Retail Life Episode 20


Corona Edition

Okay, I’ve had enough. I dread going to work each day with all this nonsense going on. Even if I wasn’t risking getting sick and spreading it to my kids. People are too much. I have zero patience at this point. Even boyfriend pointed out how grouchy I sounded just answering a question the other day when he happened to be on the phone with me. Because I just can’t do the nice anymore.  

Do you have toilet paper? Paper towels? Hand sanitizer? How about rubbing alcohol? Lysol spray? Clorox wipes? You don’t? Well, then I’m going to throw a fit and talk about how ridiculous it is and then literally drop everything else I was planning on buying in the middle of the floor and stomp out of the store.  

That really happened.  

A lady came in one day and asked why we didn’t supply Clorox wipes for people to wipe down the baskets when they come in. My response was, “I would if we had any.” But that wasn’t good enough, because she said she’d be sure to call corporate about it. Okay. Call them and tell them to fed-ex me some cleaning products so that I can disinfect my work area while you’re at it. Do you not realize that I want to wipe things down just as much as you do? I have to touch so many things with potential germs and we don’t have a single can of disinfecting wipes. No gloves. No Lysol spray. Yeah, we have hand sanitizer for us to use but how long until my hands are so dry and cracked that it doesn’t make a difference anymore?  

“Why aren’t you wearing a mask or gloves?” Well, I dunno, did you find any in the store to buy? It would be nice, but can’t use something we don’t have.  

“When is your next truck? Will x, y, and z be on it? What do you mean you don’t know?” For my workers and my safety, we don’t reveal the time our truck will be arriving. We don’t need a mob of people showing up to demand merchandise that might not even be on the truck. We also don’t know what will actually be on the truck. We get an invoice of what’s planned to be on the truck. Doesn’t mean it will be there.  

A woman came up to the counter the other day and asked if we were following the CDC guidelines of one shopper per household to increase social distancing. I said yes. Then she went on to complain about how she’s shopping for three households and since we have a limit on the toilet paper of one per customer, she can’t get enough for all three houses (even though we had a package with 32 rolls in it). She wanted to know how she can buy more toilet paper. My assistant told her there’s a paper she can get that proves she’s shopping for other households and then stores can adjust the limits for her. Because we can’t just take everyone’s word for it. Anyone could come in and say they’re shopping for more people.  

So she then says, “But what if I call the CDC right now to report you for not following the guidelines of one shopper per household?” 

Excuse me, what? First of all, you’ve already contradicted yourself by saying you’re shopping for three households, so that has nothing to do with the one shopper thing. The one shopper per household is so people quit bringing their entire family into the store when just one will do. It’s also just ridiculous for you to think that the CDC is going to a) answer right away and b) do anything about it. They aren’t the cops. It’s also not a law. Plenty of people are still shopping in groups when they don’t need to be. But sure, you go ahead and call the damn CDC. Put it on speaker and we can listen to the hold music together.  

I’m just so over everyone’s attitude and rudeness. It’s been some next level crap from people. I just want it all to go back to normal already.