Adventures at Target Part 2

So...the people at Target generally scare me sometimes.  It's kind of a miracle that they've managed to survive in the world long enough to get to the point where they are now that they can "afford" a 50" LED television.  But even scarier is that fact that the managerial staff are somehow qualified to call themselves such sometimes.

Take for instance this scenario:

My department was starting to get a little busy, but nothing I couldn't handle.  A really cute girl had come up and asked me to sell her a camera, so I more than obliged.  I proceeded to sell up the cameras she was looking at, and overall started to make sure that she knew what she was purchasing (ie: what features it has and all that fun jazz).  Very suddenly my walkie goes off with a very pissy voice "ELECTRONICS YOU HAVE A CALL ON 34, SECOND REQUEST, CAN I GET A COPY?!"

Mind you I hadn't heard the first request, which was then confirmed by the guest I was assisting and confirmed again by the tech-installation guy.  Tech guy says to me "I got this," and picks up his own walkie "Tom's currently assisting a guest and is more than a little busy, can someone else get the freaking call?"

My manager jumps down the walkie's throat "If Tom's so busy he should be calling for backup, I'm sending someone back to electronics now".

The three of us stare at each other in bewilderment.  "I don't think he quite got the message..." the guest starts in.

I dash over to the phone, answer the inane "Do you have XYZ in stock?" and "Can you put that on hold until tomorrow?" questions they always seem privy to ask, and returned to the girl I was helping.

Nearly 10 minutes later "backup" arrived.  Really?  What if it had actually been an emergency?  What if I had a line of 20 people all wanting to be rung out for their crap at once?  What if they all wanted iPads, and me as a single human being couldn't handle them all at once?

But whatever, it's the thought that counts.

Backup then leaves, I sell her the camera, and we part ways.  Not 5 minutes later did a massive crowd appear.  "Can I get backup to electronics?  It's starting to really get swamped back here and could really use a hand."

Manager: "Copy that, great communication!  Alright team, let's remember to keep the communication up so we can really push guest experience!"

Silence.

Myself: "So uh...how about that backup?"

It literally took another 10 minutes for backup to arrive, which, by that time all of the other guests had already left or I had taken care of them.

Adventures at Target Part I

Now don't get me wrong, I do actually enjoy my job.  It's just that some times things get very..."trying" we'll say.  If it's not the huge piles of "push" (items to stock out) or ridiculous "procedures" (daily maintenance protocols) being pushed by managers that no one bothered to train me on, it's mostly the guests: because we're Target and we treat our customers so well that they aren't customers because they are welcomed guests in our place of business dammit.

Today was especially something to behold.  Despite being a Tuesday afternoon, the guests we had today were a breed all their own.  For instance, here's a conversation between myself and one guest:

Myself: Hi there, can I help you find something?
Guest: Yes, I'm looking for car radios.
Myself: I haven't seen anything like that here, but we can take a look.
Guest: I've seen them here before.
Myself: Hmm...well ~thinking to myself 'NOPE!'~ we can take a look over here, but if anything I feel like they'd be down in Automotive.
Guest: Oh I know.

Myself: 
Guest: Which way is it?
Myself: Oh it's...that...way...~points her off in the right direction~
Guest: Thank you!

Or perhaps another that happened to the cellphone girl:

Cell Girl: Hi there, can I help you find something?
Guest: Do all the phones just sit there like that?
Cell Girl: Like how sir?
Guest: Don't they have a cover?
Cell Girl: Well...no...they do sell cases for them separate from the phone.
Guest: No!  I don't want a case for it!  I want a cover!
Cell Girl: Sir, I'm not sure I follow what you're asking for?

Conversation continues as such for several more minutes

Guest: A cover!  Just like this one! ~picks up a flip phone~

Cell Girl: Uhm...

Yeah.   Just part one of an ongoing series that I'm hoping to continue as I continue working here.  Just one adventure out of many.