By now we are all stuck inside thanks to the epidemic. I hope we are stuck inside at least, and I know there are people like retail workers, first responders, doctors, and essentials are open. But for the non-essentials you are homebound or some work from home to keep away from the public to keep it from spreading. Some people aren’t used to staying inside though especially if people are used to going out. And if you are stuck on what to do then I can make a list since it is something I am used to when I wasn’t going out to work. 

Read

Write

Game

Cook

Binge watch tv shows and movies

Journal

Clean the house 

Get stuff done around the house

Catch up on stuff on Youtube

Board games

Videos on your favorite subjects

Facetime and text friends

Sleep

Eat. 

Above all, get into a normal routine.

I didn’t realize how many books I needed to catch up on till now. Also I have a ton of stuff to play video game wise. A ton of videos to film and even some MREs to review.

There is a lot to do at home. Laundry, chores and if you have children then play with them. 

You can even drink wine sometimes or all the time.

Learn a new skill. 

Write the book you said you wanted to write already. All this time. There are a lot of possibilities. 

Heck I have time to work on projects, research for books, and even write on my blogs more. It will be fun to have time to do whatever. 

This will pass eventually, and it won’t be permanent.

There are more posts coming! 

Stay tuned!

Until next time,

Jessica

 

This is weird that I haven’t even written about it, but I will do it now since I have at least 11 books under my belt. I also finished Mina’s Vampire mate so it looks like a good time to tell the story. I have been publishing by myself since 2011. I decided to forgo the traditional route and I already tried to do a query letter to get an agent. I even had a query letter but around that time self-publishing took off. Also, after doing research agents get a cut of your royalties. And even if you have an agent it can take time to find a publisher. Of course, even without an agent I got a publisher of a small press. I even went to Ruth Chris to celebrate my first book contract. It was a nice feeling. In 2015 Write More Publications picked up my book The Killer Contract Agency. And in turn I experienced what it was like working with a small press. When it was accepted there were book blitzes and a cover reveal. It was fun. Sadly it closed down in 2017. The rights reverted back to me after they closed. I got a new cover and reuploaded it. I love having control over the process of it. I choose my own editors and cover artists. I get them from Fiverr.com. The royalties are bigger when you self-publish too, and I couldn’t keep track of daily sales unless I publish on my own. I upload and format my own books. I decided what projects to work on. I decide the deadlines. I only pay for cover art and editing. It is fun to be able to do this on my own, and I love the creative control. Of course it can be hard at times not having deadlines. The marketing is something I am trying to figure out. I even got writing books to help with that. It is a learning journey, and there is always more to learn. I am trying to write more than I used to since I have a steady schedule now. I enjoy publishing myself, and I need to build a backlist to take off. Sometimes review sites can help, some don’t. I love finishing projects and even better is holding the books and signing them and giving them to people. Writing is something I have to do in order to function, and in the coming posts I want to write ones on each book and talk about the inspiration behind them. I am also going to write posts about my worlds and the various creatures and stories. 

 

I hope you enjoyed this post. 

I will see you in the next one.

Love Jess

 

 

Description: The customer is not always right! If you have ever worked retail then this is the book for you, department store style. The customers are crazy and the situations are hilarious. It will provide you with tips on how to make a retail worker happy with you. And show you what a day is like in a department store as well as show you stories of rude, crazy and even the stupid things customers say to retail workers. Some will make you laugh and some will make you want a drink. Get ready and let’s dive into the wacky world of department store stories.

Link: https://amzn.to/2R0TPwf

Excerpt:

“Do you work here?” a customer asked me while I was putting away clothes off a rack. I was also wearing my Nikki’s name badge with the name Mina.

“Yes,” I look at my name badge so they can see how stupid it is to ask me that.

She laughed oblivious to my joke. “Can you check me out since I can’t find anyone to help me check out?”

I look over at the few registers in the kids and intimate area. She was right. There was no one around. Of course my coworkers could be in the bathroom or putting away other clothes in different departments. This is why I hate taking returns in different areas. The register even had someone else panicking while waiting at the registers.

