rememberance - Past Series

"Hi, ticket?"....

yup, thats how we start off our day when the customers start pouring in.

Entering the plastic doors that are slightly hazed to give the impression that this is the place that they toys come out from and also a big sign saying "Authorized personnel only" to keep them away.

The smell of unopened cardboard boxes, the metal racking and the body odour from the ticket boys. Exactly what we need in the morning to wake up to serve our customers with a smile.

Don't think we hardly interact with customers just because we're the ticket boys, we meet them, talk to them, help them and most important of all they need us. Loading those heavy items onto their cars, making small talk and sometimes really long talk. Finding an item in the grand storeroom is no easy task, leave it to a ticket guy to find it for you. After a while it becomes second nature.

But wait, there's a person waiting by the loading dock and you've got to tend to them as well. Great! The delivery guy has arrived and he's in a hurry and not giving you the good vibes. When you think you've helped everyone, "Ticket to refunds, thats ticket to refund please , thank you" goes over the speaker system in a very sweet but demanding voice. Alas, thats all that was left. Let't just say this is probably the more usual way to start off the morning. This is not even including the little paperwork that goes in to being a ticket guy, thats another story on its own.

So how do we keep it together you ask? Its not a million dollar question my loyal readers, its actually human nature. When you're having a bad day, you need a pick up, a sliver lining as some call it. Be it someone to talk to, something you do to de-stress or just need to get motivated to get moving again.

A friend, a smile, a nice gesture is sometimes all we need to get us up and going again. And in this place we call our workplace, there's a certain person who managed to do this job pretty well, be it unconsciously or intentionally but that doesn't matter.

I know, that we, the ticket guys, the guys and girls on the sales floor and on the registers have been touched by this person in a way thats not explainable or probably is.

In the end, we all wish him the best, where ever he may be and that he knows how grateful we are to have had the chance to know him and work alongside him.

pMaN