Do you know what I hate most about department stores this time of year?
If you said that it's the music, you're right.
See, apparently someone has decided that the best way to get shoppers in the holiday spirit is to make absolutely sure that they hear the same songs covered by different people OVER and OVER and OVER again. Yesterday, when I went to a department store for a few hours to shop, I heard at least five different versions of "Little Drummer Boy," "Silent Night," and "Jingle Bells." Just before I left, I remember that they'd started playing "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer;" as much as I dislike that song, after the constant repetition it was almost a relief. Almost. I'm frankly amazed that the workers there could tolerate it.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't celebrate Christmas, or even that they shouldn't play Christmas songs during the season in department stores. All I'm saying is, the constant and unending holiday music gets really old really fast. Would it ruin their earnings to throw in a normal pop song after every one or two holiday-themed songs, just to break up the monotony? Why does EVERY SINGLE SONG have to be a holiday song? Do the people who are in charge of this not realize how tiresome listening to the same things over and over can be?
So my boyfriend and I had just taken a breather from moving his stuff into my apartment, and we decided we were hungry. I had to run an errand and offered to pick up a pizza if he called it in. So he called one of our local pizza joints and ordered a large pizza under my name. He also left his cell phone number and asked if could be ready at a specific time (45 minutes from when he ordered it).
After finishing my errands, I get there 5 minutes early.
Me: Hi, I'm picking up a large tomato and meatball pizza for *my name*. It might also be under *boyfriend's name*.
Cashier: Hmm. *scrolls through computer* Can you give me the phone number?
Me: *does so*
Cashier: I'm not seeing the pizza here. Sorry.
Me *whaaaaaaa?*
Rather than yelling, I decided to go home to make sure my boyfriend had gone through with the order. When I found out he did, he called back and spoke to the cashier again.
Boyfriend: Hi, my girlfriend just came in to pick up a large tomato and meatball pizza under *my name* and was told it wasn't there.
Cashier: (from what I could tell, they had made the pizza, just didn't put it under the right name or the right phone number)
Boyfriend: *whaaaaaa?*
So I went back to pick up the pizza, and another employee was there. Apparently it was the cashier's first day and she hadn't been doing well. He was very apologetic, charged us 1/2 price for the pizza and gave us really good coupons to use for later.
I was very close to ripping the owner a new one, though, since they have never put the right name to the right order. Once they told me my order was under Susan. Their credit card machine is always breaking. The solution? Ask customers to go to the ATM across the street to take out money. Of course, it's one of those independent ATMs that charges everyone $2.50. Ugh.
