I'll say it again, I don't condone stealing, it's pretty stupid but the things that people steal from my jobs are so...not worth it.
Software Bandit
At the office supply store there was a software section. One day this tall man wearing a black hat, black shirt, black jeans and sunglasses came into the store with a backpack. He wasn't really noticed because everyone was busy doing their own thing and about three minutes into his store visit, Mr. Budweiser yelled "Stop that guy!" Apparently he was in the software aisle taking the software off of the shelves and stuffing it into his back pack. When Mr. Budweiser, being an idiot, yelled that out, the guy took off running out the store with Mr. Budweiser chasing behind him only to get winded when he reached the parking lot. Obviously software is expensive and therefore a big ticket item. Because software is expensive, the software worth taking was locked away. The guy ended up stealing Spongebob and Dora the Explorer learning software valued at $10 bucks. Not only was that a waste of time, he would've gone down as one of the dumbest criminals in the store's history.
Inside Job
After I switched to the other office supply store, there was a situation that happened in store. I wasn't working that day but I was told that what happened must've been an inside job. All of the display cameras were stolen. You know when you go to a store with a tech section and all of the display items are connected to a chain/wire so that you can't just pull them and run? It was the same set up. There is no way someone came in from outside to take them because if they were standing by the cameras and trying to cut the wire with scissors or any other mechanism, they would've been caught. It had to have been someone who worked there who had the keys to the chains to take them off. Now I wonder, if you have keys to important merchandise in the store, why would you steal display cameras? The cameras that are never charged, have no memory and are programmed to be display cameras? That is what you steal? Not the cameras that come in boxes with all of the equipment but the display cameras...really?
Comfy Merchandise
Stealing from a hotel is common. People always think they are stealing when they take the soaps and shampoos from the room but in all actuality, that shit is yours to keep. We don't want it after you've touched it. But we would rather deal with the people who take soap and shampoo as opposed to pillows. Each room used to have a small decorative pillow with the hotel's symbol on it and people used to love to steal it. It was a pillow that was too small to be useful to anyone and when the housekeepers would come in to clean the room and see that it was missing THEY WOULD BE CHARGED! We know when something is missing. Did you really think you weren't going to be charged for a pillow that mysteriously vanished? That's not even really stealing, it is purchasing an item. We probably would've charged you less if you just came up to the front desk and asked to buy one.
Changes Need To Be Made
This item that people would steal from the hotel room was always surprising to me because it was just so stupid. This wasn't a one of a kind item that you couldn't get anywhere else, actually it was an item that you could get EVERYWHERE else: Batteries. People would constantly steal the batteries from the TV remotes in the rooms. It got to a point where we had to screw on the back of the remote so that it would stop happening. Batteries? You come to a hotel and steal batteries? That's like "stealing" the room keys. Why? Why would you steal USED batteries? CHEAP, used batteries? TWO cheap, used batteries? Does that make you feel like a stone cold bad ass? It still boggles my mind. BATTERIES!?
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Scam Artists
It takes both balls and stupidity to do what these people do. They have perfected the art of the scam by creating completely different lives for themselves.
The idea of a hotel is simple:
1. You rent a room
2. You pay for that room
3. You leave that room.
It's really not difficult but scam artists always find a way to do steps one and three without ever doing step two. This is how the scam artist does it:
They walk into a hotel, normally at night, and ask how much the rooms are. They are told the price and say "Okay, I'll get a room." They have the person at the front desk create a reservation and when they go to swipe their card, it declines. They attempt to "call the bank," and someone talking extremely fast tells the guest to give the phone to the person at the front desk. They then ask the front desk person all types of meaningless questions and tell them to manually authorize the card. Once the card is manually authorized the theif takes their keys and goes up to their room satisfied.
The red flags to tell if you are facing a scam artist are:
1. They work at night. I've never dealt with a daytime scam artist.
2. They are okay with the price of the room. I've had athletes, businessmen and other hotel owners ask me for a discount. No one ever just pays the regular rate.
3. They have a sob story that is vague like "I've had such an awful and horrible day. I really need this day to end so I'm gonna get a hotel room."
4. The card declines when you swipe it. There is no way that the card would decline if there was money in the bank.
5. They call the bank multiple times using the hotels phone number but it never goes through. Though when they call the bank using their own personal cell phone, the number dials normally.
6. The questions asked by the banker are useless.
7. A manual authorization is any succession of numbers. A manual authorization code could be 12345 and it will say "successfull."
I've seen plenty of people try this. I always tell them I can't do it. My coworker TT Y'all put it best:
"What are you manually authorizing? There ain't shit to authorize! No money equals no authorization equals no hotel room. Now take your ass up outta here"
This has worked only twice at my hotel. Once when a clueless/not giving a shit employee did it because she didn't know what else to do and another time that was so ridiculous it could've been on TV.
As I said before, I only worked at the hotel 2 days a week when I was in college. A lot would happen between my last shift one week and my first shift the next. I had a guy come up to me and he told me he was already staying at the hotel but needed another room for a friend. I went about the regular procedure of creating a reservation and going to swipe his card. It declined. I told him it declined and without providing me with another form of payment, he was not going to get another room.
Scammer: Oh, just force authorize it.
Working Girl: I don't do that.
Scammer: The girl did it earlier.
I called my friend/coworker, who worked the shift before mine, to see what was up. She confirmed it and said the manager told her it was okay.
I went ahead and did it and told him that this was very strange and never in the two years that I had worked there had I ever seen anyone force/manually authorize a credit card. I asked why that was necessary.
Scammer: Oh well I'm a music producer and this is a company card. The label puts a daily limit on the card. I spent alot earlier when I took my artists to the cannabis club. They bought so much stuff, all on the card. I must've hit my limit.
That damn sure didn't make sense to me, but who was I to go against the manager's word. It got to a point where through all the force/manual authorizations during the WEEKS that they stayed there, these people had four rooms. None of which were actually being paid for.
When the owner got hip to it the cops were called. There is surveillance footage of this group of "musicians and producers" gathering all of their shit and running out the back door.
The scene was ridiculous and fishy. I only ever force/manually authorized his card once. Any other time he tried I told him we were sold out and he couldn't get any more rooms. I was uncomfortable with it and quickly enough, so was the rest of the staff.
