Early Shoppers

I should have realized it would get crazy.
I mean, work has been basically dead, customer wise, for most of the week.
Hardly any real rushes or anything.

And honestly, if anything crazy would happen.
It would happen on a Thursday.
Thursdays are just days made for trouble really.

The random rushes of people when you're in the middle of trying to do something...

Yah.
Happens on Thursdays more often than not.

I knew something was up when I looked up from the middle of my cleaning tasks to see an older gentleman standing near the entrance looking confused.
I quick glance at my watch showed that we still had half an hour before we opened.
A look back to him and a quick "Can I help you?"
Had him answering. "You're not open yet are you?"
"Not for another half hour no." I responded.
He looked at me with sad eyes, half hidden hope really. "All I wanted to do was buy a dog tag." He said quietly.

Ah.
Just a dog tag.
That was easy, and I knew the registers would already be open -I double checked my watch to be sure- because our grooming department was open even if the main store was not.

So I walked over to the register since the tags were right there.
Of course...he hadn't picked one yet.
And once he picked one, he needed help with the actual engraving of the tag part.
So all in all it felt like 15 minutes later that I sent the customer on his way.

lol he was pretty gracious about it as well. lol.
"I'm impressed you're here working so hard. It's good to see someone dedicated to their job." and other such compliments. lol. I'm not sure why it impressed him....I guess he's had to deal with too many apathetic young people who are just there to earn money. But as I told him "Do what you Love, Love what you do." :)
Haha, perhaps he was just being complimentary to show his gratitude that I was willing to help him even though we weren't open yet.

In any case.
After he got sent on his way, I got interrupted again thirty seconds later by the arrival of our new shipment of animals, which I usually need to oversee.

It was crazy because we basically got done receiving the animals right as the store opened.
And basically right on the dot of opening.
I hear over the intercom. "Backup cashier."
O.o
Huh?
We just barely opened! Why would you need a backup cashier?
I moved up to the front and heard. "Third cashier."

Literally there were 12 people waiting in line to be helped out.
And all I could do was ()_() stare at it.
WHERE DID ALL THESE PEOPLE COME FROM?!

Literally we hadn't been open 5 minutes at that point, but we suddenly needed THREE cashiers?

It was crazy.
*shakes head*

Who knows why everyone and their mom decided to come into the store in the first hour of work.
But it definitely meant finishing my cleaning tasks quickly became more difficult lol.
Thankfully it seemed to be just a quick morning rush and everything returned to being slower.
Still...its weird for there to be so many people in the morning.... really weird.

-Sarnic Dirchi