Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Notes from the Cash Register at a Failing Video Store

The subtitle of this post could be, "Why I was too tired last night to watch and/or write up last night's Californication and Superbad, which by the way was awesome."

Customer: So where's that booklet you used to have telling me which movies are coming out?
Me: We're not getting new movies in anymore because we're closing the store, so we don't need the booklet.
Customer: Oh. Well it sure would be nice to know what movies are coming out.

(Customer spies a poster on the wall labeled "ATTENTION PARENTS," listing the movie ratings and explaining what each of them mean for your kid. You know, "G: take your kids," "NC-17: hire a sitter," that kind of thing.)

Customer: Is that a poster about the new movies coming out?
Me: That one on the wall? Um... it's a ratings poster.
Customer: Oh. 'Ratings.' So... is that a new movie about to come out?

Yeah, I... don't know. Then we spent an hour and a half giving advice to a coked-up 40-year-old about what movies to buy. He ended up buying 50 -- including A Cinderella Story, as in the Hilary Duff vehicle -- like, dude, don't you need that money for your other hobby?

Look for Californication, Superbad, and possibly a post on Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow in the next day or two.

4 comments:

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

Don't you ever want to look people straight in the eye and say, "Seriously?" Actually, I probably would have...

Kristen said...

Heh. I have come close to doing that, but the one skill absolutely necessary in customer service is, I've learned, self-restraint... (at least till you can get home and post about it).

Matt said...

I work at a bookstore so I know exactly what you're talking about. I have to help old ladies find kamasutra books without making faces. It's kind of a learned skill.

Kristen said...

Matt, I once worked at a bookstore too (mostly the cafe section). Retail work can be a tough job eh! Especially with sexually liberated old ladies around :)