Store Rants

Making decisions has never come easy, but when your job feels like a prison, the decision is made for you! I was at the shop on Saturday and told [helpful cousin] I had to leave. The veins in my forehead were popping out, I couldn’t stop my leg from tapping in a very angry fashion and when I saw one of my cheap shoppers pull up (she insists I help her pick everything out as I get the entire biography of each person, down to their blood type and shoe size). When I saw her, I tore out the door. I loved being free and out in the sunshine. I almost didn’t go back. I can usually handle these people but this year… for some reason… I’ve really really had it. “Going postal” has new meaning to me, I now totally get it.

Therefore, the audible *ding* in my head has told me, it’s time to move on. Regardless of the fact that I’m 15K in the hole and figuring out how to smooth that over ain’t going to be easy, I just can’t do this anymore, my customers are insane and it’s making me go insane. This is a blessing because I was on the fence. I didn’t know what I wanted. Now, my physical being, each cell has told me… get the heck out of Dodge.

(some more complaining here)

Sorry to sound so much like Debbie Downer, but… this is what’s on the plate in the decision buffet lately. The emotional dessert tray is tres magnifique, too… but again… if you are an emotional diabetic, this is boring and skip it. Sorry for the metaphors, I love them.

Lastly, my huge fear is the plug on the emotions that I’ll be pulling out by closing. I’m sure I’ll be a wreck and at the very end I may have to get therapy since I’m so wrapped up in this emotionally. It’s unhealthy, but apparent to many who come in. It’s a good and bad thing. My heart and soul went into this, and now I’m going to tear it apart and sell it off, piece meal. My goal is to keep it together as this happens.

pissed off at myself.

I have managed to:

1. Issue a coupon that doesn’t say “one per customer” and the same lady is buying a bunch of merchandise at 40% off that I just went downtown and bought. Walking about 1/2 a mile in the mist with a bag of merchandise with my muscles spasming… all so she could get it at cost. I’m such an idiot.
2. Drive out of the airport with my parking brake on… it sounds like I have a flat… I drive blocks with my hazards on while crying that I’m going to be late for work, have to deal with the car etc. (It’s a new-ish car)
3. Because of the airport drive and mishap… I missed my shower this morning… I underestimated how much time it would take to go to the airport.

For a few weeks, and all of last December, I had carafes of coffee out for customers… I didn’t have time to stop at starbucks today… someone brought in their commuter mug and said…”I thought you would have coffee!?” with a sour face and threaded plastic lid in their hand…

“Wrap this $3.00 ornament”… breakdown… I make $1.50 on that $3.00 ornament. The bag costs me .30 cents, tissue .25 cents and the bow… about .25 cents. That’s 80 cents. So, that $1.50 profit turns into 70 cents profit. OH, you are paying with a credit card? Let’s now call that 45 cents profit. Thanks SO much for your business!!!

FU*K. I want to close. Who can I pay to come in and clean this up for me? I’m dreading the paperwork, cleaning, packing and thought that someone else will come in… but… if I can’t make it… nobody can. And fu*k you for thinking I’m being cocky. Sure, I had cash flow issues… but I sort of kick ass in the work department and stay dedicated when I need to be. You may think this is your fault but it’s not.

And so the holiday has begun.

go go go. now now now… cheapskates. “This scarf feels sticky, I hate the cords that hang off the plug-in chandeliers, tell her what you want (mother to 6 year-old daughter to say to me), wrap this, you don’t have change for $100??

Ummm…. what is with the parents who think their young children should interact with adults in the service industry? We don’t think it’s cute and we really don’t have the time for it. They may have problem solving skills… but on the spot, with many choices… they just can’t do it. Don’t ask. “Tell the lady at the counter what you want, schnookems…” 20 minutes later I find out that schnookems wants a pink bow on her bag. The toe-tapping irritation rising from me in the form of steam must have been apparent because I scared schnookems a bit. I just don’t have the patience to be entertaining or practice child psychology this season.

spirit, schmirit.

