I could really start a website on the adventures of being a manager in the retail world. You encounter every shade of wonderful and zany people. It really opens your eyes to different personalities and how quickly things can turn sour if you read a person wrong. I'll recount one 're-tale' that happened recently.
I arrive at work and occupy myself with morning duties. Young man enters. I glance at him to acknowledge his existence and leave him to my fellow shop girls to attend to. He walks to a shelf and steals glances at me. I watch him in return. He thinks I'm interested, I think he's about to shoplift.
He requests my help so I walk over, guard up and ready to grumble. He tells me he's interested in finding a good facial scrub (meanwhile he's been browsing hair products). I pick up on the inconsistency of his story and it furthers my belief that he's up to no good. I had that part right. In between unfocused and inane questions about the products, he inquires about my ethnicity and comments on my appearance. At this point the alarms are ringing in my head. The cloud of confusion settles and I understand his true intentions. Despite my new-found enlightenment I try to close the sale but he leaves empty-handed.
My fellow shop girl tells me that he balked at the $14 price-tag on the scrub and claimed, "I might as well wash my face with bar soap!" I laughed at that and thought to myself if he can't afford a $14 scrub, he can't afford to be taking me out.
I receive a call to the store from him minutes later and - as anticipated - he asks me out for a date. I firmly reply that I'm uninterested and unavailable.
As I hang up I realize we both had one thing in common: We don't want no scrub.
Cue: TLC's hit song.