When a guest says they need to "call their bank" you should just say "I don't manually authorize anything so if the person on the phone asks me to do so I cannot and will not." They then get the idea that it's not going down. And with the information you have on them, you should probably call the cops.
Fool me once shame you, fool me twice...
TT Y'all: Motherfucker you better get the fuck outta here with that force authorizing shit.
The idea of a hotel is simple:
1. You rent a room
2. You pay for that room
3. You leave that room.
It's really not difficult but scam artists always find a way to do steps one and three without ever doing step two. This is how the scam artist does it:
They walk into a hotel, normally at night, and ask how much the rooms are. They are told the price and say "Okay, I'll get a room." They have the person at the front desk create a reservation and when they go to swipe their card, it declines. They attempt to "call the bank," and someone talking extremely fast tells the guest to give the phone to the person at the front desk. They then ask the front desk person all types of meaningless questions and tell them to manually authorize the card. Once the card is manually authorized the theif takes their keys and goes up to their room satisfied.
The red flags to tell if you are facing a scam artist are:
1. They work at night. I've never dealt with a daytime scam artist.
2. They are okay with the price of the room. I've had athletes, businessmen and other hotel owners ask me for a discount. No one ever just pays the regular rate.
3. They have a sob story that is vague like "I've had such an awful and horrible day. I really need this day to end so I'm gonna get a hotel room."
4. The card declines when you swipe it. There is no way that the card would decline if there was money in the bank.
5. They call the bank multiple times using the hotels phone number but it never goes through. Though when they call the bank using their own personal cell phone, the number dials normally.
6. The questions asked by the banker are useless.
7. A manual authorization is any succession of numbers. A manual authorization code could be 12345 and it will say "successfull."
I've seen plenty of people try this. I always tell them I can't do it. My coworker TT Y'all put it best:
"What are you manually authorizing? There ain't shit to authorize! No money equals no authorization equals no hotel room. Now take your ass up outta here"
This has worked only twice at my hotel. Once when a clueless/not giving a shit employee did it because she didn't know what else to do and another time that was so ridiculous it could've been on TV.
As I said before, I only worked at the hotel 2 days a week when I was in college. A lot would happen between my last shift one week and my first shift the next. I had a guy come up to me and he told me he was already staying at the hotel but needed another room for a friend. I went about the regular procedure of creating a reservation and going to swipe his card. It declined. I told him it declined and without providing me with another form of payment, he was not going to get another room.
Scammer: Oh, just force authorize it.
Working Girl: I don't do that.
Scammer: The girl did it earlier.
I called my friend/coworker, who worked the shift before mine, to see what was up. She confirmed it and said the manager told her it was okay.
I went ahead and did it and told him that this was very strange and never in the two years that I had worked there had I ever seen anyone force/manually authorize a credit card. I asked why that was necessary.
Scammer: Oh well I'm a music producer and this is a company card. The label puts a daily limit on the card. I spent alot earlier when I took my artists to the cannabis club. They bought so much stuff, all on the card. I must've hit my limit.
That damn sure didn't make sense to me, but who was I to go against the manager's word. It got to a point where through all the force/manual authorizations during the WEEKS that they stayed there, these people had four rooms. None of which were actually being paid for.
When the owner got hip to it the cops were called. There is surveillance footage of this group of "musicians and producers" gathering all of their shit and running out the back door.
The scene was ridiculous and fishy. I only ever force/manually authorized his card once. Any other time he tried I told him we were sold out and he couldn't get any more rooms. I was uncomfortable with it and quickly enough, so was the rest of the staff.
When a guest says they need to "call their bank" you should just say "I don't manually authorize anything so if the person on the phone asks me to do so I cannot and will not." They then get the idea that it's not going down. And with the information you have on them, you should probably call the cops.
Fool me once shame you, fool me twice...
TT Y'all: Motherfucker you better get the fuck outta here with that force authorizing shit.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Brand New
If there is ever one thing that seems to be a constant in the world of customer service is the fact that there is always a customer who either truly is or acts as if they are brand new to the situation. What I mean by this is, they come in and are immediately confused. They don't know what's going on, what this place is or how they got there. They are a brand new baby in the world of office supplies and vacation lodging.
This was inspired by a recent trip to Panera Bread. I patron Panera bread all the time and if you have never been there let me break it down to you: It is a restaurant/cafe. The menu is in front of your face hanging on the wall and they have very basic choices: sandwich, soup, salad and bread. This guy went to Panera to order a breakfast sandwich and this was the exchange he had with the the employee:
Guy: I want a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich
Employee: Okay, would you like that on Ciabatta?
Guy: What's that?
Employee: It is a type of bread.
Guy: I don't want to eat anything if I don't know what it is.
Employee: Okay that's fine. I can put it on anything. Maybe on a bagel if you want?
Guy: What's a bagel?
I could see the frustration on this poor woman's face but she couldn't just throw her hands up and say "ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" I felt her pain. It has happened to me way too many times at work. It's almost a weekly thing but again, some are more memorable than the others.
Customer Service
The copy center had its own section with a counter. Above that section was the name of the copy center. People always mistook the copy center for customer service but when you would explain that fact to them they would catch an attitude.
Woman: Hi, I'd like to return this.
Working Girl: No problem. You just have to take that over to customer service.
Woman: Yeah I know, that's why I'm here.
Working Girl: Oh! This isn't customer service. It's the copy center. Customer service is right over there.
Woman: This looks like customer service.
Working Girl: We get that a lot because of the counter and the large space behind here, but this is the copy center.
Woman: I need to return this item and I know I'm at customer service.
Working Girl: Only customer service computers have the technology for returns. If I could I would but I can't. You have to walk over to customer service.
The lady picks up her merchandise than says to me before she walks out of the door:
"I don't know why you call it customer service if you aren't going to service your customers!"
But....Why?
The idea of being absolutely clueless is perfected by hotel guests. If I had a dollar for every guest that stood by the door of the Spa and asked me "Where's the spa?" I would have 8 million dollars. They are obviously old enough to get a hotel room but yet upon check in they revert to infants who just don't understand.
Confirmation Situation
Guest: Hi, I'd like to check in.
