Please Just Layaway Stayaway

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and I’ve been working the layaway counter by myself, twelve hours a day, six days a week, for at least two months. I am all out of holiday cheer and professional patience.

While not serving customers, part of my job is to move layaways from the counter to large trailers sitting in the back lot. I am on my way to take my latest load to the trailer when the buzzer at the layaway desk goes off in several long buzzes. I go back in to find two women with four carts full of toys.

Me: “Hi there, sorry about your wait. How—”

Customer #1: “You napping back there?”

Me: *Taken aback* “Um, no, I was on my way out to storage.”

Customer #2: *Tsk* “Probably texting your boyfriend. Sending him—”

Me: “How can I help you?”

Customer #1: “Obviously, we want a layaway.”

Me: “Okay. I just need your ID and a phone number.”

Customer #2: “It’s [Customer #2].”

Me: “I still need ID.”

Customer #2: “You don’t need none of that. Just put [Customer #2] and—”

Me: “No ID, no layaway.”

Customer #1: “Oh, h*** no, you did not just talk over her. You a disrespectful little b****!”

Customer #2: “You can get your boss and pray you didn’t just get yourself fired.”

Me: “Okay.”

I walk away to get a manager from the office around the corner. As soon as I’m through the “Employees Only” door, the buzzer goes off again. I turn around and poke my head out the door.

Me: “Yes?”

Customer #1: “We want the manager.”

Me: “I know, I’m—”

Customer #2: “Are you the manager?”

Me: “No, I was going to get him when you rang again.”

Customer #2: “She said get the manager!”

Me: “That’s where I’m going.”

Customer #1: “You stupid? We want your boss!”

Me: “Okay!”

I close the door and the buzzer goes off again and again. I keep walking to the manager’s office. 

Manager: “Um, [My Name], do you hear the buzzer?”

Me: “Oh, yeah. Two ladies want me to open a layaway under [Customer #2]. I told them I need an ID, so they called me a disrespectful little b**** and now they want to talk to you.”

Manager: *Heavy sigh* “I hate the holidays.”

The manager went out to talk to women, who were as sweet as candy to him. [Customer #1] gave her ID without protest and put over $700 in toys on layaway. They never came back and I had to restock their entire order.