Danny Does The Over Night

They've put me on a 9-hour overnight shift. 
I don't know what do expect for this.
I'm dreaming of a semi-lit oasis where there's no customers or management to annoy me
and get in the way of my productivity with stupid questions.
If it turns out to be true I might switch to this so I can be left alone.
Maybe it would fit better for me.
I could be left alone, there would be far less teamwork, less social stress on me. 

I don't know.
Let's find out. 


The clock strikes 9 and I clock in. There's a large ground of people here. More people than I usually work with. We're supposed to be doing price changes. ((For those of you who don't know it's putting items on clearance.)) I head to the back office to get the Bluebird and the printer only to find out half the equipment doesn't work. Per usual. We're teamed up in pairs and told to sort through all the clearance items; we need to scan them to ensure they are really clearance, re-stick them and if they're not put them back on the racks where they meant to go and size all of the clearance items. It's bread dead work. I'm bored beyond all reason, but thankfully a few of the people that I know are there with me so I'm not left with strangers. I don't work well in confined spaces with strangers for long periods of times. 

We work through the missus department, into petite women and then into plus size. I've finished my duties of sizing and placing items back so I'm moved to the kid's section. I need to start with girls and work my way around to boys. I like the quite of the store. I work quickly organizing. I love doing this kind of thing. It's soothing, but in so many ways, borning. I don't know when we're going to break. I ask a co-worker when we have our breaks since we can't just take them. I don't like that I don't know when we break or that it's not at a full hour or a half hour. That's how I always take my breaks. It's almost distressing. 

They finally call the break when I'm about to shatter into pieces. My stomach swirls and I feel exhausted. I need to stay awake. I can't fall asleep. I still have 3.5 hours to go in the shift. Thankfully, I came prepared with some RockStar energy drinks. One of these babies and I'll be alright. I down it and sit back, waiting for its magical properties to flow through my hungry and exhausted veins. There's still 20 minutes left on this break and I feel fucking nothing. I crack open the other one and slurp it down. I'm about ready to get pissed off that I'm not feeling anything when it hits me- the caffeine floods me and my heart starts fluttering like a hummingbird on meth. Why have I done this?

The girl that I'm sent to work with is pretty. She looks like Mila Kunis. This is amazing. I know its not her. I've never worked with her before, but I find her hilarious. She adds social commentary on life, her clothing style, love of shopping and how she hates this place. We get to know one another, talking, sharing stories of travel and languages, where we've been and grew up. It was nice to find someone who was immediately friendly to me. I liked working with her. She asked me if I had OCD because of how I arranged everything like a machine would. I thought the question was funny and told her that I just like things in order, proper order.

I feel energised, almost to the point of a speed high. I hit the floor with new gusto and vigour. I start organising and moving all of the clearance. Organising the sizes, checking the racks and making sure things are evenly placed on the racks. Everything must fit, but it must not look cluttered. It doesn't take me long. I feel like the time is going so much faster than it was before.

I don't think I like the overnight shift as much as I thought I would. Well, the price changing part of the overnight shift. The Omni part of the overnight, I might like. I've never tried that. I don't know if I can be put on it. I'd ask but that means talking to The Führer and that's enough to sour me on it. I have trouble with communicating and I don't need that added pressure when I have to sit in a room with her and she's going to want me to make eye contact. I don't know what I will do. 


The sun cracks over the building and the first rays of day start seeping through the great glass doors of the store. My freedom bell. Sadly, I have to be back tomorrow. I've been awake all day and all night and a portion of the night before. I'm so tired I can't even remember how to get home. A text pings and I look to see that I'm getting a ride home I don't need to wait for the bus and then take the usual almost 2-hour journey home. Driving it's a half hour or 45 minutes depending on traffic flow and I will take that over the bus after this night. 

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