Day 16

My first day with an 8 hour shift. And it sucked. Hard.

My first mistake was not eating anything that day until my lunch break (at about 2:00 in the afternoon). So I felt sluggish for most the day. My second mistake was not preparing for how boring 8 hours of this would be, and the 4-6pm portion of my shift was going to be utter and disasterous chaos, punctuated by nothing more than frowning, tired customer after frowning, tired customer. I will never, ever, never, fail to respond to a simple hello from a retail employee just because I'm not in the mood. Sometimes, that little response is what kept me going. I'm a sociable person, and when people won't even acknowledge your existance (unless it's to berate your performance as a cashier) has got to be one of the most demeaning experieces on the planet. You want to make someone feel worthless, just let them check your groceries without making eye contact.

I've learned more about people today that I probably could have with a four-year degree in psychology. You won't see many cashier's who believe in the basic goodness of humanity. No sir, we're all about total depravity here at Wal-Mart.

But you won't find that on the website.

Today's Sales: $16,000