Grocery stores have been around for ages, and I so happen to work at one myself. I'm a cashier, specifically called by many customers "Abbie 3 Years." Now, I'm usually not a quiet person, but once I cross into my own grocery store, I somehow become almost mute. I'm not sure if it is because all of my friends that were my coworkers left, or that I'm just really focused on the job. However, even though I don't say much, it is easy to see that all retail and grocery stores are relatively the same when you either work there or are a customer there, meaning we all share the same pains when it comes to being in one ourselves.
1. Days off are like Holy Grails.
Since you practically live at your job, spending five-plus hours doing the same thing everyday, when you eventually get a day off, tears start to flow from your eyes in pure joy. Of course, on my day off I usually spend it at home watching The Office or hanging out with friends, but a good portion of my day goes to sleeping in and lounging around in bed. Talk about the life of a day off.
2. Smiling every second of every day.
Man, I'm surprised my face isn't more toned from straining my jaw to smile what feels like forever, whether it be from smiling through the pain of being at work for another few hours, in which you miss the time when the sun is still out, or from making sure each and every customer is satisfied with their order. It's not the most pleasant thing in the world, but maybe it will make me more photogenic.
3. Seeing people you know at work.
This right here is either one of the scariest or happiest times while I'm working. Since there's all different types of people that I keep different relationships with, one second I feel like I'm waving at my friend that just came home from college, and another I'm trying to avoid the boy I sorta kinda not really had a thing with. It's a big jumbled mess of people, to which I either can hug and wave to in happiness, or pretend to tie my shoe hiding behind the register type.
4. Being a part of the jungle.
Here at the grocery store, I view it more as a jungle rather than an actual store. The prey is obviously every food item that we sell, and those with more aggressive cart pushing maneuvers get to the best deals first. Only those that are aggressive stock up on the deals with the coupons. How those little pieces of paper cause such a fuss, I'll never really know. It also works with register lanes; those that take control and have no mercy are the ones who get to the shortest line first.
5. Express lanes.
I'm not much of a complainer when it comes to these things, but man express is a whole different animal than what we call a "big register." Not only are you left to fend on your own by both bagging and cashiering, the line just never seems to end with people who came to pick up their morning yogurt or breakfast sandwich with their newspaper. The longer the line, the longer my stress headache lasts. It's all a cycle, but in the end it is basically around the work I would do if I was on a big register, just more card swiping and change counting to the point where my perfume is no longer "Primrose Kiss" but rather "Pennies with a hint of Quarters."
6. Getting your lunch break WAY too early.
If you work at a retail/grocery store, this pain is something that has happened to all of us at one point or another. Of course when you go in to work it is really dead, so everyone gets their break on the early side. So in return, I consume a feast of food in order to cope with the longer half of my shift. I become sort of a vacuum cleaner, with my motto being, "Once I see it I have to consume it." It's the only way I can function normally and not have my stomach in a giant knot.
7. When you accidentally gaze at the clock.
You're just minding your own business, doing your thing at work, maybe singing along to some old school T-Swift playing in the background behind the beeps of your register, and all of a sudden WHAM. It comes out of nowhere, and now it is towering over you. It's...the clock. My mind internally screams as I know what I did not want to. Now you have an idea of how long you've actually been here, and have already calculated to the last second of how much longer you have to go. It's a horrifying realization sometimes, and I just recommend avoiding it at all costs.
8. Two words: Produce. Codes.
Produce items are especially a struggle to ring through, because none of them have the same four digit code that I have to enter into the computer and only some are weighed, while others are by quantity. Not only is it a struggle to remember all of the codes, but also many people look at you weirdly when you're trying to search for the sticker when it is simply "an apple." Along with that, even when I'm off the clock and I see the vegetable or fruit, the number just pops into my head. Example would be someone saying, "Oh I have cucumbers and a banana for lunch!" And in my mind I think 'Oh you mean 4062 quantity one and 4011.'
9. The struggle that is double paper.
Paper itself it a very durable bag, but double pape is a whole other level of difficulty matrix-type of bagging. It is such a process to even prepare the bag to put things into them, that eventually is just going to get taken out maybe in less than an other. Although this pain is something that strikes my register rarely, double paper is like that mythical type of God that might stop things from falling out and ripping the bag, but the struggle to actually even pack it is all too real. Whether the corners stick together like glue, or I get a paper cut trying to flatten out the bottom of the bag, the customer is always right, and is worth the struggle I suppose too.
10. When taxes take out so much of your hard earned money.
Paychecks, either biweekly or weekly, all come upon a glorious day: payday. On the morning of payday, all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Then my alarm clock of church bells a-ring, and I rise from my bed with a smile and get changed. Then I check my bank account online to see, only $300 made last week! Oh, how taxes take out so much from everything. Taxes are inevitable, and I know that I'll get it back later, but as a famous commercial would say, "It's my money, and I want it now!"
11. The good outweighs the bad.
This isn't a pain, but all the friendly coworkers that you have come to know and love, are ones that you wouldn't trade. Not only can you have a conversation with them about more than a loaf of bread, they completely understand where you are coming from regardless, and are always an open ear to vent to and discuss your day. Even though working at a grocery store is a load of stress and a lot harder job than some may think, there's not much else I could see myself doing while working during the summer before college starts back up.
