding where they used lavender buds as confetti. We were trapped behind the crowd, in a covered porch with buildings on either side - basically, as if we were in an open-sided box. By the time we got free, he was nauseous and I was irritable and in pain just from the lavender oil in the air. We couldn't attend the wedding reception.

Finally, of course, people who are perfume-allergic tend to get nervous at the smell of anything perfumed. We can't tell until after we get sick whether this particular perfumed-thing is going to make us ill. It's just easier to avoid them entirely.





The microfibre cleaning cloths are a godsend: I use those a LOT.

Vinegar and baking soda between them can get a surprising amount of the house clean. Vinegar smells strongly when you use it, but the smell fades surprisingly quickly. Salt works well as an abrasive cleaner.

Lemon juice cleans a lot of things that vinegar and baking soda can't.

I use a finely woven silk facemask when dusting or vacuuming. You can also sometimes find ones with a carbon filter built in.

For those things which must use soaps, I use stuff from a 'green' cleaning products company near us: even their scented things are mild enough that my husband can handle them, and use a base he can manage.

Basically, if you look up 'old-fashioned cleaning' in Google, you can probably find a wealth of ideas.

but then i would actually have to do house work (my boyfriend does it for me hehe) no really those are good ideas, and i do actually use baking soda and water on a regular basis, unfortunatly i cant handle citrus smells either so the lemon is out of the question.

The customers that come in on a Sunday/Holiday/Holy Day to shop/complain and then ask WHY we're open irritate me. If you're so offended by us being open today, then why are you here in the first place? Dumbass. Take a stand, man! Show us you don't need us to be open on MLK day or Grandparents Day and we will be closed. No, really, PLEASE. I could use another company paid holiday.

Side note: There's a store here in town that is open all day long on Christmas Day. This makes me sad. I feel so bad for the employees that have to be away from their families because someone must have beer or chips or something stupid. Plan ahead people! Let these employees enjoy Christmas along with the rest of us. I absolutely will not go there on Christmas.

I think it should be a law that people must bathe before going out in public. Preferrably not in 'old lady' perfume.

as granny said in the squidbillies
"if you bought your sunday beer on saturday night this would be a non issue"