The bad thing about working in a store is that after work you still have to go to the store. If you don’t want to buy milk, socks, or whatever where you work, you’ll wind up at a different store. Unless you’re brain dead, which is entirely possible, you’ll notice how the other store does things differently than they do at the store where you work. So there you are, after work, basically back at work and thinking about work.
Other professions don’t go through this. Doctors have to go to a doctor, sure, but it’s not as often as the need for milk. Or socks.
Why give work your best hours, anyway? I don’t. The day job only gets part of me, like the part that’s had three hours of sleep. That’s good enough. The good part, the part that’s had more than three hours of sleep, is for myself. I never claimed to be normal.
There are many creative people who start writing, sculpting clay, or whatever at four in the morning before they have to go to work. Mary Higgins Clark famously did this before she had to get her five children ready for school. That kind of drive and dedication clearly explains the difference between a bestselling author and a cartoonist.
I’ve noticed that there are two types of employees behind the service desk. There are ones who are passionately involved in policy and procedures, and ones whose emotional involvement ceased after clocking in.
I maintain that the superior employee has no emotional involvement whatsoever. Rules are rules, sure, but getting all riled up about most stuff is above your paygrade. Let the millionaire CEO worry about it. Besides, you can make clearer decisions when you really don’t care.
People who are on the phone get made fun of a lot, but they still exist so we still have to make fun of them. Most phone conversations are really no big deal, but if there’s a situation that requires detailed human interaction it’s best to call somebody back.
My favorites are the people on the other end of the phone who get involved in the transaction at the counter. It may even be a Facetime call where the person who is physically there holds up their phone, so you now have an additional person to talk to about a problem. That’s actually ok. They are technically there. Maybe the person on the phone is the actual customer but they are sick and need to be in bed. Technology. It’s wonderful.
But it’s usually a stupid phone call like the one in the comic.
Pretending to be grown up and being grown up accomplish the same thing. I think I’m safe in saying that most people are pretending.
This one made me laugh as I was making it. I’ve trained so many people. Inevitably, something gets said to the person you are training that confuses and irritates the customer. Why not take it a step further and train your employee on how to deal with the customer in front of them?
Happy people who make corny jokes that you’ve heard a million times are always very good customers. I know I’d rather hear a joke that I’ve heard a million times than a complaint or problem I’ve heard a million times.
Passionate employees are usually the first to fall in front of a difficult customer. It requires too much energy. I need my energy for after work. And my passion. Why give it to a customer? Really, the millionaire CEO needs to be on the floor with all of that passion and energy.
New employee orientation exists in a magical realm outside of the workplace, where all scenarios are theoretical and the answers are plentiful. It’s relaxing and you get to sit with coffee and possible donuts. Enjoy your time because there is no going back.
Tabby bringing an actual disgruntled customer into orientation was something her character brought on its own. I don’t think I thought of this. It was definitely Tabby’s idea.
I think customers should be given the option to have free stuff if they appear in orientation classes to air their grievances. It could be very educational and entertaining.
What’s the saying? You don’t quit a job, you quit a manager. Very true, but you also quit coworkers. Customers come an go, but the coworker you don’t like is there every day.
There’s always a section on harassment in orientation classes. They need to also include one on grumpy coworkers.
I work as a property manager. This is a 24/7 on call job. At a certain point, the residents forget I don't care about their lives and am literally here to make sure their toilets work and they pay my boss. Simple, right? I get texts about things that aren't important at midnight, 3 am, 5 am. This has caused me to shut off all notifications around 7pm and not look at my phone until I wake up. Someone might have an emergency, but they've trained me to get sleep instead.
I love Tabby.