So, it’s been slow… I’m sort of worried, but if anything, I’ll get rid of all this stuff via the sale. Mark it down enough, the vultures will get it. Put on a smile, don’t wrap and realize that you are at least making a buck or two. But honestly… I should have ordered a fraction of what I did. I don’t even like Christmas yet I order SO much of it.

Okay, back on the floor. Good distraction though.

feeling defeated…

$3.50 wrapped ornament… paying with a credit card for a $12.00 transaction. everyone is so cheap this year… and I’m feeling cornered. $1400 in the bank and more bills than usual. I feel sick to my stomach and I don’t want to go on with the store. I can’t keep doing this. Taking out loans, paying friends extra… doing favors and feeling like I owe that person. I just can’t do this anymore.

The website mostly sells one thing. I guess it could be worse. I won’t be able to get the variety that I want, but I can still decorate and do fun things on the blog.

There’s still a week left, and there is still hope… but I’m feeling so down about this. The hours, the cleaning, the bows on bags… they don’t appreciate it. Will they miss the store when it’s gone? Well, spending $10.00 here and there and having each thing wrapped isn’t helping me. Do they think I just make a million dollars a day?

Labor of love. These stores are going to be gone, people only come to them to “get ideas” and think everything is so expensive. They’ll open up those fancy magazines again, hope that they can actually visit a store like that in the magazine and be upset when it’s gone.

They all want to chat with me, get one-on-one attention… special attention, discounts… other b.s. But when it comes down to it, they aren’t loyal to me. I bend over backwards, fixing stuff, helping them with decorating/color ideas… all that. Nothing.

Remind me to talk about credit card processing companies and how they all suck.

It’s been slow, but we still have tomorrow.

I’ve been in a bad mood and I’m trying to figure out what it is.  I have to say that these bargain hunters feel the need to push for more freebies… boxes, wrapping… “oh come on, isn’t this considered an ornament!  It should be marked down more!”  bah.

I want to have patience.  I can see myself laughing and having a good time with customers who are having a good time and appreciate that they have a nicely decorated, unique store in their own backyard.

I need to have pride in my work and know that what I offer is worth every penny.  They are making me feel like less than that.  Scratch that… I am letting me feel that way.  I need to let it roll off my back.

To change all this:

1.  Take out all the slow melancholy christmas music.  Get an ipod… heck…. get rid of the christmas music.  Studies show they buy more with frank sinatra.  Let’s download every album he’s made… ever.
2.  communicate more at home that you are tired and need some space and/or help with the chores.  He’ll understand.  Don’t get grumpy or angry.
3.  Don’t stay here all night long… go home.  Get a hobby.  Exercise.  You are here too much.
4.  Everything does not have to be done now.
5.  Slow down.  Journal when it gets bad.  I was so angry and hurt today… like the universe hated me or something.  Why so personal?  You didn’t hit the sales you wanted but the weekend and month is NOT over.  Slow down.

I’ve come to the conclusion that weaning my customers off the “nice” me, the attentive one who has hours for them, the one that gave them free stuff and pampered them and spoiled them, is going to be really hard.  I think I may do the customer appreciation frequent buyer club at the beginning of 2008.  I’m a little too paranoid to start it now.  So… that’s my goal for the next 5 weeks.  To get a plan together that I can put into place on the 1st.

Oh, ironically, a lady that sets up frequent buyer clubs called me and is calling me back next week.  Should I talk to her?  It’s only 10 min.  Do it.

Okay…. feeling better.

I wanted to close today.  I was ready to give up.  Where did this come from?  The tables turned and a customer talked to me today about it… she should be a life coach.  She is amazing & could really help people.  She really wants to be a coach, I hope she does it.  Let’s hope that her talking to me is a good “sign” for her that she should be coaching.  And I hope I didn’t say too much.  I don’t want to give them all that ammo.  Please watch this.

Also, I have this huge fear that people won’t like me.  Where is this coming from?  And, on top of that, if they don’t like the store, they don’t like me.  EEEK!  Setting yourself up for disaster there, kid.  It’s that one lady, the negative one that gets under your skin.  You stay all night long because that one lady said it was a mess in here.  Why do you let that effect you?  This goes way beyond the store.