Either Sell It Or Shelve It

(I work in a bookstore, and we have a very funny and laid back manager. However, he does tend to just walk away after giving you little to no idea of what he’s doing or what he wants you to do. During the Christmas shopping season we have these really soft, fluffy throws on sale and we are basically supposed to sell as many as possible, so we have one open to let customers see and feel them.)

Manager: *shoves display blanket into my arms* “Here, take this.”

Me: “Sure! Oh, hey, when is my break gonna be?”

Manager: “Sell two blankets, you earn your break.” *walks away without another word*

Me: “…okay, then.”

(Later, about 10 minutes to close, the manager is shelving some copies of a book but the last one doesn’t fit on the shelf.)

Manager: *shoves book into my hands* “Sell it.” *walks away without another word again*

Me: “…okay?”

(I spend the next eight minutes helping customers with that book in my hand, and even suggest it to some of them but no one wants it. At two minutes to closing I see my manager again.)

Me: *holding the book out toward him* “Here. I’m sorry. I tried.”

Manager: *doesn’t take it* “You can sell it.” *walks away without another word again*

Me: “Okay… but we close in one minute.”

(I did get my break despite only selling one blanket, but I did not manage to sell the book in the last minute before we closed. Typically, my manager never said another word about either one.)