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Saturday was weird.
The setting: a sunny saturday, in the middle of a very neglected looking shopping precinct. Generally, the entire precinct does poor Saturday takings...why? Customers don't want to be here at the weekend. Its a crap-hole. Because during the week, people only come here out of convenience. On their days off, they want to go into town, or into the city, where there is more choice and possibly less junkies swaying about in the pharmacy. However, we did have our busy spurts, and this one family in particular were in our store for quite while.
Not exactly sucky, but very dumb O.o
It all started when I noticed a toddler leave the store on her own. At this point I was attending the front as known shop-lifters were in the area. I see this little girl just walk out of the shop unaccompanied, and I start to panic a little. I look around frantically to see if there was anyone who looked like they should have been with her, and then start to follow her when I realise that she's heading to a group of benches on the other side of the highstreet- it transpires that her mother, with a pram, was sitting on the bench smoking. At first, I cursed at her stupidity. She didn't seem at all shocked at the fact her toddler was wondering about unattended, but when i recognised her I was less shocked- the woman in question has just had a baby, and used to work in the cafe opposite us. We'd see her chain-smoking on frequent fag-breaks several times a day throughout her pregnancy -_-
Well, I start to go back to watching out for shoplifters when I see what appears to be a woman about to leave the store with a girl's t-shirt, still on the hanger, in her hand. I watch her, take out my radio, and I'm about to confront her, when she stops at the door, leans out as far as she can without physically leaving the shop, and yells at Chain-Smoking-Mother-Of-The-Year on the bench; "OI! Do you think that will fit Lily?"
I managed to gather from following happenings that CSMotY was in fact Lily's mother, and that this woman, and another, were either her sisters or close friends, and were supposed to be watching Lily while she smoked on a bench, while tending to her newborn (or rather, just smoking). They weren't at all bothered by Lily occasionally disappearing to see her mother, or else running around the shop out of sight, and CSMotY certainly was not at all concerned either. And all the while, one of them would come back and shout "Will this fit Lily? Do you like this?" across the street. CSMotY never budged and just continued puffing away and sitting next to the pram...and her sisters and daughter were in the store for a good long while, so I don't understand why she couldn't have just had a fag or two, finished them, and then come shopping with them.
Well, I didn't think that was major suck, just stupidity, but now I know where the stupidity came from. I had gone to stand at another pillar a little futher into the shop when an elderly woman approached me. In one hand she was clutching some shopping bags and her handbag, and in the other, a baby's item of clothing on a hanger. Very nicely she asked me "Can I just take this to show to my daughter?"
I thought it was an odd question, so I asked her to repeat it (you know, in case I'd misheard or something). She was at this point, putting all of her bags, including her handbag on the floor at my feet and said. "She's just outside, I'll leave my things here."
I clicked. "Sorry, are you saying your daughter is sitting outside?" (Going to guess who's your daughter, especially as that item of clothing looks to be for a newborn).
"Yes, but I'll leave my things with you."
"Sorry, no, you can't take that out of the shop."
She looked postively shocke! She was genuinely surprised that I had said the n word!
"Not even if I leave my bags here?"
"Absolutely not, no."
I was very polite, but I felt I had to be extremely assertive, because I felt she would try and weedle an agreement out of me if I appeared soft (which I am <.< ). She seemed so surprised I wouldn't agree! I don't know, maybe this is acceptable in smaller shops, but I am working for a big fashion retailer made of employee-hating corporate robots, and I know I'd never get away with letting some old lady leave the shop with something she didn't pay for (our Loss Prevention department would probably use medieval torture techniques if they thought they could get away with it!). I just couldn't believe how utterly surprised she was that I wouldn't let her do it! And she ended up sending one the sisters to ask CSMotY whether the item would be suitable (because lord knows, having to get off your arse and stop smoking for 4 fucking seconds would be too much).
Besides, its not my job to look after someone else's belongings. Your own items are your own responsibility.
Poor Lily, and newborn baby. Your mother is stupid. Your grandmother is stupid. The future does not look bright for the two of you.
