explosion! preparation for the end of the world!

Zombie Wars

Oh how i remember the days when i was a freshman in college working in the retail industry. Yet here i are again, working retail. I must say, working in Gamestop vs Lands’ end is a huge gap in the types of characters that come into the store. Let’s do a nice breakdown of the typical holiday shopper.

One thing i noticed in gamestop, more than any other previous job i’ve had, was that last minute shoppers are very common and well known in this environment. Grandparents, relatives, siblings and parents trying to figure out which game(s) or systems to spoil from a picture list given to them. and usually with this type of rush is that everybody wants that one last game that the person before them is buying.

“hey mommy daddy look! super mario bros.! i’m getting this for christmas”

and in comes my rejection “uhm, no you’re not. we actually sold our last copy earlier today.”

the look. the disappointment. as i shattered that little kid’s dreams of having the perfect christmas with every single game received on his/her list. yeah. not gonna happen this year buddy. maybe if your parents decided to shop a little earlier.

however, this post isn’t about how i can systematically reject customers on a consistent basis. so pardon my digression as i drift back to the main point. the types of customers.

i. the friendlies – can be recognized by the uses of pleases and thank you’s

they can often be seen by themselves. they respect all things that are happening. because they understand full well of their knowledge that if something isn’t in the store anymore, it’s not our fault. they understand that we like to check their ID’s before swiping their credit card because it’s for their own protection. they are the ones that are willing to listen and all in all make working in retail awesome. because they are chill with whatever is going on.

ii. the lost. the cluelessone.

they can often be identified as the ones carrying lists and still not know what they’re looking for. they even have part of the name or parts of two games put together to make one game. When the options are given to them, they have the look of a headless chicken and they are still moving about and still trying to find what it is that exists rather than what they think exists. Sometimes they are unaware of the things they are saying.

example:
“hi, do you guys have DJ Hero in stock?”
“yes we do.” my manager replies. He’ll go off to grab a box and bring it to her.
“that’s it? it’s so small. it’s not quite what i expected. i’m kinda disappointed.”

iii. the spacey.

they can be seen pushing carts and strollers. they are surrounded by any number of children from 3-5. they are extremely snappy and demand a lot of attention. failure to do so will cause further disruption in the store where their 3-5 children will continuously bring chaos to order. unavoidable. easy to spot. huge danger sign.

iv. the impatient.

usually a mixture of the spacey, the lost. They’re often found cutting the line in order to get help with a question when the store is flooded with customers. They demand to be helped now or one shall suffer the wraith and consequence of not doing so. They have no consideration for “the moment,” they’re selfish. They don’t care if there was a line, but the fact that they’re being helped now means they get to pay now instead of standing in line.

example:
“ok, well. I’ll get you your DSi right now. If you can get in the back of the line, you can pay for it when your turn comes.”
…slightly ignores me and responds 10 sec later.
“but i’m carrying my baby. just let me go ahead of everybody else.”

v. the rude.

can be an illusion. they may seem to ask the nicest questions but can deceivingly be some of the meanest, most inconsiderate customers you will ever meet. They may sometimes appear indecisive which eventually leads to impatience and then followed by extremely irrational outbursts.

example:
“hi. do you guys have section 8?”
“new or used?”
“used.”
“yeah, it seems like we have one copy.”
“oh wait. how much is it?”
“well, if you decide to go for section 8, the price you’ll be paying for the Buy-2-Get-1-Free sale that’s going on right now will be higher because Section 8 is 29.99.”
So customer faces mom and discusses whether or not to spend the extra 20 on the 3 games. immediately will face me and in an extremely brash tone
“well are you gonna get it?”

I mean really, if you want it, don’t yell at me to get it for you when you haven’t even decided if you wanted to get it or not. parents need to teach their kids some better manners or something.

vi. the repeater. Broken Record.

Because stating it once just isn’t enough. These types can really brighten your day because they’re obsessive compulsive behavior to demand a certain type of response usually leads to mocking in the back room.

example:
“hi, are you busy?” as he jumps into the line (observe the impatient quality). I turn to the left as the line extends all the way to the back of the store.
“A little bit buddy. What’s up?”
“Well I got these games unopened, I was wondering if I could bring them in to be exchanged?”
“Possibly, where did you get it from?”
“Online.”
“Gamestop online.”
“No.”
“Then I can’t exchange them for you.”
“But they’re unopened.”
“Where did you get it from?”
“Wal-mart.”
“Then you’ll have to go to Wal-mart to exchange them.”
“But they’re unopened. I got them online.”
“From…Wal-mart. So you’ll have to go to Wal-mart”
“But I got them online.”
“From…Wal-mart. So no, I can’t do the exchange here.”
“But I got them online.”
“From…Wal-mart.”

The conversation continues like this for a good minute.

vii. the point arguer. the fighter.

By far one of the worst type of customers anybody can run into. They are a well thought out group that no one can truly reason with. They believe that they are right and that their way is far more superior than their significant other and definitely better than the sales associate on the floor. They may sometimes lack common sense and can be seen arguing a lot with the people they are with. They will constantly fight against store policy. They will exhibit signs of all the previous 6. They may come into store with awesome politeness. However, due to their impatient nature, they become very rude and obnoxious. This is usually is the case because they are carrying a ton of stuff, especially for trade ins or returns that simply shouldn’t be returned. This is usually leads them to constantly repeat their point even though store policy and even opinions or procedures have been explained thoroughly. They can usually tie up a small line for 30 min and end up causing a huge mess within the tiny store that is…Gamestop. The line become un-manageable. With one cashier/register open, it’s difficult to deal with a never ending line filled with the lost, the confused, the spacey, the rude, and another….repeater.

And with that, the unreasonable shoppers come to a close. At the beginning of the New Year comes new resolutions and the like. And due to traditions and stereotypes, they’ll be back to cause havoc again. Especially the day before Christmas when everything is gone. Sorry, looks like your Christmas this year or the next will be perfect.

Alright, so i just finished watching 5oo days of summer. It's not that sad a movie and it's encouraging and discouraging at the same time.

There were definitely some scenes in the movie where I saw myself as Tom. Which is also reflected in where Tom saw himself in some of the movies he was watching.

One of the hardest things to do is to let go and move on. Expectations and realistic situations don't always add up. True. But thinking back at one of the advice that Tom received was when he journeys through his "good" memories, were they always good? And the audience sees that every "good" memory actually was sad and depressing. So while that was happening, I scrolled back down memory lane and I honestly couldn't find any time when the "good" and the "bad" merged together. They were all good. We never fought. And when we fought, we made up really quickly and problems were solved.

However...what do we do if the person has fallen out of love with you? With a snap of her fingers, everything changed. I noticed it happen even before she realized. And she's not taking the effort to figure out why. I think that's the main thing that's driving me insane.

If she wanted to end it, we wouldn't be arguing and still talk on the phone about the current unresolved matters.

Right now, i'm just venting to no apparent cause nor reason.