Working Girl: Sure. What's your last name?
Guest: 7-6-9-3-6-1-4-9-0...
Working Girl: Oh, no. I need your last name.
Guest: That's my confirmation number.
Working Girl: I figured that out. But I need your last name.
Guest: Oh...
Side Note: Don't wave your confirmation number in our faces, don't yell out the number to us, don't call and after I say "How may I help you?" you start spitting out numbers as if I was ready to type them in the first damn place. If you're not completely brain dead and have some sort of idea what your last name is, that's all I need. There is no need to scream numbers at me or tell me the company you're with. Just the fact that you happen to know your own name will suffice.
Credit Card Roulette
This is the biggest problem I have with guests. They think they can pay for something without showing a form of payment. I understand there are scary things such as identity theft and people with a photographic memory but I need to see your credit card. Don't tell me "Well I made this reservation online." because at that point I have to make you look stupid and teach you how financial consumerism works. You don't walk into a store to purchase something and when they ask for payment you say "Why?" you just give them paper or plastic. Think of a hotel as a store. We may not provide you nutrition but we can decide whether or not your ass sleeps outside.
Dumb Guest: Hi, I'd like to check in.
Working Girl: Okay. Your last name?
Dumb Guest: Last Name.
Working Girl: Alright. I just need to see your credit card and ID.
Dumb Guest: Why do you need to see my credit card?
Working Girl: So that you can pay for your hotel room.
Dumb Guest: Well I called the reservation line to make it.
Working Girl: That's nice. Did they charge you already?
Dumb Guest: No.
Working Girl: Well then I need to do so by using your credit card.
Dumb Guest: Oh...
These moments and the millions of others led me to feel what that Panera Bread employee felt: The disappointment in not being able to shake some sense into the person in front of you.
This was inspired by a recent trip to Panera Bread. I patron Panera bread all the time and if you have never been there let me break it down to you: It is a restaurant/cafe. The menu is in front of your face hanging on the wall and they have very basic choices: sandwich, soup, salad and bread. This guy went to Panera to order a breakfast sandwich and this was the exchange he had with the the employee:
Guy: I want a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich
Employee: Okay, would you like that on Ciabatta?
Guy: What's that?
Employee: It is a type of bread.
Guy: I don't want to eat anything if I don't know what it is.
Employee: Okay that's fine. I can put it on anything. Maybe on a bagel if you want?
Guy: What's a bagel?
I could see the frustration on this poor woman's face but she couldn't just throw her hands up and say "ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" I felt her pain. It has happened to me way too many times at work. It's almost a weekly thing but again, some are more memorable than the others.
Customer Service
The copy center had its own section with a counter. Above that section was the name of the copy center. People always mistook the copy center for customer service but when you would explain that fact to them they would catch an attitude.
Woman: Hi, I'd like to return this.
Working Girl: No problem. You just have to take that over to customer service.
Woman: Yeah I know, that's why I'm here.
Working Girl: Oh! This isn't customer service. It's the copy center. Customer service is right over there.
Woman: This looks like customer service.
Working Girl: We get that a lot because of the counter and the large space behind here, but this is the copy center.
Woman: I need to return this item and I know I'm at customer service.
Working Girl: Only customer service computers have the technology for returns. If I could I would but I can't. You have to walk over to customer service.
The lady picks up her merchandise than says to me before she walks out of the door:
"I don't know why you call it customer service if you aren't going to service your customers!"
But....Why?
The idea of being absolutely clueless is perfected by hotel guests. If I had a dollar for every guest that stood by the door of the Spa and asked me "Where's the spa?" I would have 8 million dollars. They are obviously old enough to get a hotel room but yet upon check in they revert to infants who just don't understand.
Confirmation Situation
Guest: Hi, I'd like to check in.
Working Girl: Sure. What's your last name?
Guest: 7-6-9-3-6-1-4-9-0...
Working Girl: Oh, no. I need your last name.
Guest: That's my confirmation number.
Working Girl: I figured that out. But I need your last name.
Guest: Oh...
Side Note: Don't wave your confirmation number in our faces, don't yell out the number to us, don't call and after I say "How may I help you?" you start spitting out numbers as if I was ready to type them in the first damn place. If you're not completely brain dead and have some sort of idea what your last name is, that's all I need. There is no need to scream numbers at me or tell me the company you're with. Just the fact that you happen to know your own name will suffice.
Credit Card Roulette
This is the biggest problem I have with guests. They think they can pay for something without showing a form of payment. I understand there are scary things such as identity theft and people with a photographic memory but I need to see your credit card. Don't tell me "Well I made this reservation online." because at that point I have to make you look stupid and teach you how financial consumerism works. You don't walk into a store to purchase something and when they ask for payment you say "Why?" you just give them paper or plastic. Think of a hotel as a store. We may not provide you nutrition but we can decide whether or not your ass sleeps outside.
Dumb Guest: Hi, I'd like to check in.
Working Girl: Okay. Your last name?
Dumb Guest: Last Name.
Working Girl: Alright. I just need to see your credit card and ID.
Dumb Guest: Why do you need to see my credit card?
Working Girl: So that you can pay for your hotel room.
Dumb Guest: Well I called the reservation line to make it.
Working Girl: That's nice. Did they charge you already?
Dumb Guest: No.
Working Girl: Well then I need to do so by using your credit card.
Dumb Guest: Oh...
These moments and the millions of others led me to feel what that Panera Bread employee felt: The disappointment in not being able to shake some sense into the person in front of you.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Vicki Lawrence
This post is all about Vicki Lawrence. She was a frequent customer at the copy center. Her thought process always intrigued me simply because it was ass backwards. She was a very nice lady but a little delusional at times.
The first thing I remember about Vicki Lawrence was her business cards. She was a private realtor, meaning that she didn't have a company backing her. She found and sold listings all on her own. It was really interesting that she was able to compete with the companies that had hundreds of realtors on their payroll.
In order to stand out from the same old realtors, she thought she had to make her business cards special. A normal business card for a realtor has their contact info, their company and a small picture of them on the right hand corner. Vicki Lawrence thought that was not enough. She of course put in all the necessary contact information but instead of a small picture, the entire background of her business card would be a picture of her sitting on what looked like a throne and draped in fur. Neither my manager nor I could understand why she wanted this. Not only did the words cover most of the picture, the picture made it hard to read the contact information.