The setting: a sunny saturday, in the middle of a very neglected looking shopping precinct. Generally, the entire precinct does poor Saturday takings...why? Customers don't want to be here at the weekend. Its a crap-hole. Because during the week, people only come here out of convenience. On their days off, they want to go into town, or into the city, where there is more choice and possibly less junkies swaying about in the pharmacy. However, we did have our busy spurts, and this one family in particular were in our store for quite while.
Not exactly sucky, but very dumb O.o
It all started when I noticed a toddler leave the store on her own. At this point I was attending the front as known shop-lifters were in the area. I see this little girl just walk out of the shop unaccompanied, and I start to panic a little. I look around frantically to see if there was anyone who looked like they should have been with her, and then start to follow her when I realise that she's heading to a group of benches on the other side of the highstreet- it transpires that her mother, with a pram, was sitting on the bench smoking. At first, I cursed at her stupidity. She didn't seem at all shocked at the fact her toddler was wondering about unattended, but when i recognised her I was less shocked- the woman in question has just had a baby, and used to work in the cafe opposite us. We'd see her chain-smoking on frequent fag-breaks several times a day throughout her pregnancy -_-
Well, I start to go back to watching out for shoplifters when I see what appears to be a woman about to leave the store with a girl's t-shirt, still on the hanger, in her hand. I watch her, take out my radio, and I'm about to confront her, when she stops at the door, leans out as far as she can without physically leaving the shop, and yells at Chain-Smoking-Mother-Of-The-Year on the bench; "OI! Do you think that will fit Lily?"
I managed to gather from following happenings that CSMotY was in fact Lily's mother, and that this woman, and another, were either her sisters or close friends, and were supposed to be watching Lily while she smoked on a bench, while tending to her newborn (or rather, just smoking). They weren't at all bothered by Lily occasionally disappearing to see her mother, or else running around the shop out of sight, and CSMotY certainly was not at all concerned either. And all the while, one of them would come back and shout "Will this fit Lily? Do you like this?" across the street. CSMotY never budged and just continued puffing away and sitting next to the pram...and her sisters and daughter were in the store for a good long while, so I don't understand why she couldn't have just had a fag or two, finished them, and then come shopping with them.
Well, I didn't think that was major suck, just stupidity, but now I know where the stupidity came from. I had gone to stand at another pillar a little futher into the shop when an elderly woman approached me. In one hand she was clutching some shopping bags and her handbag, and in the other, a baby's item of clothing on a hanger. Very nicely she asked me "Can I just take this to show to my daughter?"
I thought it was an odd question, so I asked her to repeat it (you know, in case I'd misheard or something). She was at this point, putting all of her bags, including her handbag on the floor at my feet and said. "She's just outside, I'll leave my things here."
I clicked. "Sorry, are you saying your daughter is sitting outside?" (Going to guess who's your daughter, especially as that item of clothing looks to be for a newborn).
"Yes, but I'll leave my things with you."
"Sorry, no, you can't take that out of the shop."
She looked postively shocke! She was genuinely surprised that I had said the n word!
"Not even if I leave my bags here?"
"Absolutely not, no."
I was very polite, but I felt I had to be extremely assertive, because I felt she would try and weedle an agreement out of me if I appeared soft (which I am <.< ). She seemed so surprised I wouldn't agree! I don't know, maybe this is acceptable in smaller shops, but I am working for a big fashion retailer made of employee-hating corporate robots, and I know I'd never get away with letting some old lady leave the shop with something she didn't pay for (our Loss Prevention department would probably use medieval torture techniques if they thought they could get away with it!). I just couldn't believe how utterly surprised she was that I wouldn't let her do it! And she ended up sending one the sisters to ask CSMotY whether the item would be suitable (because lord knows, having to get off your arse and stop smoking for 4 fucking seconds would be too much).
Besides, its not my job to look after someone else's belongings. Your own items are your own responsibility.
Poor Lily, and newborn baby. Your mother is stupid. Your grandmother is stupid. The future does not look bright for the two of you.
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