Why I prefer to be a hermit

I have worked retail and hospitality for many years... I don't mind it when the customers are nice and sometimes even fun to see.  I do mind when customers feel like they can leave their manners and common sense at home.

Sunday was one of those days and I think one of the last days I will have working with tourists.  One is not paid enough to deal with rude people or to be treated badly because someone feels they can because they have no humanity.  Maybe too drunk to know they are being completely inappropriate.  I have never understood why people want to be drunk in public... What are they trying to prove?  I rarely have more than one beer out and about... I'm one who prefers to be home where I don't have to drive anywhere if I plan on having more than one drink.

Anywhos... We had a large group of people who had been drinking quite a lot.  Drunk #1 was so drunk I thought he was going to throw up everywhere... He couldn't keep his head up for the picture and was inappropriately touching one of his female friends who was also quite intoxicated.  She (drunk #2) couldn't even take off her own clothes and could barely walk to be seated for the photo.  You had to repeat everything 3 or 4 times.  Half way thru taking photos I took out drunk #1, got him out of costume and had his friend take him outside... Then drunk #2 fell and almost broke our table and took down my camera man.  I was so done.  We took their last photo and got them back to their normal clothes when drunk #1 came back in the shop with a drink in an open glass.  I asked him to take the drink outside since he could barely hold it without splashing it.  He went crazy and started yelling at me.  I very firmly told him to leave and he wasn't welcome back in the shop.  I told his friends to get him out as he was yelling at me from the boardwalk.

After that group finally left and the next family had watched this whole thing transpire the father of the new group felt he needed to make a jackass comment after everything I said... Like he was trying to fulfill a quota.  I just ignored and walked away while his wife was quite embarrassed.

Then the next group was a set of grandparents, their daughter and their granddaughter.  The daughter chose to be a saloon girl while her dad called her chunky and pointed to where he thought she had fat... This was not a fat woman by any means.

People truly disgust me sometimes.  When we have a day of jerks it is a stream of them that feels never ending.  I decided I don't want to work like this and am definitely hitting the road July 6th.  I was in debate wondering if I wanted to work the whole summer but I don't want to.  My anxiety level shoots up so bad I can't sleep, my blood pressure is high and I don't feel comfortable... So moving on.

This day reminded me when I worked at a store on Lincoln Road in South Beach.  It was a store of expensive junk.  A little bit of everything... Like a thrift store but new and expensive stuff.  I was in my early 20s and was hired as the cashier.  They had sales people that pressured everyone who walked thru the door because they worked on commission.  One afternoon the boss and other manager were out of town so we were kind of keeping things together ourselves.  I was sitting by the register off in space thinking about other things when one of the sales people came to me in a panic telling me a guy had a knife.  She thought we were going to be robbed.  I turned around to see this man who looked homeless with one of our knives that were worth a few thousand dollars.  It was gold and had jewels on it.  He was waving it around and all the sales people were in panic.  I asked how he got the knife and a sales person gave it to him thinking he was going to buy it... Again a man who looked homeless.

Quite irritated by the stupidity of the sales people and the man looked the other way... I grabbed the knife from him... Called him a few choice names... Grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the store.  The next day when I came to work I was promoted to assistant manager.  Hahaha... With the pay I should of stayed the cashier... Would of made more money.

I unfortunately have many stories like this .... I had a 40 pound bag of dog food thrown at me because a woman thought she got a free bag even though she had no coupon.  I had a family who was upset they didn't get flowers that were different from what they had at home when working for Mohonk Mountain House... They had to call the management to complain....Mohonk grows their own flowers there so I had only so much to choose from.  When I used the same flowers and just added some weeds they thought it was the most beautiful arrangement.  

I have been sexually harassed by fellow employees when working retail and hospitality.  In high school when I worked at Walmart I was put in a headlock by a fellow male employee. I was kissed by some random employee when working at the Opryland Hotel.  The men I worked with at Pet Supermarket in Miami were putting away dog food while I ran the register and when I went down the isle next to them to help a customer I overheard them discussing if they would have sex with me... I was the only woman employee at that shop.  Along with many other stories.

Almost every job in retail and hospitality I have dealt with horrible customers and sexual harassment.  At the photo shop we deal with jerks but I don't have to worry about being treated badly by the people I work with... Well... My bosses... The other workamper they had last year had to tell me what a horrible person I was and was quite rude.  But, I am normally the only employee.

The people I work for here in Montana have become family.  We celebrate my birthday every summer, I have meals with them and know a lot of their extended family.  They treat me good but I'm just not up to dealing with people.  I think my time in customer service has come to an end.  A little under 2 weeks and I'll be back home on the road.

My goal is to go a little further into the life on the road... Finding 1 day to 1 week gigs along my journey.  Helping people with yard work, computer work or whatever I can find.  My plan is to head east to South Dakota, head down to Nebraska to see my nephews and friends, then to Kansas City area and gradually make my way to Kentucky to visit my parents and friends.  No hurry and will probably take many detours along the way.  Going to let life lead... Let whatever will be be.... Truly live life on the road.

To end on a smile...