It took a lot of patience to deal with Vicki Lawrence only because she constantly had ideas similar to that one. She would come in to get her fliers designed. There were only two people who could do design, my manager and myself. My manager didn't work weekends so it was up to me on Saturday and Sunday. She never really wanted the layout of her fliers to change but she liked really bold colors. The colors she wanted either didn't exist in the world of graphic design or they were too hard to pin point.
Vicki Lawrence: I want the background to be red, but not circus red. I like blood red. But not the blood red that you see women wear as nail polish the blood red in those bags at the hospital.
WHAT!?
One of the funniest things I found about Vicki Lawrence was her man candy. She was an older woman. She was probably in her late 50's but her makeup was always so heavy and smeared that it made her look older. Her boyfriend was probably 38 at the oldest. During their first few visits I thought he was her son but then one day she perched out her lips for a passionate (and slightly awkward) kiss from him. By the look of things you would think he was trying to get her money but he seemed like he genuinely loved her. He was a very nice guy and one of the first customers to confront Mr. Budweiser about his treatment of me and the rest of the employees. We figured there was no physical attraction from him to her but their personalities seemed to mesh well.
Vicki Lawrence will always leave a lasting impression on me because of the way she thanked people. Sometimes she was messy, and with her mess came procrastination. Often times she would come in right before she had an open house to get her fliers made and printed. She knew that because we had to drop everything we were doing just for her, we were owed something. Just like any other older woman, she would pay us off in the most random of ways. She would give my manager $3.63 gift cards to Starbucks and other stores for other crazy amounts. My biggest pay off from her was in the form of a fur coat. Though it wasn't the infamous fur coat from the business cards, it was a reversible fur coat in which one side was leather and the other was fur. Don't be jealous.
I still have the coat and therefore I still have the memories of the crazy but interesting Vicki Lawrence.
The first thing I remember about Vicki Lawrence was her business cards. She was a private realtor, meaning that she didn't have a company backing her. She found and sold listings all on her own. It was really interesting that she was able to compete with the companies that had hundreds of realtors on their payroll.
In order to stand out from the same old realtors, she thought she had to make her business cards special. A normal business card for a realtor has their contact info, their company and a small picture of them on the right hand corner. Vicki Lawrence thought that was not enough. She of course put in all the necessary contact information but instead of a small picture, the entire background of her business card would be a picture of her sitting on what looked like a throne and draped in fur. Neither my manager nor I could understand why she wanted this. Not only did the words cover most of the picture, the picture made it hard to read the contact information.
It took a lot of patience to deal with Vicki Lawrence only because she constantly had ideas similar to that one. She would come in to get her fliers designed. There were only two people who could do design, my manager and myself. My manager didn't work weekends so it was up to me on Saturday and Sunday. She never really wanted the layout of her fliers to change but she liked really bold colors. The colors she wanted either didn't exist in the world of graphic design or they were too hard to pin point.
Vicki Lawrence: I want the background to be red, but not circus red. I like blood red. But not the blood red that you see women wear as nail polish the blood red in those bags at the hospital.
WHAT!?
One of the funniest things I found about Vicki Lawrence was her man candy. She was an older woman. She was probably in her late 50's but her makeup was always so heavy and smeared that it made her look older. Her boyfriend was probably 38 at the oldest. During their first few visits I thought he was her son but then one day she perched out her lips for a passionate (and slightly awkward) kiss from him. By the look of things you would think he was trying to get her money but he seemed like he genuinely loved her. He was a very nice guy and one of the first customers to confront Mr. Budweiser about his treatment of me and the rest of the employees. We figured there was no physical attraction from him to her but their personalities seemed to mesh well.
Vicki Lawrence will always leave a lasting impression on me because of the way she thanked people. Sometimes she was messy, and with her mess came procrastination. Often times she would come in right before she had an open house to get her fliers made and printed. She knew that because we had to drop everything we were doing just for her, we were owed something. Just like any other older woman, she would pay us off in the most random of ways. She would give my manager $3.63 gift cards to Starbucks and other stores for other crazy amounts. My biggest pay off from her was in the form of a fur coat. Though it wasn't the infamous fur coat from the business cards, it was a reversible fur coat in which one side was leather and the other was fur. Don't be jealous.
I still have the coat and therefore I still have the memories of the crazy but interesting Vicki Lawrence.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Suburban Gangster
Sometimes I interact with people at work and my thought process changes. These people don't effect my life nor do they change me as a person but they definitely make me think.
I've grown up in a small Bay Area town. People who are from the Bay Area don't know about this town. It is a very quiet and safe place where you almost beg for something interesting and newsworthy to happen. Unfortunately not all news is good news and when my town is hit with bad news, everyones world is rocked. You would think that living so close to America's third most dangerous city, the citizens of the town wouldn't blink when they hear about another senseless murder. It's different when it happens in our town, no one believes it should happen in our town.
There was a murder of a boy my age a few years ago. There are a lot of stories surrounding his death but the gist of it is that it was over a girl. I didn't know the boy personally but from my knowledge he was a white guy who was greatly influenced by Hip-Hop culture in regards to the way he spoke and dressed. He was apparently killed over an argument with a guy who was dating a girl he liked. The only thing I heard about it was summed up with a simple phrase; If you pretend to be a gangster, you'll get gangster consequences.
Because I didn't know him I wasn't really effected by it, it was definitely sad but I was still getting up to work and go to school every day. It finally became real to me during December 2008.
The copy station at the office supply store made calendars during the holiday season. It was always a big hit and a great, easy Christmas gift. Due to the fact that they were so popular we always were busy. Though business was good, organization wasn't. People were getting their calendars randomly. Some people waited 2 days and some people waited 2 weeks. My manager was really stressed out about it and most of her stress came from one customer. This woman wanted three separate calendars made and 2 copies of each calendar. She had been waiting and stressing. My manager finally finished making the calendars only to find that they were made for the wrong year. This made the customer wait even longer and made her extremely upset.
My manager got off work and I was left to fix the calendar. That same day, the customer came in. She was very nice but visibly stressed out. She had been waiting for the calendars for three weeks and therefore her family pictures, the only pictures she had, were in our hands.
