On Holiday Retail and Tampa

So I have been dead since Black Friday. I have been working and I took a few days down to Tampa.

My weekends have been filled with pure hatred. Holiday retail is the worst, especially while working in the mall. It is filled with pure stupidity, rudeness and some unexplained hatred towards us hourly workers. I have had people insult me, look me dead in the eye and drop their disgusting trash on the floor, hand it to me or leave it on my counter and demand me to throw it away. I ahve had people snap and freak out with me because the entire region was out of cinnamon dolce, because we were not Barnies (Barnies was bought out by Sbux and the store converted over three years ago) and people who were completely disgusted by their drinks because they were used to gas station cappuchinos and because I made them a real one I was in the wrong. They don't tip but demand me to go to outrageous lengths to make their drinks (Half-caf quad ristretto venti six pump vanilla half nonfat half soy extra whip extra caramel 130 degree upside down caramel macciato anyone?) and if I don't make it precisely 130 or precisely half of each milk I must remake it until it is perfect. And of course ignore the fact that our store still has the Verisimo machines and not the Mastrena so it is rather impossible to make true ristretto shots.

There are no parking spots on most days, not even in the back so I am stuck circling the parking lot for several minutes. Of course, when I finally snag a spot someone comes out of nowhere and accuses me of stealing theirs. A employee at Belk had someone spit in her face and another employee defending her was ran over by the man's truck. Of course, they have the plate numbers and warrants out on him.

People keep destroying merchandise. They pick it up and immediately drop it, they let their children chew on it or open it, they open decoritive boxes in the shape of books because it "looked like a book" with the display being next to it. The display consists of the box being open and filled with coffee, biscotti and candy. I have never seen a book with nutrition facts on it, have you?

On the upside, at least I was able to go to Tampa for a few days. I was able to see Mandy, Doofus, TJ, Jim and Matt. And my family, but who cares about them? It was an uneventful trip but the looks on everyone's faces when I just showed up out of the blue was probably the best part. I really have nothing to say about the trip as it felt like I never left.