Shopping...

     Been shopping recently? Going out to pick up your essentials, like food, toiletries, maybe shoes or clothes? As you go through the aisles, looking at the selections, do you encounter Them? Who? Why, Them, of course. The other shoppers who for some reason seem to think that the store belongs to Them and Them alone. They cut in front of others, leave their cart in the aisle (many times right in the middle) while They go three aisles down to look for something. And, woe be unto you if you dare - YOU DARE!!!1! - to touch Their Precious. They have no concept of others, or of courtesy. They will stand in front of the things that you want to get to, and become selectively deaf when you say, "Excuse me". Even better, They'll grab just about all of something, emptying the shelf, and act as if it's perfectly fine to deny others. And, be careful if YOU get the thing before They do, because then the sighing starts. Like you did it on purpose, just to inconvenience Them. But, at least you don't work at the store. That's a special kind of hell altogether, with way too many examples to put here. But I thing you can guess (maybe even seen it firsthand).

    I used to work in retail, but not anymore. Luckily, I've never been the target of the ire of Them. But I've seen it in play a lot. And it's not pretty.
    You see, there's an adage that comes up concerning working in a sales-related field: "The customer is always right!" It means that the Customer is SACRED, and the staff need to bend over backwards to make Them as happy and content as possible, so that they continue to shop at your establishment, and maybe recommend their friends and family to do the same. It's thought by many to be a Sales Rule of Law: no matter what, the Customer is king!
     Too bad it isn't.
     According to grammarist.com,

The timeless aphorism “The customer is always right” is widely attributed  to Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of the popular Selfridge’s  department store located in London. Wisconsin-born Selfridge introduced the phrase in the early 1900s to encourage employees to prioritize customer satisfaction and create an  environment where customers felt valued and respected. It was all part of his marketing and brand establishment.                                                                                                       

But, some sources also attribute the saying to other business magnates of  the era, like César Ritz, who was the founder of the famous Ritz Hotel. He actually coined the phrase as “Le client n’a jamais tort,” which translates  as “the customer is never wrong.” 

   In other words, it's just a marketing ploy. But, the trouble is, people have taken it and run rampant with the concept, thinking that retail people have no choice but to kiss their ass. And They get VERY angry when they don't. Which makes it rough for everyone.

     Look, I get it. It's frustrating when you can't find what you want, and even more so when you can't find anyone to help you. And sometimes the staff is not very helpful; there are times I've heard people tell of workers walking away from them when they need help. But it's still not an excuse to go off and throw out attitude at them or other shoppers. Just leave. Go elsewhere. If it happens enough, the store will have to take steps to improve things, if they want to stay open. Don't blame everyone on site, just because of one or two people. Shop at a different place; that's the best way to prove you mean business, not verbally (and sometimes physically) assaulting someone. Be an adult, okay?

     And the next time you abandon your cart in the aisle, it's moving to the back of the store. Hide and Seek, anyone?

At my work...

   We are having a problem at my work. It's a people-problem.
Specifically, it has to do with getting people to come in, and getting them to not blow off time constantly.
   I work in a manufacturing job; we deal with automotive exhausts. We're looking to expand this year into different jobs, but we need people. In particular, people who aren't afraid to do physical labor. Overall, not too  bad a place.
   Except where people are concerned.
   Before the Pandemic, we had issues in getting people to interview. When we did get them in the door, there were problems. A LOT of problems. For example, we've had people (in the first two weeks of being there) miss time for:
-- Illness in the family
-- Illness for themselves
-- Car troubles
-- 'Family issues' (girlfriend drama, mainly)
-- A trip/vacation they've forgotten about until just *now*!
-- Court issues (various)
-- Oversleeping (yes, a full day is missed because of this!)
-- Having too much on their minds and need to go home to 'get their head straight'
-- The infamous No Call-No Show
...among other things.
   And it continues, even after things are trying to get back to some sense of normal. In fact, we've lost four in the last month, and someone was supposed to start recently, but didn't even show up. And, no, the work's not that hard, just constant.
   Could it be a reflection of the whole "No one wants to work anymore!" trope? Maybe a little. But people have to realize that eventually, they will need to work. Not every job is going to offer up $25-an-hour or so to start, or whatever people think they can demand. But if, one day, the job does, they'd better be prepared to WORK. You're going to have to earn that money. And thinking you can just blow off a day or so "just because I can, what are you going to do about it? You need me!" is going to slap them in the face pretty hard, when they find out that while we might right now, the time will come when no, we don't.

  And good luck with that.

The customer is NOT always right

 Years ago, in the early 1980's, I worked in a local toy store. It was the time of the new, smaller-sized G.I. Joes (the same ones you see in stores now), the original MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE and MY LITTLE PONY, the original line of TRANSFORMERS (where Megatron would turn into a GUN, of all things!), plus the start of the influx of the STAR WARS stuff. A glorious toy time, indeed.

  .....Until one day.........

