That’s what I thought today as I stood at my demo at work
putting samples out as fast as I could get them into cups and onto the
trays. I never saw this much traffic in
the middle of summer. Not everyone has
left town to escape the heat.
Speaking of heat, the desert has been in the triple digits
for the past three weeks with no end in sight.
We have to wear so many clothes to work that I was practically sick from
the heat by the time I got off today. A
penguin suit isn’t the coolest thing in the world. And on top of that we have an apron, gloves,
hairnets and hats and heavy duty shoes with socks. I wasn’t made to wear this much clothing in
the summer, but its part of the job and probably why I always have an athlete’s
foot problem.
I knew it was going to be a rough day when I arrived at work and there were already about a hundred people there ready to rush in with shopping carts once they opened the doors. Today most people weren’t the least bit interested in hearing anything about the product at all. They wanted to eat and even announced they were there for lunch. Of course this isn’t everyone that comes in shopping and eating, but probably ninety-five percent of them. People can be the most impatient creatures I ever saw sometimes. We have barrier screens up to give us a place to prepare the samples before we’re ready to put them out for the hoards that are waiting.
Sometimes these guards do no good. People will reach over, or snake their hands
and arms through a tiny crack to get a sample early since they have no
intention of buying anything anyway.
Would you go into the kitchen of a restaurant and help yourself? I don’t think so. And then they look so aghast when we have to
throw the whole tray away and start over.
They don’t even seem to care if we’ve just swept up the messes on the
floor and need to change our gloves to serve them. They want the food NOW.
Thank goodness for the understanding shoppers because they do
make us feel better about doing our jobs the right way. It’s really nice when those people come along
because preparing food and cleaning up after people while I’m smiling and acting
cheerful all day is a tough situation. Just
standing on my feet all day is hard enough and the sweat running down my back doesn’t
help either. So the friendly people can
really make my day.
Have a wonderful July Fourth everyone. Be safe out there and cherish family and friends.
Raven's ready for the holiday
We didn't renew our Costco membership this year. I think we made it to Costco maybe 3 times in the last year. I always thought of you when I walked by those that were sampling items. These days we rarely took a sample; more fun to do when the kids were young :)
ReplyDeletebetty
Hi Betty,
DeleteA Costco membership is only worth it if you shop there. There are savings if you can use huge quantities of stuff. Of course you could always package it down. That's what we do. We've been members since 1982 so I doubt that will ever change. We joined when there was only one Costco and it was in San Diego.
Sunni
Wow! What kind of people are these? We have Costcos, giant Walmarts and other such places where there are people handing out food samples and I've never seen anything like that. You would think they didn't have food at home. I'm sorry you have to go through all that and yes, thank God for the nice people. Phew! Have a fun and safe 4th of July! <3 xx
ReplyDeleteVashjti,
DeleteWe have the rudest people in this state that I've ever seen. Some of them come in every day only to eat because they think their membership entitles them to do so. It's so nice and refreshing to actually get a normal person to talk to. My sister works in a Costco in TX and shoppers there are very nice. I really don't know why the people in this state think they are so entitled. I won't live here forever though. At least I hope not. It's pitiful if the samples at Costco are the only thing that these people look forward to everyday.
Sunni
People. Working with the public is always a bit of a crap shoot. I kind of wish blogging was a thing when I worked retail, as I had some stories. You should keep telling them. They're quite fun (especially as we didn't have to live them).
ReplyDeleteLiz,
DeleteI probably will keep telling them as it's a way to get this stuff off my chest. I could write a whole book about doing demos at Costco, however I won't do that while I'm working there. You really wouldn't believe what people go to in order to get free food.
Sunni
People can be pretty awful. Raven is a cutie. Happy 4th!
ReplyDeletePILCH,
DeleteThank you. I'm lucky that Raven poses for me. Yes, working at Costco shows me how awful people can be.
I hope you had a nice fourth.
Sunni
pilch,
ReplyDeleteThis job has taught me just how awful people can be.
Raven is a cutie. Thank you. I'm glad he puts on the hats for me.
I'm sure I'll have a happy 4th. I have a few days off work, which is so nice. But this holiday hasn't been the same for me since my dad passed away on this day in 1980.
Sunni
I've heard about people "grazing" at Costco and Sam's Club, and Janet Evanovich featured it in one of her latest Stephanie Plum books, but I have to wonder at the people who do it.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
DeleteReally? This was in one of Stephanie Plum's books? Wow! I find that amazing. Yes, it's true. These people obviously don't have a life beyond Costco or Sam's Club. We have our daily grazers at the Costco where I work. I feel sorry for these people, although they are quite annoying. I guess our samples are the only thing that gets them off the couch.
Sunni