Tits The Season in These Foolish Things
- Dec. 22, 2022, 10:50 p.m.
- |
- Public
The title of this entry is something I saw on a t-shirt of one of the customers walking through the retail store where I’m working the holiday season. It was a perfect shirt to be wearing the other night. I laughed to myself as soon as she came into view. She also walked right past me and on into the mall after I smiled and welcomed her into the store, telling her about the sales we had going on. Working retail is the most thankless job.
I can’t wait to put in my two week’s notice, and I hope I’m able to do that before I get fired! You think I’m joking, but I’m not.
I’m not cut out for busy, busy retail and “performing” for the general public. Don’t get me wrong, I love talking with people, but I am easily addled (though I don’t show it on the outside) and distracted by so many noises, motions and other things going on around me and the walkie-talkie in my ear. I’m much better in a focused environment where I can get into a flow state.
Yesterday I clocked in and made my way to the register where there is a pantry of sorts that houses our “devices” that we need to do our jobs on the sales floor: an iphone that’s rigged to research inventory and back stock as well as added features to take credit cards so we can make a sale on the fly (think Apple Store) as well as the walkie-talkie so that we can listen to the manager on the floor bark orders and “inspiration” at the same time we are trying to talk with customers about the product…
Anyway, I was behind the register grabbing my tools when the manager on the floor asked me to check out the woman who was waiting while talking with another sales associate. I was sort of in a hurry and trying to make small talk with the customer at the same time. She’d picked out a beautiful shirt and a stunning (and expensive hat). I took off all of the security tags, checked her out and then delicately packed her shirt and hat into two separate shopping bags. She walked out very, VERY happy.
The manager then came up to my register and tapped away at the screen and a receipt shot out of the printer. He looked at the receipt and said, “Yeah. I thought that might have happened…do you realize you didn’t charge that lady for the hat?”
Um. WHAT?!
He then did a search on the screen for the hat.
It was a THREE HUNDRED DOLLAR HAT.
I looked at the manager, mortified. Tears welled up in my eyes. I felt like a child who’d done something awfully, awfully wrong.
I apologized a million times and told him that I don’t know what happened! I got distracted trying to wrap up the hat so beautifully (we don’t have hat boxes so the wrapping wasn’t easy). I tearfully said I felt like throwing up. And I even said I’m probably going to get fired for that (the manager is not the GM - so he wouldn’t be the one doing the firing, but still).
I’m costing the company more than I’m making! What am I even doing?
Anybody want free product??? Come visit me at the store!
Merry freebies,
GS
ninakir88 ⋅ December 22, 2022
well obviously the woman wasn't honest and didnt tell you about your mistake
i mean i'm sure she had a number in her head of what she was going to pay
i'm sorry you made that mistake though :( id be super upset too
Athena ⋅ December 22, 2022
Working Christmas retail is hard and you made an honest mistake
bobbi01 ⋅ December 23, 2022
Did he know before she left the store?I feel like that would be a pretty easy mistake to make.
Jinn ⋅ December 23, 2022
It makes me mad when people think it’s ok to cheat like that.she had to know she did not pay for it . If she used a credit card couldn’t she be billed for it after the fact ? She very well could have gotten you fired and that is unacceptable. Why didn’t that person who suspected you made an error speak up earlier ?? He could have made up an excuse to check the receipt. 🤦♀️ I am sorry that happened to you .
Nash ⋅ December 23, 2022
To me the real story here is somehow there exists a hat that costs 300 dollars. It strikes me as an invitation to shoplift.
Perpetually Plump Nash ⋅ December 23, 2022
I'm saying! $300? Good god. I know cowboy hats are super expensive, But I have no idea just how expensive. I'm clearly way too a poor of a human to afford a $300 hat though
Complicated Disaster ⋅ December 23, 2022
Yeah that's totally the fault of the lady who didn't pay. There's no way she didn't know. *hugs* xx
sudare ⋅ December 23, 2022
You sound so honest without excuses. Something good to make a balance will happen to you. hugs
colder ⋅ December 23, 2022 (edited December 23, 2022)
Edited
Ok, confession time. I made an error early in my career that caused some money to be lost, only this wasn’t three figures, it was more like five. It didn’t get noticed until a couple of years later. I expected to be in big trouble at least, but thankfully nothing ever came of it because - and I think this is true - that kind of thing probably happens all the time, we just never notice it, so it’s wrong to treat the error you see as exceptional when it’s not.
Anyway, now I want to make the J. Peterman joke where I say “…but I will have to see this hat!”
Try not to sweat it too much 🥲
WhatDreamsMayCome ⋅ December 23, 2022 (edited December 23, 2022)
Edited
Hats don’t do much for me.
😉
Sorry you had a bad day.
I also seldom look at my receipts. I would go back and make it right at whatever point it came to light.
MightyZeus ⋅ December 23, 2022
Sure, you made a mistake, we all do. But it's on that lady for not saying something. She knew full-well that you'd end up getting in trouble, having to pay, or worse-get fired. But she walked out anyway. I've been in a bunch of situations where I wasn't charged correctly and I always say something. If i went to the register or restaurant expecting to purchase or order something, I can pay for it. Just because you didn't charge me, doesn't mean i don't owe it.
I've been in restaurants where an entree wasn't charged, or a store where something rang up differently. I say something and more often than not the store just says something like "our fault, no problem".
Hang in there, and I wish you luck in this situation.
plushcreep ⋅ December 23, 2022
What boggles my mind is the fact that the lady who "bought" the hat didn't say anything. Hell, last time we were out at a bar, they forgot to charge us for one round of drinks but we were quick to point that out to them! (And they still didn't charge us, but at least our consciences were clear.)
pandora ⋅ December 25, 2022
I'm sorry that happened to you - $300 is probably not a lot of money to your employer, though! Check out the price of the hat after Christmas, maybe it'll be half off, and then you can sweat about losing them $150 instead! No biggie.