The VENT thread (after a long night at work)

[Koltar]

Someone said I should revel in vitriol.
 Sorry - I'm just not in that mood most of the time.
 Sure I get pissed off at people on here and on other forums and in real life.

 Does that anger help much ?

 Not really.
 What some of you call "sucking up" - I prefer to think of as trying to get along.  When I'm at a convention, WHEN I get to them I am very damn visible. As a result of that I am used to trying be as damn diplomatic as I can.  Same thing with the game store - I don't have any desire to tick off a game manufacturer or distributor.   There are some  companies/writers I outright DESPISE.  Not going to tell them that tho.

 Then  I get a surprise like Greg Poehlein showing up and shooting the breeze with me for close to an hour and half.  Don't know who he is ? He was a co-author of the original FASA STAR TREK :the Role Playing game.  Really nice guy to talk to. Turns out he lives in Indiana not that far from here.

Do I suck up to Pundit ? Not really.
I think he is full of shit quite often.  Just don't have a burning desire to get in an argument with him every time I browse the forum. Life is too fucking short for that.  His politics and mine are likely worlds apart.  So what ...big deal. But the old fart does have a similiar passion for games that I also have somewhat.  (who am I calling old fart ?  He and I are probably closer in age than I think .... Hey you kids!! Get off my lawn!!)

 Can I cuss and swear like the rest of you ?  

 Sure I can ....I'm just not used to it. Could be a residual urge to be polite to people in general. Weird thing is - when I play an NPC or do a character voice I an cuss up a storm quite comfortably.


 Oh and if you ever see a store about to close and its 2 minutes till closing time ...please keep walking and DON'T browse for 20 fucking minutes before you actually  buy something. (!!)  I like my regulars - but one of these days I really want to yell "BUY Now - Okay??? I'd like to get some fucking sleep tonight!!"  Made me 45 minutes late getting out of there.

- Ed C.

[C.W.Richeson]

Yikes!  20 minutes of browsing at closing time?  That does suck.

I think working at a gaming store would be a lot of fun, for the most part.  All the regulars stopping in to chat, games going on on the side, etc.  I can definitely see frustrating elements, though.

[Dr Rotwang!]

Then  I get a surprise like Greg Poehlein showing up and shooting the breeze with me for close to an hour and half.  

Heh!  I'm pretty sure that he dated a friend of mine back in The Day. Somewhere in the FASA Trek stuff there's a ship called the Terri Bear, named after the lady in question. She's married now to a different game designer, Chris Engle.

I met Guy McLimore, at a con, myself -- he ran part of a session of his Pocket Fantasy RPG, before the session devolved into a discussion with a distributor  about the industry. Incidentally, the con was called HamsterCon - hosted by Hamster Press, which is Chris Engle's games imprint.  

The world is, like, this big: ()

[Koltar]

They did it to me AGAIN last night!!!

 Except this time they hit between 7:45pm and 8:30pm. Problem is - it was the miniatures wall. I had to "fix" that and make it look nice for an extra 45 minutes after closing. (Gaddamnit!!! I hate having a work ethic at times)

 So, we beat the  day's goal and are up for the week - but I completely miss the last 15 minutes of "HEROES" and have to wait till Friday's replay on Sci-Fi to watch it.

 ...and Today ? WAS my day off - but a co-worker called. Family emergency. Nice guy Shmuck that I am  I said  I would take his shift.  (Frak ! and Fuck!!)  Also, cuz I'm the assistant manager - s'posed to do stuff like thatr.

 Now I have to go shower and switch into friendly pleasant mode for tonight. My next day off won't be till Sunday.

 We better have business tonight....I hate it when its slow.

- Ed C.

[Aos]

When I worked retail the late browser was my nemisis. I was younger then and in my confrontational phase. I never hestated to eject anyone, ever.  I was pretty legenday for being the surliest retail clerk in the area. My next job was for a large independant, and I was voted in as a union steward on the day after my 3 month trial period. At this place union steward translated to "cannot be fired" after a couple of years of that I burned out on arguing with people; although I never lost my role as the ejector of bad customers- the management would even ask me to do it from time to time.
These days I'm hidden in the depths of academia and i never confront anyone about anything.

[James J Skach]

So, we beat the  day's goal and are up for the week - but I completely miss the last 15 minutes of "HEROES" and have to wait till Friday's replay on Sci-Fi to watch it.

Jebesus - it's 2007.  Get a TiVo for Chrissakes...and quit your bitchin'

[Mcrow]

good thing I don't work at a gaming store.

I'd tell them to pack up their shit,go home, and take shower.

[Koltar]

good thing I don't work at a gaming store.

I'd tell them to pack up their shit,go home, and take shower.

 We have the blessing that just about every one of our customers or  regulars knows what a shower is and actually takes them. Some of our regulars are also nice looking young ladies in their 20s

- Ed C.

[Grimjack]

You could always announce in a loud voice:  "It's closing time.  Smithers, release the hounds!".

[James J Skach]

Or you could, every night, put that "Closing time, time for you to go back to the places you will be from..." song on. Subliminally, they will pick up on it and check their watches.  Then they'll realize it's closing time.

And then, you could put on the "I am your master, obey me.." song...everyone knows that one, right?

[RockViper]

You could just lock the door 10 minutes early.

[epocalypse]

Sorry to leap right in without the intro's;

I wish I could turn round at the end of my shift and say I'm not taking anymore work during the last 15 minutes.

"Cardiac arrest?  Sorry they'll have to wait until the next shift comes on duty in 10 minutes."  

To be honest the only thing that bugs me about being kept late in my line of work is the real waste of time jobs.  I would really like to turn round to the next person that calls for a paracetamol (tylenol) overdose and....

"How many pills did you take?"

"18?  Okay when did you take them?  An hour ago?  Anything to drink?  Half a bottle of vodka, right.  Here's five quid, get a taxi."

I've seen me sent out for a collapsed male with only 15 minutes to go to a location right in the middle of the city, 6 miles away.  Made the journey in six minutes with some really dodgy driving to find that the "patient" is a beggar who is sitting too close to a five star hotel and has not been moved on by the police.  The annoyed hotel management call an ambulance instead hoping we'll take him away.  Meh! (and then we got caught for an intentional overdose on the way back to station).

Still, I don't have to be polite in my job if the mood is not with me.:haw:

[Koltar]

You could just lock the door 10 minutes early.

 Cute,   - but I'd like the store to stay in business.

 Not that the thought doesn't cross my mind.

- Ed C.

[1717 Fusil]

You can like many stores do, that at closing time lock the door then approach those left in the store with "Can I help you find something?" If the answer is yes you help get them what they want and  get them out of the store if the answer is no then tell the politely that the store has closed and in 5 minutes they are going to have to leave.
After asking everyone in the store wait five minutes and ask them politely to leave. You are not being discourtous at that point and very few individuals will be upset. I did that many time working retail and never had anyone get mad that we let them browse a couple minutes after closing but politely and firmly got them out after store hours.

[Aos]

Cute,   - but I'd like the store to stay in business.

 Not that the thought doesn't cross my mind.

- Ed C.

No offense, but you're of the baby boomer generation, aren't you?