It’s school holidays and parents bring their children into newsagencies to pass time. It’s the ultimate since Dad can go oggle at the porn which the kids read the comics and get into everything or mum can read the latest gossip while the kids get into everything. During school holidays newsagents lose more stock due to damage by kids or outright theft than at other times. Regular customers, if they dare venture out for a bit of shopping, have greater difficult moving around the store as kids, occasionally, run riot.
While I’m pleased to have a shop full of people I wish the ratio of browsers would not increase so dramatically during holidays while parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents bring their kids to my store and other newsagencies to pass the time of day. I’m a childcare provider with something for everyone. Newsagencies are the one shop the family can browse away from each other and all get satisfaction.
One lady yesterday read four magazines, telling her snotty daughter that mummy was working out what to cook for dinner. Mummy was not. She read her stars in each of the four magazines and then some gossip. While mum did that her child wiped her snotty nose on a kids magazine and then ran around the magazine unit making a right mess. Mum eventually scolded her and left the shop without purchasing anything.
Do I scold the mother, the child or myself for not being tolerant? Ugh! It’s damn frustrating seeing people show so little respect for your property. One time a kid urinated. Mum saw the mess, took the kid by the hand and left. If my cat urinated in my house I’d rub her nose in it.
I’ll be glad when holidays are over and our regulars venture out of their caves again. When it’s safe.