Side Note: To make a calendar, we needed pictures. It's easier to make a calendar when the pictures are all digital and come on a flash drive but the best calendars are always real pictures that have to be scanned and therefore, have to be left with us. Leaving precious family mementos with strangers can be stressful for anyone.
Woman: I came to check on my calendars.
Working Girl: I am almost done. I am just binding them now.
Woman: Okay. Do you mind if I wait here?
Working Girl: Not at all.
She waits for another five minutes for me to finish up. I finish and bring the calendars and her pictures over to her. She immediately becomes emotional.
Woman (with a knot in her throat): They are beautiful. Thank you so much. I was so afraid.
Working Girl: No problem but afraid of what?
Woman: Well the manager had said that it was taking longer than expected and I thought that maybe the pictures had gotten misplaced and no one wanted to tell me that. I don't know what I would have done if I lost any of these pictures.
Working Girl: They are very nice pictures. And each of your calendars seem to have a central theme surrounding this guy.
Woman: Oh that's my son. It's been so hard and I thought that maybe these calendars would be good to give to the family to help us grieve. These are the pictures of what and who he truly was. Not what he became and not what people think they knew about him.
I had done hundreds of calendars at that point and not once did I ever truly look at them. I of course checked them for quality control but I never thought about the contents. It dawned on me that this woman had just lost her son. The boy who had been killed months earlier who I knew nothing about and was told that he was a suburban gangster who "got what he deserved," was her son. He was someones son. He was someones brother. He was someones friend.
I spent the next 30 minutes talking to this woman about her son. I got to know him without ever meeting him and my opinion was changed about him. It is rare that an interaction that I have at work resonates with me for years afterwards.
I'll never forget that conversation and the opinions I had after it. I'll especially remember when she told me "I wish my son could've met you. You're working and going to school and he was getting his life on track to do the same." I often think about this woman and her family and hope that time has helped to heal that wound.
I've grown up in a small Bay Area town. People who are from the Bay Area don't know about this town. It is a very quiet and safe place where you almost beg for something interesting and newsworthy to happen. Unfortunately not all news is good news and when my town is hit with bad news, everyones world is rocked. You would think that living so close to America's third most dangerous city, the citizens of the town wouldn't blink when they hear about another senseless murder. It's different when it happens in our town, no one believes it should happen in our town.
There was a murder of a boy my age a few years ago. There are a lot of stories surrounding his death but the gist of it is that it was over a girl. I didn't know the boy personally but from my knowledge he was a white guy who was greatly influenced by Hip-Hop culture in regards to the way he spoke and dressed. He was apparently killed over an argument with a guy who was dating a girl he liked. The only thing I heard about it was summed up with a simple phrase; If you pretend to be a gangster, you'll get gangster consequences.
Because I didn't know him I wasn't really effected by it, it was definitely sad but I was still getting up to work and go to school every day. It finally became real to me during December 2008.
The copy station at the office supply store made calendars during the holiday season. It was always a big hit and a great, easy Christmas gift. Due to the fact that they were so popular we always were busy. Though business was good, organization wasn't. People were getting their calendars randomly. Some people waited 2 days and some people waited 2 weeks. My manager was really stressed out about it and most of her stress came from one customer. This woman wanted three separate calendars made and 2 copies of each calendar. She had been waiting and stressing. My manager finally finished making the calendars only to find that they were made for the wrong year. This made the customer wait even longer and made her extremely upset.
My manager got off work and I was left to fix the calendar. That same day, the customer came in. She was very nice but visibly stressed out. She had been waiting for the calendars for three weeks and therefore her family pictures, the only pictures she had, were in our hands.
Side Note: To make a calendar, we needed pictures. It's easier to make a calendar when the pictures are all digital and come on a flash drive but the best calendars are always real pictures that have to be scanned and therefore, have to be left with us. Leaving precious family mementos with strangers can be stressful for anyone.
Woman: I came to check on my calendars.
Working Girl: I am almost done. I am just binding them now.
Woman: Okay. Do you mind if I wait here?
Working Girl: Not at all.
She waits for another five minutes for me to finish up. I finish and bring the calendars and her pictures over to her. She immediately becomes emotional.
Woman (with a knot in her throat): They are beautiful. Thank you so much. I was so afraid.
Working Girl: No problem but afraid of what?
Woman: Well the manager had said that it was taking longer than expected and I thought that maybe the pictures had gotten misplaced and no one wanted to tell me that. I don't know what I would have done if I lost any of these pictures.
Working Girl: They are very nice pictures. And each of your calendars seem to have a central theme surrounding this guy.
Woman: Oh that's my son. It's been so hard and I thought that maybe these calendars would be good to give to the family to help us grieve. These are the pictures of what and who he truly was. Not what he became and not what people think they knew about him.
I had done hundreds of calendars at that point and not once did I ever truly look at them. I of course checked them for quality control but I never thought about the contents. It dawned on me that this woman had just lost her son. The boy who had been killed months earlier who I knew nothing about and was told that he was a suburban gangster who "got what he deserved," was her son. He was someones son. He was someones brother. He was someones friend.
I spent the next 30 minutes talking to this woman about her son. I got to know him without ever meeting him and my opinion was changed about him. It is rare that an interaction that I have at work resonates with me for years afterwards.
I'll never forget that conversation and the opinions I had after it. I'll especially remember when she told me "I wish my son could've met you. You're working and going to school and he was getting his life on track to do the same." I often think about this woman and her family and hope that time has helped to heal that wound.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
No Romance Package
This past Valentine's Day I was speaking to a few people about a Romance Package that we offer at the hotel. The Romance Package included wine and candy in a room with a jacuzzi. It is only a few dollars more than a regular room so I always thought it was a good deal.
I was a pro at selling romance packages. I got it down to a science. Whenever a man was dumb enough to bring his girlfriend into the hotel to get a room I would ask if they were interested in a Romance Package. If the guy was alone I know he would say no, but when his girlfriend is with him he almost has no choice.
Working Girl: I do have a king bed suite available at $129. For just $10 more you can get a Romance Package which includes wine, candy and a room with a Jacuzzi.
HornDog: Uh, no thanks. We're not interested.
