On my first day, I sauntered confidently into the shop, perhaps a minute or two late, and was flabberghasted at the events that unfolded. Firstly I was told, in a way that Annika obviously considered friendly or kind but seemed to me just to be patronising, that punctuality was the key to a healthy employer-employee relationship. Having mumbled my profuse apologies I was then told that today, after having hoovered the shop, I would be pricing all the stock, something that they seemed to have never gotten around to, and cleaning all the shoes. I was unable to offer any objections so I did this grudgingly. About halfway into the day, whilst still pricing the very first rail of “vintage” (nasty) clothes, Annika announced that she was going to make herself a cup of tea and eat her lunch in the back and that I was in charge of the shop until she returned. Joyfully I abandoned my post at the vintage rail and clambered behind the table on which the till, phone etc. were precariously placed. The first person to come in declined my offer of help and left hurriedly with her bag bulging rather more conspicuously than I had thought it had been upon her entry to the shop. I decided to ignore this, partly because I felt that there was little I could do about it but mainly because I was afraid of accusing her of something I was not entirely sure she had done. The next customer became fairly enthusiastic at my offer of help and I actually made a sale but alas, it was not to be that simple. When she came to the till to pay for her goods she gave me the items I had helped her pick out and then declared that she was going to pay for these ones and was going to put another item, a pair of ridiculously expensive striped tights, in her bag and walk out. I laughed politely (ha ha ha what a funny customer you are, I’m so lucky you brightened up my day with your funny jokes) and to my surprise she put them in her bag and walked out. Bemused and incredibly amused I decided it would not be a particularly good idea to tell Annika when she came out of the back area.
The rest of the week passed more or less without incident and when the end of the week arrived I was so tired I thought that I could have slept through the entire weekend. As it happens I almost managed to. The weekend was over all too quickly for my liking and I found myself back in the shop again promptly on Monday morning. Little did I know it then but today was to be the day of the till incident and was to leave me in a state of perpetual embarrassment for the rest of the week.
On the Wednesday I was to be given a chance to express my creativity in the form of designing and preparing a window display. Never before had I been so terrified. I decided upon a summer theme, probably a futile attempt to hurry the weather into deciding upon a summer theme. For some reason I associated summer with pirates, so a Captain Hook sprung up in the window along with a huge skull and crossbones flag behind it. The other side of the window became a tropical paradise (a bit of blue material and some sand scattered around) that became home to many figurines wearing grass skirts. I know it does not sound it but the window actually looked alright when finished. I have to say I was actually quite proud of it, as it was the first and, in all likelihood, the last time I have ever or will ever do a window display.
When my last day finally arrived I was exhausted. My legs were aching because of the lack of chairs in a shop and I was thrilled at the prospect of the weekend and a comfortable life sitting down at school. Annika and Carol (the gothic one) were nice enough to present me with a pair of jeans. I had done a lot of work for free but it was still nice of them to make the gesture. If work experience taught me anything then it is this, that I never want to work in a shop again as long as I live.
CHRIS BELL 10S
