Shameless

Today has been a really busy day I’ve been buzzing around all over the place like a little bee in the height of summer. We've had lots of nice customers today, well obviously they are all diamonds but I do have my favourites. (lets be clear they get treated the same as everyone else, I am just fond of certain ones) You do get to know people working in a small town and they know us, especially me, they even know if I’ve had a trim or highlights!

In summer last year I thought i’d be adventurous throw caution to the wind and wear my shorts. BIG mistake. Infact i’m still recovering. I kept a tally of how many people made inappropriate and silly comments on my shorts. They were typical ones, just above the knee, grey in colour, formal in design a little bit like school shorts but appropriate for work. I’m not a fan of uniforms although I fully appreciate them I just think they strip away the personality from you, I like to dress smart /casual though, and so do all our staff in the shop.

This particular time was unbearable I think I had over 50 comments throughout the week so this year I’m going to wear full length pants 24/7. I’d be ok in the middle east wouldn’t I.

My favourites days at work are when everything run smoothly like today has, no refunds, no exchanges some good donations and friendly folk. Why can’t every day be like that?

Well one of my major beefs with this town is theft, shop lifting and cons. Now I like this town and the people who shop in our shop and who I work with but there is an unbelievable and jaw dropping amount of theft that goes on not just in our shop but in all of them.  It happens on a daily basis. There are 3 main types of shop lifter:

1.      Generic Handbag Snatchers: Ones who carry an old Tesco white carrier (the same one each time,) and knock things off the hangers hoping they drop into the bag or on the floor so they can bend down and pop it in.

2.      Can I have the hanger? Ones who pinch the hanger with the top, there is a strange epidemic of hanger thieves at the minute as we keep finding clothes without hangers, they just lie on the floor and no hanger to be found. Very mysterious. They also hide hangers inside tops so they come out of the changing room with no empty hangers.

3.      Ticket swappers (i still class this as theft). They rip a ticket of something cheaper and swap it for the actual price. E.g. Taking a £1.50 t- shirt and placing it on a £4.50 dress. Blood boiling really, luckily I’ve only ever had to ask two people to leave and not come back for doing it right in front of us. Neither said anything just hung their head in shame. Shameless if you ask me.

So yes theft happens in all shops worldwide and sometimes you have to not take it personally, it’s just we all work so hard to have it undone by a small (feels huge sometimes) percentage of thefts. We have a good relationship with the CCTV, surroundings businesses and the Police so we do get to know of well known shop lifters and have the support there if it does happen.