(no subject)
oh my god, oh my god, i am so angry.
after working in a toy store for two years i found a lot of things that customers could do to annoy me, but there was one that stuck out as a pet peeve. when parents don't watch their kids.
this hippie mom came into my work (which is in a library, mind you) with her one to two year old son in tow. and by 'in tow' i mean running all over the place despite the fact that she came in wearing one of those frame-backpack type kid carriers festooned with all manner of children's toys. after plopping the giant kid-backpack on the floor in the middle of the room she proceeded to head straight for the catalog-search computer, where she started to type furiously. the kid, meanwhile, had realized that my work is not exactly the most stimulating place for a toddler, and went straightaway into devising his own entertainment. at first this was shouting, softly at first, but getting gradually louder and louder until his mom's concentration was broken and she would start yelling at him from across the room (in German, no less.) i would flash her a dirty look at this, trying to encompass in one facial expression the phrase, "You're in a library, you, and your child, are supposed to be quiet or not here!" the mom took little notice and continued her frenzied library searching.
the little kid then switched from shouting to running, and then to exploring, which led to a comic sequence of me stepping in front of him saying, "No, no, no, you can't go in there," while shaking my finger and head to visually get the point across. At this the mom shot me a dirty look. I know it technically isn't my place to tell your kid what to do lady, but please let me do my job. A job which shouldn't involve day care.
amazingly, the mom continues her frantic typing. the little kid has run from one room of my work into another, the main room where patrons can watch videos at tv/vcr/dvd stations. he proceeds to run around the corner and then run back, carrying an 'Out of Order' sign. he takes it to his mom, who sighs and gives me the sign, mumbling something about being sorry under her breath. or maybe it was something in german and my wishful brain heard it as an apology.
anyway, she continues typing and searching. i should note at this point that the computer she is at is directly next to my spot at the counter. she takes her child and hoists him up on her lap to try and keep him under control. this succeeds in keeping his damage confined to the immediate area, entailing him emptying a container of scrap paper and golf pencils on the ground before pulling the mouse unplugged and throwing it on the ground too. the mom at least helps me clean up the paper and golf pencils.
after all this i am still expecting the mom to ask me for a film or CD, seeing as she has been searching for something for at least half an hour. but she doesn't, she just scoops up her kid and kid-carrier and leaves. while there are library search stations throughout the entire library, and you can search the library's catalog from any computer with internet access, she just had to use the station here where i work. i guess letting her kid run around in the main part of the library would have been too dangerous or something.
parents! watch your kids! if you need a babysitter hire one, don't foist this responsibility on unknowing customer service employees.
i'd like to recognize all toy store employees who have to hear one of the most frustrating phrases in customer service; "You kids go and play in there, mommy and daddy will be along in a bit."
ahh, feels good to vent.
after working in a toy store for two years i found a lot of things that customers could do to annoy me, but there was one that stuck out as a pet peeve. when parents don't watch their kids.
this hippie mom came into my work (which is in a library, mind you) with her one to two year old son in tow. and by 'in tow' i mean running all over the place despite the fact that she came in wearing one of those frame-backpack type kid carriers festooned with all manner of children's toys. after plopping the giant kid-backpack on the floor in the middle of the room she proceeded to head straight for the catalog-search computer, where she started to type furiously. the kid, meanwhile, had realized that my work is not exactly the most stimulating place for a toddler, and went straightaway into devising his own entertainment. at first this was shouting, softly at first, but getting gradually louder and louder until his mom's concentration was broken and she would start yelling at him from across the room (in German, no less.) i would flash her a dirty look at this, trying to encompass in one facial expression the phrase, "You're in a library, you, and your child, are supposed to be quiet or not here!" the mom took little notice and continued her frenzied library searching.
the little kid then switched from shouting to running, and then to exploring, which led to a comic sequence of me stepping in front of him saying, "No, no, no, you can't go in there," while shaking my finger and head to visually get the point across. At this the mom shot me a dirty look. I know it technically isn't my place to tell your kid what to do lady, but please let me do my job. A job which shouldn't involve day care.
amazingly, the mom continues her frantic typing. the little kid has run from one room of my work into another, the main room where patrons can watch videos at tv/vcr/dvd stations. he proceeds to run around the corner and then run back, carrying an 'Out of Order' sign. he takes it to his mom, who sighs and gives me the sign, mumbling something about being sorry under her breath. or maybe it was something in german and my wishful brain heard it as an apology.
anyway, she continues typing and searching. i should note at this point that the computer she is at is directly next to my spot at the counter. she takes her child and hoists him up on her lap to try and keep him under control. this succeeds in keeping his damage confined to the immediate area, entailing him emptying a container of scrap paper and golf pencils on the ground before pulling the mouse unplugged and throwing it on the ground too. the mom at least helps me clean up the paper and golf pencils.
after all this i am still expecting the mom to ask me for a film or CD, seeing as she has been searching for something for at least half an hour. but she doesn't, she just scoops up her kid and kid-carrier and leaves. while there are library search stations throughout the entire library, and you can search the library's catalog from any computer with internet access, she just had to use the station here where i work. i guess letting her kid run around in the main part of the library would have been too dangerous or something.
parents! watch your kids! if you need a babysitter hire one, don't foist this responsibility on unknowing customer service employees.
i'd like to recognize all toy store employees who have to hear one of the most frustrating phrases in customer service; "You kids go and play in there, mommy and daddy will be along in a bit."
ahh, feels good to vent.