Jennysha's job log: 6
Jennysha Patel
- March 2009.
The story so far… Jennysha graduated two years ago, and it was a while before she figured out what she wanted to do. She is now looking for ways into publishing.
Living each day
I read something really interesting the other day in a magazine. It was one of those mind, body, spirit types. I can’t remember the exact source, but I do remember a question it asked: How would you live your life if you knew it was eternal? We focus so much and are pressured to focus so much, by books, songs, positive happy people, on ‘living every day as if it were our last’, to ‘have no regrets’ and so on and so forth. On the one hand, life is too short to hold grudges, take yourself too seriously, and wait for a special occasion to use your fancy china. On the flip side, it’s important to maintain one’s integrity, to save and plan ahead for a rainy day, and to feel what you are feeling and embrace that emotion at that specific moment in time.
Not so predictable
Life is so contradictory, so full of ups and downs that sometimes you can’t help but laugh sardonically. Take for example, one Friday at the bookshop where I work. In addition to books, we also sell DVDs and CDs and other bits and bobs (these ‘extras’ are what feature in this little story). So to begin the day, I went in, telling myself it’s just work, I’ll get through it. Before I know it, my shift will be over and I can go home and relax. Serving customers on the till, I was trying not to think (for I am a woman who thinks too much, and this is more often than not, a bad thing!). I was aiming to get on with work, humming along to the in-store music, without a clue what was in store for me (no pun intended). I had a few customers to deal with and so requested back-up. Then came along a chap, not specially dressed or looking particularly professional or entrepreneurial or anything. Just a regular Joe Bloggs. But apparently not. He started requesting and demanding (not in a rude way) for this DVD and that box-set behind the counter, displayed in a similar way to cigarettes in a supermarket - behind the cashier. I felt like he was a child picking and choosing sweets in a sweet shop. ‘I’ll have that one, all of those, three of those, what’s that over there? How much is that? I’ll take the lot.’ I was about to ask him what he was planning on doing with his pick ’n’ mix assortment when his ‘partner in crime’ - a woman with overflowing baskets full of DVDs and box-sets, joined him at my till. I requested back-up, again. She, too, was directing me left and right, up and down to get this and that DVD, as though they had too much money and not enough sense! I found out that they were indeed business partners and had an online store and with changes in legislation making prices of stock plummet, they were milking it and us for all we were worth and walking away with plenty for their own profit. All in all, I carried out five or so separate transactions of theirs with the total amounting to over £700 worth of stock - this is about the shop’s average daily total of all multimedia takings, let alone one single customer’s spend. I was ecstatic and had spent well over half an hour serving the duo and had even eaten into the next person’s stint on the tills. I forgot all about my ‘it’s a means to an end’ chant which I meditated before starting my shift and smiled to myself at how crazy this life really is. Of course, I sung my praises (any hint of modesty flew out the window) and shouted out to all at how brilliant I had been and smashed multimedia sales, single-handedly! Well, if anyone’s going to be proud of you, why not your number one fan: you?
I guess the moral of the story is that: situations will never stay the same. They will always change. Tomorrow is another day. Keep that in mind.
Read my previous job logs
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