LadyFriend: Not interested? I'm interested!
HornDog: Babe, we don't need that. We're not here for that.
LadyFriend: Well if you don't get a Romance Package we're going to be here for NOTHING.
HornDog (to me): Okay, we can upgrade to that Package.
I was selling about three of those a month. I worked the supreme banging hours so I perfected my skills in not only cock blocking but also in being a wing woman. You are definitely getting some lovin' if you spring for a Romance Package. I never had a guy say no to me when his girlfriend was with him. I'm pretty proud of that.
The best story regarding Romance Packages was Valentine's Day 2010. It is extremely easy to sell a Romance Package on Valentine's Day no matter what day of the week it is. This young guy took the initiative to get a Romance Package after reading about it online. He and his girlfriend came in, checked in, went to their room and left soon after to grab some Valentine's Day necessities. They were the first people I checked in that day at 2:45pm.
At 3:30, an older couple walked in looking for a room. Due to the fact that it was Valentine's Day I mentioned we had a Romance Package.
Working Girl: Would you like to upgrade for $10 more to a suite that includes a Romance Package?
Woman: What's that?
Working Girl: A Romance Package comes with wine and candy along with a Jacuzzi in a king bed suite.
Woman (to her husband): Oh Honey that sounds fun. Let's do that!
Husband: Oh why the heck not? Sure. We'll take it.
They got checked in, got their romance package and went to their room. It was pretty quiet for a bit until around 5pm. The young couple was coming in from the parking lot, being very affectionate towards one another, when the older couple was coming around the corner giggling because they had gone straight to drinking their wine.
Young Girlfriend: MOM!? DAD!?
Woman a.k.a Mom: Oh! Hey Stacy! What are you doing here?
Young Girlfriend: Well...I...
Husband a.k.a Dad: Who is this with you?
Young Guy: Hello Sir, I'm Carlos. I'm Stacy's boyfriend.
Woman a.k.a. Mom: Oh! Stacy didn't tell us she had a boyfriend...
Husband a.k.a. Dad (not happily): ...That she was staying in a hotel with.
During this time Carlos is holding Stacy up so that her knees don't buckle from embarrassment. Apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree because Stacy and Carlos are just as secretive as Stacy's parents. Neither of them knew that they were going to be sneaking off to a hotel room and as a bonus Stacy's parents didn't know anything about her surprisingly tan boyfriend Carlos of whom she planned on spending a romantic night with in a hotel room.
As I stood at the front desk with my mouth wide open, the story got even better...
Woman a.k.a. Mom: You guys are staying here? What room?
Stacy: Um, 103.
Woman a.k.a. Mom: Well what a coincidence because we are in 101. That's right next door! Ha!
THEY BOTH HAD ROMANCE PACKAGES AND THEY WERE SHARING A WALL! My night could not have gotten any better. After the awkward moment and when the parents went to get dinner, Stacy asked me if they could switch rooms.
Working Girl: Unfortunately, I am 100% sold out. Your parents got our very last room.
I don't know if Stacy and Carlos actually got the chance to enjoy their Valentine's Day like any other young couple, but I do know that it was my best Valentine's day yet.
I was a pro at selling romance packages. I got it down to a science. Whenever a man was dumb enough to bring his girlfriend into the hotel to get a room I would ask if they were interested in a Romance Package. If the guy was alone I know he would say no, but when his girlfriend is with him he almost has no choice.
Working Girl: I do have a king bed suite available at $129. For just $10 more you can get a Romance Package which includes wine, candy and a room with a Jacuzzi.
HornDog: Uh, no thanks. We're not interested.
LadyFriend: Not interested? I'm interested!
HornDog: Babe, we don't need that. We're not here for that.
LadyFriend: Well if you don't get a Romance Package we're going to be here for NOTHING.
HornDog (to me): Okay, we can upgrade to that Package.
I was selling about three of those a month. I worked the supreme banging hours so I perfected my skills in not only cock blocking but also in being a wing woman. You are definitely getting some lovin' if you spring for a Romance Package. I never had a guy say no to me when his girlfriend was with him. I'm pretty proud of that.
The best story regarding Romance Packages was Valentine's Day 2010. It is extremely easy to sell a Romance Package on Valentine's Day no matter what day of the week it is. This young guy took the initiative to get a Romance Package after reading about it online. He and his girlfriend came in, checked in, went to their room and left soon after to grab some Valentine's Day necessities. They were the first people I checked in that day at 2:45pm.
At 3:30, an older couple walked in looking for a room. Due to the fact that it was Valentine's Day I mentioned we had a Romance Package.
Working Girl: Would you like to upgrade for $10 more to a suite that includes a Romance Package?
Woman: What's that?
Working Girl: A Romance Package comes with wine and candy along with a Jacuzzi in a king bed suite.
Woman (to her husband): Oh Honey that sounds fun. Let's do that!
Husband: Oh why the heck not? Sure. We'll take it.
They got checked in, got their romance package and went to their room. It was pretty quiet for a bit until around 5pm. The young couple was coming in from the parking lot, being very affectionate towards one another, when the older couple was coming around the corner giggling because they had gone straight to drinking their wine.
Young Girlfriend: MOM!? DAD!?
Woman a.k.a Mom: Oh! Hey Stacy! What are you doing here?
Young Girlfriend: Well...I...
Husband a.k.a Dad: Who is this with you?
Young Guy: Hello Sir, I'm Carlos. I'm Stacy's boyfriend.
Woman a.k.a. Mom: Oh! Stacy didn't tell us she had a boyfriend...
Husband a.k.a. Dad (not happily): ...That she was staying in a hotel with.
During this time Carlos is holding Stacy up so that her knees don't buckle from embarrassment. Apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree because Stacy and Carlos are just as secretive as Stacy's parents. Neither of them knew that they were going to be sneaking off to a hotel room and as a bonus Stacy's parents didn't know anything about her surprisingly tan boyfriend Carlos of whom she planned on spending a romantic night with in a hotel room.
As I stood at the front desk with my mouth wide open, the story got even better...
Woman a.k.a. Mom: You guys are staying here? What room?
Stacy: Um, 103.
Woman a.k.a. Mom: Well what a coincidence because we are in 101. That's right next door! Ha!
