After Hours Shenanigans

There is nothing better than the end of a work day/week. When you worked at the office supply store the shenanigans would kick in.

The average age of the associates who worked at the office supply store was around 24. Where there were some 24 year olds who would have the time of their lives partying, we had the time of our lives during closing. The closing shift was the fun shift. It was the shift in which you would have the younger managers and all of the young employees goofing off. We all worked hard and got the job done but we had fun in the process. This was the difference between working hours and closing.

#1 Music

I know all the words to Dionne Farris' 1997 hit single Hopeless, otherwise known as the "penny with a hole in it" song. This is not by choice. Good song but not the way I choose to groove. This song was one of many on constant repeat at the store. When the doors locked, the music changed. J.B. would blast a mix of death metal and country when he was the closing manager. Chen Doll would encourage us to listen to our various mp3 players because she would do the same. I loved the 90's but sometimes it was refreshing to listen to the songs of the current century.

#2 Language

We were all very professional and courteous to each and every customer that walked through that door between the hours of 8am to 9pm, but at 9:01pm there wasn't a sentence said without the usage of profanity. "This stinky ass customer earlier...," "this dumbass wanted to exchange...," "...and she was a total bitch!," these were just a few of the everyday closing statements. I personally don't trust adults who don't curse so I was happy to be there with my sailor-mouthed coworkers.

#3 Work

Things were more relaxed after closing. We all were tired but something about not having to deal with customers rejuvenated us. We worked faster and harder than we did in the previous hours of our shift because we were having fun. We were able to get things done at our pace, listening to what we wanted to and speaking the way we wanted to...all while getting paid to do so.  This was the only similarity between myself and the graveyard shifters, being able to block out everything and everyone and do your own thing can really motivate you to do your job better.

#4 Fun

The three previous categories all made closing fun, but having actual fun made closing the best shift to have. Carts became racing toys, the furniture pad became a baseball field, and hand baskets became basketball hoops. We found a way to make closing a party, the store an arcade and the world our oyster. Unfortunately not every closing shift was fun, sometimes we had Curly Sue or another older manager but for the most part Chen Doll and J.B. were our closers. Chen Doll was aware of what we did and she couldn't care less if the work was done and done correctly. J.B. was too busy banging a newbie in the cash office to even slightly acknowledge us. All in all, working till 9:30pm wasn't that bad. I didn't mind missing my friend's parties because we were always having a party of our own.