“Yes, someone is here.” the customer in front of the register waiting at the counter said. And then she glared when she spotted me since it’s my fault I kept her waiting. “Where have you been? I have been waiting here for ten minutes and haven’t been able to find anyone!”

“Cleaning the area. We don’t just stand behind the register the whole day.” I said. No need to be bitchy to me either since it’s not my fault.

“Well, maybe you should since I can’t find you anyway. Nikki’s has only gotten worse over the years, they hire idiots, and most of you can’t do your jobs.” She said. Whatever. Impatient bitches happen all the time.

“Okay, let me ring you up and let you be on your way so you can abuse someone else.” I said. She was speechless. And I quickly rang her up and the other older lady. And they are why I drink.

I don’t care if you complain to me about stuff I can’t control. I work retail at a department store where they don’t pay me enough to put up with bullshit. I am not a dumbass retail worker since I have my degree. My field is so competitive that I am stuck here until I find something else. I hope I do soon I graduated with my degree so I thought it would be easy to find something else instead it wasn’t. I have been working here for one year and seven months. I have spent countless nights questioning my life choices and wondering where it all went wrong. I have alcohol stocked up after work since after dealing with dumbasses all day I will need it to take the edge off. Something to dull the fact that I am a miserable retail worker who just graduated college and ended up in a mound of debt. I feel like a failure. Period. Stuck behind a register to be mocked at and laughed at by customers since they don’t think it is a real job. I was done with my pathetic life, and customers who treat me like I can’t read when they need help with their cards. The happiest day of my life is when I turned in my two week’s notice. The last day I worked and clocked out was the best feeling in the world and that is what this book is about. Me looking back on my time in retail, free of it and moving on. I kept track of all the mean customers, angry ones, and even have a few fun chapters, too.

I work in a department store and it has crazy customers, long lines, and endless returns. Nikki’s is for people to afford nice shoes, clothes, and even stuff for their homes. I love the employees working here since they are close to one another. There is also a music track that doesn’t include freaking holiday songs instead it’s songs I can actually sing to and some I get sick of. But they do play holiday music in November, and having to endure music like that totally sucks. 

There are actually interesting stories since a department store closes and opens. And special holiday hours, too. And then there are times when listening to the Christmas music will drive you crazy, and all the register lines are out the door. You don’t just sit behind a register all day either like people think we do. We have to clean up fitting rooms full of clothes no one wants, put up items from racks that people stuff clothes on, and make sure the entire floor is clean while answering the many questions we get throughout the day. Questions like where is the bathroom, if the coupon works with the item, and where stuff is on mannequins. A lot of stuff is going on and we have to deal with people complaining we aren’t there when we are right in front of them.

Retail is not for everyone either, and you have to actually like people to work in this field. Bonus points for patience since some of the transactions can get complicated due to miscommunication, and people trying to make it more complicated than it actually is. Customers will also talk down to you as if they are better then you just because you have a job in retail. I get looked down on just because I work. And it’s so easy I can practically be drunk while ringing up people. I get comments like, “Let me make this easy for you.” And ones like, “I feel sorry for you if this is what you have to do,” a customer said while looking at the enormous pile of shit someone left me to clean up. I mean I get hassled a lot by customers to the point where I zone out. Sorry if I don’t care about your sarcasm or humor when I was yelled at for the eighth time over a coupon not working for an old lady on an item.

Some days during the week can be slow like Monday-Wednesday depending on if it’s a normal day, and some days are so busy with constant register lines, full fitting rooms, and people who ask you nonstop questions will make you wish you had vodka to chug after the shift. Don’t even get me started on holidays since it will be crazy to be there during Christmas and Black Friday. Especially some days before on a good day I wouldn’t touch that with a ten foot pole. Those days will make you wish you stocked up on alcohol.

There are days when I love working at Nikki’s, and there are days I would love to just walk out since everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Hell, that one dipshit manager made me want to walk out and not finish my shift at all. It is not easy by any means and the comments from the customers just suck since some aren’t exactly nice.   