THEY BOTH HAD ROMANCE PACKAGES AND THEY WERE SHARING A WALL! My night could not have gotten any better. After the awkward moment and when the parents went to get dinner, Stacy asked me if they could switch rooms.
Working Girl: Unfortunately, I am 100% sold out. Your parents got our very last room.
I don't know if Stacy and Carlos actually got the chance to enjoy their Valentine's Day like any other young couple, but I do know that it was my best Valentine's day yet.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Celebrity "Encounters"
Having run-ins with celebrities was never expected from any of my jobs. It's pretty cool when it happens because it doesn't happen very often. At the end of the day we had to remember that we live in the Bay Area in which there are major sports teams, concert venues and a major tourist city so you are bound to run into a few people who have had their name in lights.
Something else that I've realized is that though they are technically famous, they have to run errands like everyone else which means they have to leave their house. I personally wish that I had more run ins with athletes because not only do I love sports but it would make a lot of sense. The Oakland Raiders and the Golden State Warriors opponents often stay in hotels in San Francisco and many of the players live there as well which is absolutely illogical. The Oakland Raiders practice facility is not in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors practice facility is not in San Francisco and there is constant traffic going to and from San Francisco. Why put yourself through that? Why make a 30 minute trek when you can make a 10 minute one? I never understand it. I know teams fly into San Francisco Airport but staying in SF is more out of the way then all the places they need to be at during their time in the Bay Area.
Either way, one would think that I have seen plenty of famous people because I live in the Bay Area which is just not the case. The fact that I haven't gotten to rub elbows with the rich and famous on a consistent basis, it makes these stories even more memorable.
Potential Football Player/ Potential Husband
When I worked at the office supply store a guy would come in to get prints. He was tall, muscular and extremely good looking. He was a really nice, normal guy who could've taken up modeling as opposed to football. He was going through training camp for the Oakland Raiders. He came into the store a lot and every single time I stopped in my tracks. I know he never got to play for the Raiders (due to being cut just before the season started) but I acted like he was a 10 year veteran. It was really cool to be around someone who was so close to being on my favorite football team. He wasn't truly a celebrity but the way my eyes turned into hearts, similar to that of a cartoon character, you would've thought his posters were plastered on my bedroom walls.
Hip-Hop Legend
A rapper came into the hotel and booked a room. The entire time I'm thinking "Is that?... It looks like... But it can't be... Maybe I'm... Wouldn't his ID?" Apparently during that time I thought that your rap name had to be on your drivers license. He went to the room and shortly after came his wife.
Working Girl: Excuse me, um is that [Hip-Hop Legend]
Wife: Larry? Yes. That is. He's my husband. Are you a fan?
Working Girl: Who isn't? Wow. That's really cool.
Wife: I'll be right back.
Then she goes to the car and brings me his newest CD.
Wife: If you're here when we get back I'll make sure to have him sign it for you.
They left soon after that because he had a show in Oakland and they were headed to sound check. For the first time I was unhappy to leave work. I never got the autograph but I do have the CD. I was actually able to not only check in a Hip-Hop Legend but I got to talk to him, meet his wife and I got a little gift. It was a cool day.
Mr. Football and his personal cheerleader
This happened very recently. My friend/front desk agent, Banana, text me and told me that a football player had checked into the hotel; one from our favorite team and we immediately started freaking out. This was our text conversation:
Banana: So Oakland Raiders [Wide Receiver] just checked in. Kinda cool. I'm not all celebrity struck but he's a RAIDER!
Working Girl: That's weird! Copy that reg card!! Did you tell him you're a Raider fan? GET US SOME TICKETS!
Banana: He seemed super chill. I should've just been like 'I love you! You're awesome' but I was trying so hard to play it cool...I was soooo blushing.
Working Girl: Hahahaha! Own that shit! Chat him up when he comes out.
Banana: Hahahahahaha! He hella just walked right out...I'm like waiting for him to come back but I think he might have just paid for the room because once he left some female walked in that I haven't seen yet.
Working Girl: Dammmmmmmit! His mistress!!!!
That's when it dawned on us that Mr. Football was no different than any of our other guests who are here to house their hos. He just had a more famous name. But maybe that wasn't the case at all. Maybe he saw a homeless woman and thought to put her in a hotel for the night and... who am I kidding?
Time To Go
This is one of my favorite stories. One Saturday I was working and really early on into my shift a very handsome guy comes up to me.
Handsome Face: Hello
Working Girl: Hey There.
Handsome Face: Do y'all have any rooms?
Working Girl: Sure. One bed or two.
Handsome Face: Two. It's for these tattoo artists from Atlanta.
Working Girl: That's cool.
Handsome Face: You know Golden State Warriors [Shooting Guard].
Working Girl: Yeah.
Handsome Face: Well he's real tatted up, right? When he played in Atlanta he really liked this tattoo artist so he flies him in whenever he needs a new tattoo. I'm his cousin/assistant.
I had to pause. This guy was "shooting guard"s cousin. He is one of the ugliest players in the league and this beautiful looking man claims that they are related, I was more interested in that than the actual player.
I give the guy the room keys and he left. A few hours later the tattoo artist and his assistant come in. They go upstairs and come back down shortly afterwards.
Artist: So I'm here to tattoo [Shooting Guard]
Working Girl: So I've heard.
Artist: Yeah, I tattoo a lot of celebrities.
Working Girl: I bet.
Artist: Ballers, Rappers, anyone you can think of with a tattoo probably has one of my pieces on them.
Working Girl: Cool Beans.
After seeing how unimpressed an uninterested I was, they went back up to their room. Then an all black Range Rover pulls up and a very tall and very large man gets out. He walks up to the front desk and with the deepest voice I've ever heard he says "It's time to go."
Working Girl: What? It's time to go? Am I going too? I can go, that's not a problem, I just have to call some people first. Do I have enough time to get my stuff? I don't really need ALL of it but I think my wallet and cell phone should come in handy. Unless you're paying I don't really need to get my wallet but I can for like cab fare home or something. Should I change clothes? Is my uniform okay or are we going to stop at Target or something. I'm cool if you're cool but I do need a heads up...
