Upon clocking in today I was asked if I’ve taken my temperature before my shift.
“I don’t have a thermometer,” I said honestly.
Immediately my supervisor gave me one. It took several minutes but finally beeped. She then said I could keep it. THAT is impressive.
My employer, a family-owned local pharmacy, cares about protecting all of us.
Another new development was the table immediately inside the door to the East entrance, the only operational door right now. The front door has been locked to customers for over a week now. There are signs assuring people that yes, we are OPEN.
But the boutique has been closed since at least Wednesday, when I noticed it.
I feel so fortunate. I started just over two weeks ago, right when all this hysteria hit.
My employers could have easily just been like, “Sorry, you’re new,” and let me go. But instead, they’re keeping us on. That may change– or my hours may be cut. But for now, I’m still working.
That’s how we’re all living — day by day.
Since we’re no longer ringing up sales in the boutique, now my co-workers and I are helping out the over-flow in the pharmacy. We ferry medicine orders to the curbside pick-up customers waiting.
They have to call ahead and tell us what they need, and pay with credit cards over the phone. They have to trust us. Even if they pull up not knowing, they can’t come in.
As I cleaned the door glass with Windex today to keep busy, I felt sad watching an elderly man peering inside. I wanted to go help him, but I had done that Wednesday and been scolded for approaching a customer. There is to be no contact between us if at all possible. If they need to show ID, we have to approach them with a small plastic bag and they drop their ID card inside.
I did this today with a woman– “Keeping things safe!” I said, smiling.
“I HEAR THAT!” she agreed. She felt taken care of. She was impressed with our vigilance.
We also are not allowed to touch our faces, and if it happens accidentally we must immediately wash our hands. We also have hand sanitizer for between sales transactions at the register– since money itself is considered “dirty.” Our hair is to be pulled up, out of our faces.
The only times we enter the boutique now is to ring up orders if the pharmacy register is in active use, or to clean. We dust, we vacuum. We Lysol.
In the pharmacy between orders we check products for expiration dates and mark out those we find.
I’m happily surprised to report that I actually LOVE working retail thus far.
I admit, until this point I always thought it was something to be avoided. I sold Blue Buffalo dog and cat food for five years as an in-store food rep– but that’s not quite the same. My job was to approach existing customers in PetSmart or Petcos in my area and chat them up. I would get to know about their pets and what made them special– then make a recommendation for products that fit their lifestyle and preferences.
I would carry up bags of food and face products, but I only had two aisles and the treat section to work. I didn’t handle money or work a register. It was part retail but mostly sales. I had goals to meet. My manager would come in for coaching sessions– but mainly I was autonomous. Of course the store managers were my superiors and had to sign off on my sheet each shift to prove that I had actually shown up and worked. I had to follow store rules, but I had no real “co-workers,” except other food reps– my competition. Most of us were friendly, except for the Bill Jac and AvoDerm people. They were savage.
I needed to know about our products to answer questions and reassure any doubts they had. I was there to convince them our product was better than whatever brand they may have previously been loyal to– it was mostly fun but quite exhausting socially. It was all talking and walking.
In straight retail, there’s a lot of variety. In the past two weeks I’ve learned how to sticker products, been assigned to put away orders — because that’s the best way to learn where things go and how I can locate them quickly for customers. I’ve learned several different transactions and how to move between them. I’ve made bank deposits. I’m primarily a closer, so most shifts I and another co-worker close down the tills and balance the drawer, then bring them up front. We lock the doors, turn out the lights. Clock out.
I also genuinely enjoy greeting customers and making small talk. Showing them products when they are looking for a gift. This week I’ve sold latex gloves to an older man who was concerned about the progress of the virus– he came in looking for a thermometer, as many do. It gave him visible comfort to buy something that was going to help be safe.
Now I have no idea when the boutique will re-open, when we will have actual customers in the store browsing again. I look forward to that simple return to normalacy.
People all over the world are getting laid off as businesses are forced to close their doors by national mandates.
But I am deemed an employee in “essential” industry– pharmacies, hospitals, grocery stores, truckers, gas stations, restaurants with curb-side, or delivery meals. Social services, bankers, child care, government agencies, teachers, and many more.
Never in my life did I think that these jobs would be the most table in a global pandemic.
After a year of unemployment, I am so blessed to have landed this job at this time.
Granted, I acknowledge my privilege.
I work in a safe, central location of Wichita. Our store is an upscale boutique with a local family-owned pharmacy since 1976 in the back. None of our customers are dangerous. We have good hours and close by 7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. Even when I’m a “closer,” I’m never getting home at late hours. When I previously worked at Starbucks for five months in 2007, I was a closer. My shift was 4-11 and if we were lucky we got done about 11:30, sometimes closer to midnight. My drive to work is also only about eight minutes.
God, thank you.
Protect our business, our customers, and our family, friends and neighbors.
Let us obey with safety recommendations and restrictions.
This is NOT the time for pride or impulsiveness.
This is the time for humility and sacrifice.
unrelentingamee 