Sliding Thoughts

You know you’ve been working too long at Target when:

- you refer to customers as “guests”…outside of work.
- you refer to fellow employees as “team members”…also outside of work.
- you abbreviate everything.
- you start having nightmares about not having stocked the shelves enough.
- you refer to the stuff sold at the store as “product” & “merchandise”.
- when you see someone in red and khaki, you assume they work at Target.
- you start referring to all meals, no matter what time, as “lunch”.
- you reach for your walkie-talkie…even at home.

and finally:
- you straighten shelves when you go to other stores.

At work (Target) they play music videos on the TV screens in Electronics. They’ve been playing a lot of Modest Mouse and the Postal Service, as well as Los Lonely Boys. Therefore, I’ve had Modest Mouse’s “Float On” stuck in my head for the last week. And I own the the Postal Service cd, thanks to Adam, so that’s been in my cd player.

Also: if you have to return items, please do not yell at Guest Service. They are merely doing their job. We had 3 guests in a row yell at the poor ladies behind the desk on Sunday, and more yesterday and today. The nicer you are, the more likely they will go out of their way to help if they can.

The team members have begun referring to me as “the intern”, which I find amusing. One of them tried to use it to bug me, then got disconcerted when I laughed in his face.

A guest stopped me today when the store was closing. He was looking for “…fine point gel pens. They have the medium point, see, right here? But no fine point. Oh, you’ve never used gel pens?! They’re the best! Seriously, you should really try them. I want the 10-pack, but all I see is medium point…” Continued in that same vein. We never found the fine point. haha.

Did you know that the Target Corporation sold Marshall Fields and Mervyn’s to the May company, which owns Lord & Taylor? Sale is not final till mid-July, but it has been a topic of conversation.

Oh yeah, and the best information of all? Wal-Mart is opening next door in August. ewww.

The reason I have not been online much: my Target internship. I’m loving it, but I’ve worked two 10 hour days and two 8 hour days so far, so I haven’t slept as much as I should and I’ve been on my feet.

Very sore feet, I must say.

I’m learning a great deal, and the folks at my store are helpful and friendly. It is hard to explain in this little space what exactly my day is like because every day is different. I have been training in Guest Services this week, which involves learning about cashiering, the Guest Service desk, numbers (sales, cashier speed scores, and Visas), and various other things. It is very hands on.

So every night I come home, collapse, and try to relax a little bit.

Also, whenever I see babies at work I go all silly and want to hug them. Can’t, of course, but dang they are just so cute!

I was going a little stir-crazy, wondering what I was going to do this summer, when I finally got a phone call from Target for the 12 week management internship program. I got the job! It is paid, and I’m going to be working near my house. Now I’m just waiting for the details in the mail. I start June 2nd.

In other news, I decided tonight that I’m going to Minnesota tonight with some of the local youth, so I’ll be back Friday.