His dead stare and my awkward rambling stopped when the tattoo artist and his assistant came out of the elevator with their equipment and said to me "I guess it's time to go."
They walked out and I watched them all get into the Range Rover. The back tinted window was down a bit when I saw shooting guard. We locked eyes and he gave me a "what's up" head nod then the car peeled away. The whole situation was so unnecessarily 'Hollywood' that not only was I confused but I was also willing to hop in a car with complete strangers.
Something else that I've realized is that though they are technically famous, they have to run errands like everyone else which means they have to leave their house. I personally wish that I had more run ins with athletes because not only do I love sports but it would make a lot of sense. The Oakland Raiders and the Golden State Warriors opponents often stay in hotels in San Francisco and many of the players live there as well which is absolutely illogical. The Oakland Raiders practice facility is not in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors practice facility is not in San Francisco and there is constant traffic going to and from San Francisco. Why put yourself through that? Why make a 30 minute trek when you can make a 10 minute one? I never understand it. I know teams fly into San Francisco Airport but staying in SF is more out of the way then all the places they need to be at during their time in the Bay Area.
Either way, one would think that I have seen plenty of famous people because I live in the Bay Area which is just not the case. The fact that I haven't gotten to rub elbows with the rich and famous on a consistent basis, it makes these stories even more memorable.
Potential Football Player/ Potential Husband
When I worked at the office supply store a guy would come in to get prints. He was tall, muscular and extremely good looking. He was a really nice, normal guy who could've taken up modeling as opposed to football. He was going through training camp for the Oakland Raiders. He came into the store a lot and every single time I stopped in my tracks. I know he never got to play for the Raiders (due to being cut just before the season started) but I acted like he was a 10 year veteran. It was really cool to be around someone who was so close to being on my favorite football team. He wasn't truly a celebrity but the way my eyes turned into hearts, similar to that of a cartoon character, you would've thought his posters were plastered on my bedroom walls.
Hip-Hop Legend
A rapper came into the hotel and booked a room. The entire time I'm thinking "Is that?... It looks like... But it can't be... Maybe I'm... Wouldn't his ID?" Apparently during that time I thought that your rap name had to be on your drivers license. He went to the room and shortly after came his wife.
Working Girl: Excuse me, um is that [Hip-Hop Legend]
Wife: Larry? Yes. That is. He's my husband. Are you a fan?
Working Girl: Who isn't? Wow. That's really cool.
Wife: I'll be right back.
Then she goes to the car and brings me his newest CD.
Wife: If you're here when we get back I'll make sure to have him sign it for you.
They left soon after that because he had a show in Oakland and they were headed to sound check. For the first time I was unhappy to leave work. I never got the autograph but I do have the CD. I was actually able to not only check in a Hip-Hop Legend but I got to talk to him, meet his wife and I got a little gift. It was a cool day.
Mr. Football and his personal cheerleader
This happened very recently. My friend/front desk agent, Banana, text me and told me that a football player had checked into the hotel; one from our favorite team and we immediately started freaking out. This was our text conversation:
Banana: So Oakland Raiders [Wide Receiver] just checked in. Kinda cool. I'm not all celebrity struck but he's a RAIDER!
Working Girl: That's weird! Copy that reg card!! Did you tell him you're a Raider fan? GET US SOME TICKETS!
Banana: He seemed super chill. I should've just been like 'I love you! You're awesome' but I was trying so hard to play it cool...I was soooo blushing.
Working Girl: Hahahaha! Own that shit! Chat him up when he comes out.
Banana: Hahahahahaha! He hella just walked right out...I'm like waiting for him to come back but I think he might have just paid for the room because once he left some female walked in that I haven't seen yet.
Working Girl: Dammmmmmmit! His mistress!!!!
That's when it dawned on us that Mr. Football was no different than any of our other guests who are here to house their hos. He just had a more famous name. But maybe that wasn't the case at all. Maybe he saw a homeless woman and thought to put her in a hotel for the night and... who am I kidding?
Time To Go
This is one of my favorite stories. One Saturday I was working and really early on into my shift a very handsome guy comes up to me.
Handsome Face: Hello
Working Girl: Hey There.
Handsome Face: Do y'all have any rooms?
Working Girl: Sure. One bed or two.
Handsome Face: Two. It's for these tattoo artists from Atlanta.
Working Girl: That's cool.
Handsome Face: You know Golden State Warriors [Shooting Guard].
Working Girl: Yeah.
Handsome Face: Well he's real tatted up, right? When he played in Atlanta he really liked this tattoo artist so he flies him in whenever he needs a new tattoo. I'm his cousin/assistant.
I had to pause. This guy was "shooting guard"s cousin. He is one of the ugliest players in the league and this beautiful looking man claims that they are related, I was more interested in that than the actual player.
I give the guy the room keys and he left. A few hours later the tattoo artist and his assistant come in. They go upstairs and come back down shortly afterwards.
Artist: So I'm here to tattoo [Shooting Guard]
Working Girl: So I've heard.
Artist: Yeah, I tattoo a lot of celebrities.
Working Girl: I bet.
Artist: Ballers, Rappers, anyone you can think of with a tattoo probably has one of my pieces on them.
Working Girl: Cool Beans.
After seeing how unimpressed an uninterested I was, they went back up to their room. Then an all black Range Rover pulls up and a very tall and very large man gets out. He walks up to the front desk and with the deepest voice I've ever heard he says "It's time to go."
Working Girl: What? It's time to go? Am I going too? I can go, that's not a problem, I just have to call some people first. Do I have enough time to get my stuff? I don't really need ALL of it but I think my wallet and cell phone should come in handy. Unless you're paying I don't really need to get my wallet but I can for like cab fare home or something. Should I change clothes? Is my uniform okay or are we going to stop at Target or something. I'm cool if you're cool but I do need a heads up...
His dead stare and my awkward rambling stopped when the tattoo artist and his assistant came out of the elevator with their equipment and said to me "I guess it's time to go."
They walked out and I watched them all get into the Range Rover. The back tinted window was down a bit when I saw shooting guard. We locked eyes and he gave me a "what's up" head nod then the car peeled away. The whole situation was so unnecessarily 'Hollywood' that not only was I confused but I was also willing to hop in a car with complete strangers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)