World - 1000, Me - 0

[fredericks]

Back from the 'Shack. I realized a few things today. Or maybe "realized" is the wrong word. Clarified a few things might be better. I bitched a lot about working for Food Services but I took real pleasure from preparing the meals that my fellow students would eat, or ringing up customers, or showing other workers the ropes. Part of what made the tasks enjoyable was the fact that I wasn't mentally taxed while doing them. I prepared crepes and omelettes with my brain on auto-pilot. It didn't take a rocket-scientist to cut up tofu or fill eclairs. I feel that I was given certain gifts, and, more and more, I feel like I'm wasting them. How am I utilizing all the smarts I was given? What about my musical ability? I haven't picked up my recorder in a month, and I haven't practiced the clarinet in more than a year. I think it's a conscious decision on my part to avoid anything that may be a challenge. Fear of failure holds me back. It kept me from trying out for the Performing Arts high school, from applying to other colleges, and from trying to go straight to graduate school.

But now I'm becoming maudlin. I should stop.

Okay. Today was all right. Not sales-wise, because it's been established that I suck at coercing people into signing up for cellphone plans, but experience-wise. As I mentioned above, I love helping people. I don't mind taking 15 minutes to help a customer track down a diode that costs $.69, even though I know that I get about 3 cents of commission from it. As long as the person finds what he/she's looking for I'm happy. And it's funny/sad how many of my co-workers aren't like that. It's what happens under the commission system. Instead of tracking a F-connector down for a customer they're likely to say we don't have it if they (my co-workers) think they have a potential "big buy" in sight somewhere else. I shouldn't shit on all of them, though. There's one who's been great to me so far, much more helpful than my manager. Rather than steal a customer from me he'll actually take time out and walk me through transactions, and then let me ring up the customers. He's the one ray of light I have in the store.

And my co-workers can get terribly bitchy. To the point where they'll sigh if a customer asks them something or roll their eyes if a customer wants help finding an inexpensive item. It's really pathetic. When I was helping one guy out he actually seemed amazed when I opened up some equipment and let him play with it. He kept asking me if I was from somewhere else, because (he claimed) I was too nice. I thought that a riot. I also learned today that if you can help guys find adapters and converters you're likely to get impromptu marriage proposals.

*sigh* So that's it. I'm hoping to get some quality Finding Nemo time in tonight, along with a good long stretch of sleep. Go me, it's my birthday. Go me...

Comments

Think more Un-Birthday

[fredericks.livejournal.com]

Oh no, I appreciate the hooray-ing, but it's not my birthday. That's just a slang-ism we say when we're happy about something. In my case I was being rather sarcastic when I was using it.

Don't worry, you'll know when it's my anniversary on the earth. I'll be soliciting presents well in advance. *grin*

And thanks for the dash of common sense. As always, you're good for it and I really appreciate it.