Saturday, June 2, 2012

Observations from behind the counter


Summer has begun with a bang. People will be out all hours of the night.

I place bells on the doors when I come to work. This way I can hear when people come in when my back is turned to the door. I've noticed that when people come in, they fling the door open, as if they were conquerors. When they go out, they open the door normally. Interesting.

I have mentioned before how I feel about the lottery. There is this man who has started coming in who buys a lot of tickets. He doesn’t look like he has a lot of money and he seems to feel that he has to spend all the money in his pocket on tickets. He will leave and come back within an hour, having somehow come into more money and will spend all of that too. He’s mentioned that he is married and has children at home, but for some reason he is out all hours buying tickets. Every once in a while he will comment that he doesn’t have much money because his wife is “sleeping lightly.” He says he is trying to win money for “his kids.” How sad.

I’ve seem promos for these reality shows on TV that feature people arguing and fussing and fighting. I have no interest in them and don’t understand the attraction. I have people coming in all hours of the night talking on the cell phone. That’s a story in itself. But they are carrying on just like those reality shows, arguin’ and fussin’, hanging up and being hung up on, or telling someone else about an argument they were in and how they told so and so just what they thought of them etc. Now I know why people watch those dumb shows – it’s just like their lives! And there is this whole group of people who seem to live for the opportunity to tell someone off. Why would anyone want to live like this?

Did you know there is a big difference between night people and day people? and I’m not referring to drinking. Night people tend to pull up and sit in their car, as if they are trying to decide whether to even get out of the car. Then, when they finally decide to come in, they often wander around trying to decide what to get. I have seen folk stand in front of the beer cooler for a long time, struggling with which beer to get this time. Day people on the other hand, they whip their cars into the parking lot, pop out, briskly enter the store, grab what they want and rush to the counter. They are in a hurry, they are late and I better hurry. I wish I could hang a sign at the register that says, “Lack of preparation on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.” I can’t, but I like that.

I’m constantly amazed at the people who can’t seem to find their way around on their own. There are people who can’t find anything in the store. Nothing. They walk in and start asking right away, Do you have ____? and Where is ______? We have a large sign that we place in front of closed registers, This register closed. People will stand in front of it and try to order or pay. Or they will stand in front of it and ask, “Which register?” We only have two! The other night, a lady came in, stood right in front of the 6 large coffees urns, under the large coffee sign, and asked, “Where’s the coffee?” Really? Another time a man came in, took a look at the coffee and asked, “How do you get coffee?” How do they make it through life?

I have a few regulars who come in and they hang around and talk. A few guys have become friends. One is Mark, a brother who comes in the early mornings and we fellowship each time he comes in. Sometimes we talk politics – we have diagnosed and solved many current problems. Sometimes we talk about the Church or the Lord. I enjoy the fellowship. His only fault is he is a Duke fan J I’m sorry that it doesn’t extend beyond the store, but he is a busy brother. Then there is Derek, he would come in at night. We would talk about sports, politics, and the Lord. We did get to get together a few times outside the store. He even came over and played pool with me. Since he was out of work at the time, I let him win most of the games. He is a Michigan fan – go figure that! I musta said something than ticked him off cause he up and moved his family to Myrtle Beach! Then there's John, who comes by on the weekends. At first we just talked about sports – he is a huge Ohio State fan. We have laughed together at each other’s team’s recent struggles (UNC and OSU being under a bowl ban). Recently he has begun telling me about his dating life. He asks me all the time, “What should I do?” His current girl friend knows all about me. Only fair, I know all about her! And this is the only place so far that I get to see Scott, a dear brother that I know from Bible Covenant.

Since they don’t pay me a lot, I guess the fun and friends and entertainment are part of the compensation package.

No comments:

Post a Comment