Minding the store

I was the lone cashier at the Stop n' Shop yesterday. Yikes. The teenager who usually volunteers with me was a no show. It hit 95 degrees in Seattle-- maybe she went to the beach?

The store manager is also on vacation, so I was responsible for closing out the till, doing the daily accounting report, and then locking up the shop. One of the things the manager told me was, "you will never work alone." So much for that. Anyway, everything went fine. Guess I'm getting the hang of it. 

I enjoy chatting with the customers, and the time goes fairly fast when you're busy. Most folks are nice; many are odd. It's surprising how many people try to bargain at a charity shop. I tell them I'm just a volunteer and not empowered to change prices. Or sell things without price tags, for that matter.

They keep a binder called "The Book of Thieves" behind the counter.  It has security camera photos and unflattering (definitely not PC) descriptions of repeat shoplifters. I guess we're supposed to confront these scary people if we recognize them. One volunteer cashier actually chased a woman down the street with an armful of old clothes she was stealing.  (Not in my job description.)

Well, I'll get that thrift store smell out of my nose today.  It's 15 degrees cooler, and we're going trail riding on Vashon Island.