My Retail Reality.....A STUDY IN BLUE

This is my Cat Amber.  She is very pretty and most of her front, belly and paws are white.  Beautiful pure white.  She never goes out doors so she is a very clean cat.  This past week Amber had a vet visit and her beautiful white got turned blue. 

When the Vet went to take blood from her, the rubbing alcohol spilt onto her blue harness and it then bled all over her fur.  I'm not sure when they actually noticed she had turned blue, but  she got pretty blue before they took her harness off.  When I got there they brought out a little goodie bag for her with treats and toys.  Told me what a good cat she was, and then finally apologized for turning her blue. She has spent a long time trying to lick the blue off, and has been very unsuccessful.

So how does this story relate to my Retail Reality?  When working in retail you deal weekly with upset customers.  Most of the time they are upset at things you have no control over.  The product they want is not in stock, they read a sign wrong and now think you are charging them a wrong price.

The food they bought was stale, or if you are in banking they think you caused the problem in their checking account that led to bounced checks.  And in the pet care business you have somehow turned their beautiful cat blue.  It seems people love an excuse to scream and yell at others.

I didn't even think to get mad, which I'm happy for... It wasn't until I told my husband about the treat bag with toys and kitty snacks that we have never received before that it dawned on me that perhaps we got them to try to make up for the fact that the cat is now blue.  Who would have thought the harness would bleed on her.  It's not their fault really.  But I guess if I had wanted to I could have been upset and demanded more than a bag of kitty treats.  But after working in retail for years now, I don't think I could yell at another person for something they have no control over.   So if you ever feel the need to scream and yell at a retail worker, try to calm down and not do it.  Most days these people work in a very hard and unforgiving environment. If I can live with a blue cat, perhaps you can live with the fact your favorite candy is not in stock, or that you read the sign wrong and the price you thought you were going to pay is different.

Most retail employee's don't have much say over pricing or what is in stock. So please remember

 "The Study in Blue"

and be kind to those who serve in the retail world. 

 We can choose to be the upset demanding customer or the kind understanding one. 

 Your choice can affect someone's whole day.

G.G.

Retail comic: Upset customer

Retail comic: Fantasy coupon

Retail comic: Angry customer