Flashing Lights

So. 
Because we come in to work before the store officially opens. 
-To clean, to feed the animals, to stock the shelves.
The front door is often locked to prevent customers from coming in and wandering around before they're supposed to.

Usually it's not a big deal, because we have a doorbell that allows us to notify people within the store that someone is waiting outside to be let in.

Only....one of my newer coworkers didn't know this.
And he was showing up for his first stocking shift. 
-He's usually a cashier.

So when he came to work and found the door shut...and found that knocking on the door didn't get our attention, and that he couldn't access the store....

Decided to grab his car and pull up to the front of the store and sit there, with his headlights flashing at the store. 

Which....was rather creative of him.
Though while a few of my coworkers and I noticed the flashing lights....
We didn't think to go open the door.
I mean...it's kinda creepy to have this car sitting in front of the doors with flashing lights. 

*shakes head* 

Eventually someone let him in.
And he discovered that we had a doorbell.

But honestly...he could have solved the problem by calling the store....and asking to be let in. 

-Sarnic Dirchi

Differences

It's interesting training my different coworkers. 
I had to do that today, a bit of training with a coworker who'd come into help open the department with me.

And I was going to have them do the cats, only I noticed as I was showing them the ropes, that my coworker was getting more and more sniffily.

And I already have one coworker who's allergic to furry creatures...
So I was like "Are you allergic?"
"I think so."

But instead of begging off cleaning the cats, like my other coworker does.
-Because my trainee today came in not expecting to be working in my department-
My coworker decided to go ahead and clean the cages.
Despite them having the sniffles and such.

And I was just kinda impressed...and grateful really.
That there was another coworker willing to deal with 'difficult' things instead of finding ways to avoid it.
It made opening a lot easier knowing that if needed, they're willing to do the things. 

-Sarnic Dirchi

Boy or Girl?

I had a customer come into the store today, intent on getting boys and girls off all the fish that he wanted.
The problem?
I can't always tell the difference between boys and girls in the fish.
Basically almost all the fish.
Because all of them are young...and aren't yet full grown.
And also because most of the fish are egg layers and they're just...difficult to tell apart when they're babies.

And this customer wanted to know if I could tell him the difference with the catfish.
Which I could not.
And I told him so. That the catfish were too young, that I had no idea. (honestly I've never looked it up so I don't have the first clue as to what to look for)
But for whatever reason, the customer didn't seem to comprehend that when I said I had no idea for all the catfish.
That I literally meant ALL the catfish.
As he pointed to one tank of Albinos and asked if I could tell the difference and I said "No, I can't tell for any of the catfish." 
and he proceeded to point to every single tank of catfish after that point. (five tanks in total) and ask me the same question. 
*exhales* 
No. No. No. No. What do you not understand about me saying NO? 

*shakes head*
He ended up getting a couple anyways.
But do I know what gender they were? 
Not the foggiest. *shrugs* 

-Sarnic Dirchi

To Pet

There was a group of small children who came into the store today. (with their adult watchers of course) Who were looking around at the animals and such, like groups of kids tend to do in the store.

And I decided to be the 'cool coworker' and give them a more hands on experience and pulled out a guinea pig for them to pet.

lol.

To say I was instantaneously mobbed is an understatement. I was surrounded by children from every direction, reaching out to pet the Guinea Pig.

But surprisingly they were all rather polite about it, not too much fighting or jostling.

They each took the opportunity to pet the guinea pig and were happy it was so soft, and how his feet looked and a variety of other things lol. 

It was fun just to see the children get so excited over the guinea pig. ^^;;;

-Sarnic Dirchi

Catfish Bonding

There was a gentleman who came into the store today in search of catfish.

Because the dude is rather obsessed with them. lol

The entire time I was fishing out different catfish for him, he was telling me different varieties that he'd owned, and currently had, and was still looking for to get.

His eyes positively lit up when I told him I had catfish too. 

Lol I got to watch a couple of videos and see many pictures of his catfish.

And of course.
He was super excited to find out that we carried the Bumblebee catfish because he'd been looking for them forever and last time he'd come in he hadn't been told about that particular catfish. 

-Mostly because it's easily overlooked as that catfish is constantly hiding. 

Lol.
Overall it was fun to catch fish for him.
I hope the ones he bought today do well. ^^;; 

-Sarnic Dirchi

Where Is It?

It's always fun to help the grandparent aged people at work.
Because more often than not they come up to you looking at you like you are the holder of all the answers. And they expect you to know exactly where everything is and know where it is and guide them to it. 

lol Today I helped one of those grandparent couples find the frozen mice.
As apparently I'd helped them buy a snake a little bit ago....
-They looked familiar but I had no idea if I was the one to help them buy this snake. 

In any case.
I took them over to the frozen mice and pulled out one of the boxes I thought would be the right size for the snake they were describing and showed it to them.

They confirmed that yes that was the size, took it, thanked me and headed on their way. 

^^;;
I like it when I can easily give a customer a solution to their question. 

-Sarnic Dirchi

Card Phone

So I had hopped onto the register briefly to cover the cashier while they needed to head to the back for a moment.
And I ended up helping a couple who were buying some bird food.
And the gentleman was being all techy and trying to use his phone with the card app thingy. 
Because that's a thing, and our new cardreaders actually work for the phone thingies. 

Only. 
His credit card didn't work with our machine.
It was trying to read it as debit card and wouldn't work as a credit card.

And he got so frustrated...at me.

Which was weird.
Because it's not like I can control the machines. Some machines don't like certain cards and won't recognize some cards can be both. 
But he got so frustrated, and the anger flared so quickly. 
It was so strange. 

Like...it wasn't something to get mad at.
Like I could see how it would be frustrating and why you would get mad if your card wasn't working for you.

But it seemed like such a waste of emotion really.
I didn't get it.
But at least he was able to use a different card on his phone and make it work. 
So yay. :) 

-Sarnic Dirchi