Also, I have seen a lot of stuff here, too and it’s not easy either since it can be like walking into a flaming car.  I could quite literally see people setting themselves on fire since the coupons didn’t work. People also can’t read signs either.  And if you loved Tales From Behind the Counter you will love this book since it has stories from a department store this time, and not a discount store. Welcome to high end retail where there are expensive brand named clothes, no alcohol is sold, and the customer base has more money to blow then bachelors in a strip club. My name is Mina, and I have been working in a department store for a while. 

This book will have stories, pet peeves, and some of the angriest and mean customers I have dealt with working in customer service and even working in the bra and kids area. I have also worked all over the store in different departments since when you work retail then you work everywhere. You also have to be pretty flexible if you want to work retail, and if there is a call out at the store they could call you to come in to work, which means there goes your only day off. And department stores are so short staffed they sometimes give away hours because they need all the help they can get. I have worked all over Nikki’s from Customer Service, Young Adults. Everywhere, and in that time I have accumulated tips, stories, and even some funny angry customer experiences to go with it. If you think the customer is always right then this isn’t the book for you. This book will show you they are anything but right, and some of these stories will have you go to your nearest bar ordering sympathy drinks. In fact, during the making of this while reading all these stories I have even drank in response to remember everything and all the shitty customers that stuck out. There are good points like someone giving me a card when I was going through family issues, and the managers who I liked were actually supportive when I went through a difficult time.  So, sit down and grab your drinks since these stories and tips will have you happy that you haven’t worked retail, and if you have, then you know the pain of having to walk a customer who can’t read a sign properly. There are some good to it like working at a department store means having some very close friends, and even some of the customers are friendly, too. Not all are bad, and it’s the angry, stupid ones that make these stories entertaining. I wish this was all I had to inconvenience my day. Not some of these customers; and some of them think it’s the end of the world since their item doesn’t work with a coupon. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy my stories of pain. And in the end, I left retail, and I am now in a happier place. Retail is also a thankless job, and something in between. It had moments where I was dreading to go in, and I wasn’t happy, so I got out of it and had something better lined up. It will also cause a drinking problem since conditions can suck due to understaffing, horrible customers, and the pay sucks, too. Retail jobs are minimum wage jobs, and it’s not enough to live off even full time.   

 

Some stuff never made it to the book, and here is all the cut scenes since some were too repetitive or didn’t belong in the final stuff:  

A guy was giving me shit over the online return being at another register, and said, “This is customer service isn’t it?” Yes, but it has to be returned at the fragrance counter since it’s a special item. Customer service doesn’t mean we return everything here. There is also a few customers that try to return fragrances at other departments since some of them buy the item to sell it online or ones they have tampered with.  

Then another bitched about the coupon not working. Again, since it’s my fault they don’t read the exclusions on the back. All my fault.  

I was told twice I could use the customer return label, and said I should know how to do my job, and she said I should keep an eye on my area. What the fuck ever you stupid idiot.   

So get this bitch I told her that she will have to go to shoes for her return. And that we can’t take it there and tell her yes they can ring up the stuff she has since she has a dress. And I tell her have a nice day she said you didn’t have to drag it out since I replied back I will. How is me replying back I will have a nice day dragging it out? It’s not my fault you wanted to argue with me because you didn’t want to walk your lazy ass to shoes. Keep walking bitch, and take your stupid shoes with you! 

.One lady demanded she get the items for $8.95 even though they rang up for $9.99. Whatever, I’ll give you it to shut you up. Whatever will make you stop arguing with me like an idiot. Since you are so right just because it came in the old packaging that you are entitled to it.  

Already have a lady bitch over panties since it rang up wrong. Apparently it is all my fault since I make the prices. 

