Getting Through the Work Day

"The Customer is Always Wrong - The Retail Chronicles,” edited by Jeff Martin, 2008

Do you remember when paper ‘zines’ were a thing?  There used to be one out of Madison, Wisconsin that was full of stories by temporary workers about their short-lived visits to various job-lands.  This collection is similar - 21 stories by former retail workers – some just summer jobs, some long-time gigs, some ‘until I become a famous writer’ journeys. These are mostly funny tales of asshole customers, incompetent work and even enjoyment.  They work in department stores, restaurants, video, liquor and music stores, gift and coffee shops, ice-cream pavilions or selling knives door-to-door.

Sarcastic bastard!

The best story is a hilarious tale of a Rockford, Illinois restaurant that sold cheap, unhealthy food to retirees who gobbled it down enthusiastically.  The son of the owners warned his parents that the food would kill the customers and sure enough, a number of them dropped dead outside the restaurant after their fatty, salt and sugar-laden meals.  Dark humor, that. 

There are a few evil bosses here, but also some sad managers who lisp, have blackheads and yet know more than their terrible employees.

The title, of course, makes fun of a quote by department store owners like Marshall Field - "The Customer is Always Right!"  This basically puts the worker in a subservient position to the 'customer,' but was an improvement over the earlier motto of tricking buyers, as in fake Medicine Shows.   Since modern day capitalism sees only the consumer and not the worker, it fits in with the essence of neo-liberalism and is followed to this day.  Though the trickery continues, of course, especially in the food, financial and pharmaceutical industries.

If you’ve worked in retail, this is a collection for you.  And if you have not, it might open your eyes to the weird world of small scale capitalism. 

Other reviews on the subject of retail: “To Serve God and Wal-mart,” “Slaughter on Target Avenue,” “Lost Connections,” “Shopping World,” “Behind the Kitchen Door,” “Waiter Rant,” “Manny’s Steakhouse,” “Treme,” “Super-Size Wages!” "Factory Days."

Happy Solstice!  Welcome the light today…

And I bought it at May Day Books!

The Cultural Marxist, bane of the Alt-Right

December 21, 2018