   The Coleco company put out a doll.  A doll still around now, in fact. It was chubby, with yarn-like hair, and came in both boy and girl styles. It was unusual, as it had not only a first and middle name (different for each doll), but also had a 'birth certificate' as well. It was, of course, the Cabbage Patch Doll.
    Now, when these things first came in, they sold okay; people thought that they were quaint, but many didn't want to spend the money on something their kid might tear apart easily. Then, around the holidays, it changed. It seemed (to us working at the store, anyway) that Coleco had ramped up the advertising, and pulled back on production/shipping, to make them somewhat scarce in the stores. That seemed to jump-start the buying frenzy, as now all of a sudden, they were the MUST HAVES!!!! of the season. Women would actually get in to arguments and shoving matches in stores for these abominations. Don't believe me? Search for anything related to Cabbage Patch Kids and Frenzy together and see what you get. trust me, I've been in the Cabbage Patch trenches, and it wasn't pretty.

   So, you may ask, what's with the headline? Simple. Anyone who works/worked in retail will tell you: generally, people suck. Not *YOU*, of course. You're great. I'm referring to the dolts who go to a store and think that the staff is there JUST for THEM, and will serve them accordingly with no regard for anyone else. Who, when things are not going their way, seem to think that it's a great idea to scream, yell, accuse, berate, threaten, or just be generally crappy to staff. In some cases, they even think it's their right to hit people, just because "The customer is always right!" In fact, according to Wikipedia,
' "The customer is always right" is a motto or slogan which exhorts service staff to give a high priority to customer satisfaction. ' It is NOT a law, it's a business maxim. It was a thing businesses followed to get people in their place of business, and not shop the competition: Treat them well, and they'll be loyal to you.
   However, it's evolved into something of a threat: "Give me what I want, or else!" Or else, what? "I'll shop elsewhere! Maybe even online!" Then do it. I know the reason you've gone into a store is to try and get something cheaper than online. Plus, delivery still takes time, so you'd rather cause a scene to get it now than to wait. It's not the staff's fault that you're too stupid to realize that if you're actually *nice* to them, they'll be more willing to help you get your stuff as soon as possible. If they don't have it in stock, it's not their fault; blame the manufacturer or the warehouse for not shipping it, not the store for being out of stock. Trust me, stores WANT things in stock, so that they can sell them. They don't short their shelves just to annoy *you*. You aren't that important. 

  So, be nice to staff, because they're people too. Plus, they have to deal with the Dumb on a daily basis. Give them a break, and they might give you one, too.

Get a shot, or quit your job?

    Recently I read a story about two people who lived in Oregon. The wife was a dental hygienist (who made $80,000 a year), and the husband worked as a maintenance worker at a medical clinic. They loved their jobs; they enjoyed what they did. However, their work required them to get a COVID vaccine shot, or show proof that they received one. Shot, or lose their jobs. Very simple.

   So, they quit. They drove to Florida in a motorhome, and are looking for work. Florida was chosen mainly because of the lax vaccine mandate. They had their reasons for what they did, but I can't help thinking of how my own life would go if I did that: quit my job, because I didn't want a shot. I don't make near $80,000 a year, but my job is still My Job. I have responsibilities and obligations, and turning down a shot and quitting my job over it just isn't sane to me.
   People use religious/fear-based/warped logic/"I did my own research!" reasoning to tell you why they aren't going to get it, when in fact what they're doing is putting themselves and others at risk, because of what someone Orange said in 2020 when they decided to play at being smarter than they were.    

   Look, I don't care what someone's reasoning is, but it still comes down to what's best for myself and my family. I'll gladly take the shot if it means keeping a job, and taking steps to protect myself and my family.

   Do what you want, but don't try to make yourself into a martyr over it.

No vaccine? No service!

   Well. Seems that some places are now taking vaccines somewhat seriously. Before, a lot of businesses wanted to open as soon as possible during the pandemic; some even ignoring orders to keep closed for the duration, and getting hammered with fines as punishment. Now, with the Delta Variant going around (and more people FINALLY seeming to take getting the shots seriously), a lot of places are requiring proof of either vaccination, or a negative COVID test before they let you in. They're trying to protect themselves and their customers from getting sick. Very admirable, I think.

  However, some people seem to have a problem with this. They still don't want to get the shot, nor do they think they need to get a test to enter a place (ya know....'FREEDUMB!!!') And so, they complain about it: "It's not right!" "It's not fair!" "You can't deny me service because I don't wanna do that!" In fact, the same people who had no trouble with a bakery turning down a gay wedding (because, ya know..."It's their right! No one should have to serve people they don't wanna!"), are the most vocal about how 'wrong' it is. Sorry, Snowflakes, it's not wrong for them to refuse to serve you....it's their *Right* to do so. Don't want to follow the rules? Don't come in. You're not *so* important that the business is going to close because of it. 

  Maybe you can find a bakery to get your lunch at....