Former Retail Slave Cara recalls a tale of heroics in the midst of Retail Hell on the busiest day of the year:
Ok, so I've only just come across this site, and my story actually happened last year, 23rd December, I'm working from 4-midnight in the Childrens Wear, Toys and Kid's shoes section.
Bad enough really but then at 8 my manager comes and tells me that a chick for Lingerie hasn't shown up so I have to effectively cover 4 departments by myself and I have only been working there a week! WTF??? Then the goddamn manager leaves, despite the obvious lack of staff.
Already pissed off I am attempting to prepare for the Boxing Day Sales when a manager from a different section comes over and tells me to help an old couple with lingerie because I "must have more experience in this kind of thing than me."
I go over and attempt to help this old couple, who are clearly not with it. For one she wants a new bra, as her current ones are too big, but she has NO idea what size she is wearing now, nor does she have any idea about what size she might want.
I wing it and give her something I think may be right (but as I am not trained in bra fitting I actually have no idea). Finally we finish the transaction after numerous difficulties and they ask me to walk them to where they came in.
Well this should have been my first warning that they were a little senile.
So anyway we have to go down the escalator to get there, I go first and all seems to be going well until I hear screaming above me and the old lady is hanging over the side of the escalator about to fall to the floor below!!!!!!!!
The husband is attempting to pull her over but is struggling so I have to sprint up the escalator to pull her back, essentially saving her life.
We get to the bottom and all I get is "Sorry about that she, has Alzheimers and forgets how to get onto escalators, happens all the time, Bye."
WHY THE FUCK DID HE NOT TELL ME BEFOREHAND SO I COULD BE PREPARED!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!The best thing of all was that I never should have had to deal with them as I wasn't even supposed to be working in that section!
Needless to say I quit that job the week after.
...and lucky for them, you were there!
JESUS TAP-DANCING CHRIST!
I would have had a heart attack if I saw that!
You were definitely the right person in the right place at the right time.
Posted by: Joe | November 11, 2009 at 06:21 AM
Holy shit! Good for you, and good for you also for quitting! With a first week like that, you know it only would have gotten worse!! (Worse than covering 4 departments 2 days before Xmas and old people about to fall to their deaths, I don't wanna know what's worse!)
Posted by: Magical Shrimp | November 11, 2009 at 06:52 AM
AAAAACK! My heart stopped there a second! My days of "sprinting" left about 30 years ago, and I'm not that old. I don't even want to think about how I would handle that situation now. Kudos to fast thinking and quick action.
Posted by: twitter.com/flecks_flyer | November 11, 2009 at 04:48 PM
Whoa.
I would have shat myself.
Then bitched them out.
Fuck that.
Posted by: Burger Bitch | November 11, 2009 at 05:23 PM