Chapter One: The Impatience

On my very first day I was struck with such things as:

"Could you please fetch {very long description of printer ink cartridge} for me? QUICK as you can!" (Situation A)

and not to mention the tap-tap-tapping of a customer's clubcard on the top of the counter. (Situation B)

Situation A: The subject did hand me a piece of paper with all the relevant information on it; however I, being new not only to the layout of the printer cartridge shelf, but also to printer ink itself, could not find said cartridge. I apologised to the customer and noticed her tightly pursed lips as she had to accept the fact she was dealing with an incompetant "newbie" who had not undergone any formal training on the upstairs tills (just so as you know, the printer ink is kept behind the tills).

We didn't actually have the cartridge she was looking for...

Situation B: This was the first time I had tried to do a complete "Lotto" transaction all by myself. By that sentence, you already know that something awful is about to happen. In my mind, a "complete" Lotto transaction is one where the customer has won something, then tries to use her winnings to buy another ticket. Yes, I did say "tries"; it just never seems to work smoothly with me.

I did indeed mess it up and had to track down another member of staff for help.

The customer did not help much by making me nervous; from the very start of the transaction she was indeed tapping her clubcard on the counter. Hhmmm, I am just thinking; did I actually take her clubcard details, or was the card merely tap-tapped on the counter and then put into the very purse where it spends every waking moment of its meaningful life? One will never know.