Summer is a favorite holiday for many people. Teachers and students enjoy having a few months out of school. When I was a kid, of course, I enjoyed summer vacation as well. However, for many, including myself, there comes the point where summer vacation does not exist. I live and work near the Jersey shore, which is a popular place for locals and out of towners to relax and enjoy. Anyone who has had the "privilege" to work in a "Shore town" braces for a wave of tourists, mostly from Northern New Jersey and New York City.
Here are some reasons as to why I cannot wait for summer to be over.
1. It is just too damn hot outside.
I know that there are many places, particularly in the Southwestern United States, where the temperature can be in the triple digits, sometimes for days at a time, so for me to complain about how hot it gets here in New Jersey, seems like a first world problem to some. As someone who runs warm most of the time, I can do without excessive heat and humidity. When you are hot, you can only remove so many layers of clothing, unless you are at home by yourself. I do not like being cold either, but when you are cold, you can throw on as many layers of clothing as you please, and take off some layers here and there as you warm up. I miss the sweat-shirt weather!
2. Even more traffic than usual.
Major roadways in the area already have their fair share of traffic jams. Add tourists to that equation, and our traffic issues only go from bad to worse. After driving for over twelve years, I have become tired of it. Drivers from places such as Pennsylvania and New York do not drive like us New Jerseyans do. These drivers will drive too slow and aggravate those stuck behind them, or in contrast, they drive recklessly or carelessly, resulting in us fearing for our lives even more while out on the road.
3. Rude customers.
There are two primary types of customers. There are the regular clients who we like and greatly appreciate their business. In the hustle and bustle of today's world where we are constantly on the go, it is a nice change of pace to have our favorite guests come in, and we engage in a small conversation with them. These are people we try to go above and beyond for to the extent that our company's policy will allow.
On the other hand, there are the not so regular customers. This group primarily consists of those that primarily reside elsewhere and are just visiting for the summer season. It is not difficult to determine which kind of customer one is dealing with.
4. Children are on summer vacation.
With local schools in recess for the summer months, they will now congregate in places such as shopping malls and strip malls with or without their parents. Many families that shop in this area will have several younger children in tow. We see some parents that do watch their kids and make sure that they do not destroy the store; however, many parents tend to let their children roam around and grab anything they can put their little hands on. To make matters worse, many of those parents do not even bother attempting to clean up the mess their offspring have done, and instead of leaving it for the employees to deal with as if we did not have anything else to do.