I just had such a frustrating altercation with a newspaper delivery guy. I’m sitting here, minding my business, editing some photos, and he comes in. This guy is wearing sweatpants and a teeshirt, with a huge silver chain with a huge gaudy cross on it. Every time I’ve ever seen him, same outfit. He’s the kind of guy that gets a little too comfortable in someone else’s store, I guess because he goes into so many so often.
He has come to pick up a check for the Liberty News. They deliver a bunch of our papers, The New York Times, Star Ledger, Bergen Record, Wall Street Journal, etc. We really make zero profit on offering the papers (I really hate having the papers) — I think the highest we make on any is 8 cents? The time that goes into marking them, counting them, organizing them, omg! Don’t even get me started on how much waste is involved. We throw out so much. If you ever need paper for moving, get in touch. I gotchu. Plus, we receive our money for them and it goes into our daily count but then we end up writing checks for up to $400.00 and it just messes with my math issued brain (example: Oh score! we made $500 today… oh wait, $175 of it was papers) — I’d also like to add real quick that paper people (which I like to call them) are the people that come in demanding “THEIR” paper, whichever one it is, usually only get that paper (thanks for the 8 cents) — and can be rude. There are people that come in and get the paper and a coffee and some other stuff, and they are great. But I really just want to kind of issue a PSA about buying the paper at a store and having respect to the people busting their hump to get you your precious little paper and maybe you can at least smile at them. Once in a while.
Anyway, back to the sweatpants guy. He comes in and is looking for his check, I’m like hmm I’m not sure where the bill is (Joe usually handles paying these dudes, and he is substitute teaching today). This guy gets impatient really quick at my not being able to find the bill, mind you, he doesn’t have a copy or a register of what we owe him either. So we are both kind of at fault. I call Joe a few times and no answer (understandable) so this guy is leaning over the counter like in my face, starts telling me how he can’t believe we are closed on Tuesdays now and we really should have let him know. Also, that we are really on his “Shit list” and they might start “Cutting the papers off” for us. My eyebrow went RIGHT up and was like, “Listen, I REALLY don’t appreciate your hostility right now toward me about these papers.” He was like O.O because really who the f walks into a ladies store when she is by herself and starts cursing at her and getting in her face? Then he’s like “Where could the bill be? is it in any of these drawers?” and reaches over the counter and touches where our other drawers are. Its like, no dude, don’t come near me.
Joe calls back and tells me where to look but there is no amount and then sweatpants looks at his phone and he has the amount, $434.00, even. So I am like okay great, let me write you a check so you can get out of here. He then proceeds to tell me more about how we should have told him we were closed on Tuesdays because he really doesn’t feel like coming out on the island on Thursdays to get the check. I told him that Joe talked to who he was supposed to talk to about all of this and there didn’t seem to be as much of a problem as you, mister sweatpants, is making this out to be. He also said, get this, that he “thought we were nice people” … Like what? Because we are closed on Tuesdays now, to not only take other jobs but to have a life, we are no longer nice people? I told him that yes, we are nice people, and to have a nice day and be safe leaving the island.
I just don’t fucking get people. I watch this dude leave and get in his mini van (being driven around by an older man) and he starts with all these hand motions pointing in here and my head starts to pound. I’m so over people sometimes. I mean I love people and this is part of working with the public but this sweatpants dude really struck a nerve with me today.
Back to editing. I am also streaming American Horror Story, Season 2 — which I tried to watch a while back but it scared me too much. So maybe thats why I talked back and got angry. But honestly I usually don’t talk back to people like that but it felt kind of good. I just hope he doesn’t come back to kill me. F that guy.
PS – another guy came in earlier this morning looking for his Star Ledger, oh yeah, also, the Liberty News didn’t deliver the papers today anyway (shit list!) so we didn’t have this guys paper (he got 4 donuts anyway) but he said he sent his neighbor here yesterday and we were closed so his neighbor went to WaWa and “said he’s never coming back here” — “it’s hard to run a business like this when you close one day, I used to be in business, 34 years, ran a service station. I worked constantly, just made it home for dinner everyday.” I said to him “wow that’s great that you were able to be home for dinner, that’s a big feat these days!” I just can’t stand everyone having opinions right now. Not. in. the. mood. Send me to Pluto.
PSS – Do not send me to Pluto. Hours later I actually though “What if I got sent to Pluto” and it gave me an insane sense of anxiety. So yeah, no Pluto for me.
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