While in high school, I managed to land a job at the local Radio Shack. I started out as a stock guy, putting the stuff up on the shelves and organizing the backroom, but eventually I moved on up to sales. However, with everyone busy preparing for the holiday season, no effort was made to train me on the use of the terminals or on the products.
Thus, on the day after Thanksgiving, commonly know in retail as 'Black Friday', I had my first day on the job. Overwhelmed, I did my best to get by as no one wanted to take the time to assist me in ringing up items or explaining products. Despite this, I managed an ok haul for my first day, but at the end of the day, the manager pulled me aside to ask why the receipts were off. Apparently, since no one made the slightest effort to train me, I had been ringing up all the credit card sales as cash! Fortunately, I did get the customers to sign, otherwise we would have been out about a thousand dollars that day!
Deciding that they should at least train me on how the register works, I was left on my own to figure out the remaining products over the course of a busy holiday season. Just something to keep in mind next time the salesman gives you a blank stare when you ask a question in the store.
