Note to coworker:
After almost a year of trying to figure you out, profile you, understand you and earn your respect, I’ve finally understood and accepted that we will never, ever get along. We just aren’t compatible; conflict of personality. Fine.
I can accept that and move on, but I do need to ask one thing of you.
Being that I’m a cashier and you are a Floor Supervisor, we are supposed to have at least a semi-functional working relationship. This means that part of my job is to ask you for things, and part of your job is to acknowledge that I’ve asked and to answer.
I’m not asking you to move a mountain, not asking you to go out of your way for me, not asking you to joke around with me, give me recipes, or even say hello. I no longer expect you to be nice to me or confirm my existence as a person. I don’t need that from you.
What I need is for you to do your job.
If I need cigarettes for a customer, your job isn’t to throw the (intentionally) wrong pack at me and hit me on the arm. Your job is to politely hand, toss or slide me the pack that my customer wants.
If I ask for an approval on a void, your job is not to pretend that you didn’t hear me and leave me wondering if you heard or not till you finally get your ass out to do it. No. Your job is to say “Ok” or “One second” or “Not right now.”
If I need change, I’m asking because I need change, not because “open your rolls” is an option. And come on, telling people not to give me loose change? Even you should know that that’s petty.
Trust me, I go out of my way not to need to ask you for things. I plan my bathroom runs around the times that likely you won’t be the one I’ll need to ask. If there’s anyone else, even when I’m actually supposed to ask you, I go out of my way to ask someone else. But being that I’m a cashier, sometimes you are the only option.
I’m willing to ignore the fact that you’re an evil bitch. I’m willing to ignore the fact that you will never like me and that I will never understand you. I’m willing to ignore the fact that everyone complains that you are never where you are supposed to be. But I am unwilling to repeat myself three times until you either do what I’m asking or bite my head off. I’m unwilling to wait for ten minutes to see if you heard me. Our job is first and foremost to take care of our customers.
I always say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. While I’ve learned not to expect that from you, I do feel that it won’t cause you massive internal injury to acknowledge my existence. Not as a person, God forbid, but as a co-worker.