A guy was being an asshole about his last act items not working with a coupon. He thought that because it said clearance it meant last act applied and it didn’t. And then dipshit comes back after leaving his crap with me reading the coupon to me like I can’t read and don’t work here every day. I grabbed the coupon from him, and told him there are exclusions, and it’s on the back of the coupon. Quit arguing with me when it said it excludes you aren’t always right just because you argue with me. In fact I’m treating you like a dumbass because you obviously can’t fucking read. We cannot magically make a coupon work on a last act item at all. We don’t have that power at all no matter how much you bitch at me about it.  

I don’t know if you need this chapter. You talked about coupons in two other chapters. Nothing pisses a department store worker off then coupons. People don’t read the fine print either since some coupons have exclusions. Exclusions means the coupons won’t work like specials. Then no coupons will work no matter how many times you ask the selling person they will still say no. Nothing will work and asking if another coupon won’t fucking work at all. Bitching about it to them doesn’t make them magically able to make it work.  

Then an old couple was being an idiot over specials not working with the coupons and couldn’t understand it was a no.  

And we can definitely read I even have some idiot ask me if I can read. I hate these things since they can give you so much trouble especially with the exclusions since I am pretty much blamed for it not working. All I do is ring shit up.  

Also don’t be rude to us either if we can’t do something that goes against the policy. We don’t make the policies dumbass.  

A lady wanted me to show her the jeans, and have me hold it for her and display it like I’m her personal shopper. I’m not.  

An old lady even brought in underwear she wanted to return and a list of reasons of what was wrong with them.  

I hate to say it – you’ve said a lot of this in other chapters: I can’t believe I even get to write this chapter, and it’s awesome to finally leave retail for good. There are some things I will miss like the employees and some of the nice customers. Also the hours weren’t too bad, and I loved the short shifts. But there are some things I will never miss! Such as: 

Angry customers 

Answering stupid questions. 

Bitchy customers 

Entitled people 

Ringing since I hate it 

Long ass lines that don’t seem to end 

Cleaning up after people who should know better 

Coupons with exclusions. Customers yell at us about it all the time.  

Blamed for everything even stuff I can’t control. 

Not going to miss being yelled at. Period.  

Hearing about people bitching at how understaffed we are that isn’t even my fault.  

People saying they feel sorry for me since God forbid I have a job! 

This is new stuff: 

I will never missed being bitched at since there is no one to ring them up.  

Repetitious Closings and opening sucked. 

Or blame me when the floor is messy yet it’s their fault since they don’t clean up after themselves. Idiots.  

And they blame me since they have coupons and the item they want isn’t eligible for it. Not my fault they can’t read.  

Crazy schedule especially during the holidays 

Nasty attitudes for any reason 

People blaming me for the signs coming up wrong 

People blaming me for the small selection 

People blaming me for the messy floor 

People blaming me for their card not working 

People blaming me since we can’t order their stupid order online.  

Repititious And I will never miss people arguing with me over the price since they act like I made it when I didn’t. I also didn’t make the signs or what the website did. They treat me like I can’t use my brain over stuff I don’t control.  

I get blamed for a lot of stuff I don’t control.  

And that is something I will never miss about retail. It seems like everything is the employees fault, and the customers treat it like it is. It’s not and I will never miss any of it.  

I will never miss giving up holidays to work 

They wanted to know why it wasn’t free, and it was only free with the rebates that they had to mail in. 

Your retail worker doesn’t care about some complaints, especially if they can’t control it. I love getting off early knowing I have the rest of the day to myself.  I also don’t get paid enough to be bitched at over everything. I can’t control your coupon not working, and I am not going to give you a discount for being rude. I get shit on daily by assholes who don’t have common decency. I also get gawked at, made fun of, and treated like an idiot just because I work a retail job.  

We aren’t personal shoppers either besides a register we actually clean stuff up and put it away.

I hope you enjoyed some behind the scenes and I will post when the links are live!

Jessica❤

As we get into the new years I want to wish everyone a happy holidays and may them be fun and filled with awesome memories. I also have good new Mina’s Tales is done rough draft wise and all that is left is the editor and cover art. Then I can publish it. That means I will have 9 books after that and many more to come! There is a lot of awesome things in store and I am getting used to my new job. So time will be spent writing after work and the weekends and holidays!