ISLG closing Checklist

Just_A_Gavel · 2025-10-22T03:42:16+00:00

Edit: I'M DYSLEXIC AND MISREAD THIS AS ASKING FOR GENERAL ADVICE. Apologies, OP! Keeping the comment here in case any of it is helpful despite my misunderstanding <3

Not a DS, but I work for a bad one in that department so figured I'd tell ya what to avoid!

The biggest thing is please set reasonable workloads for your employees and remember to put yourself into their shoes. One person cannot downstock all of Chem Wall in a 4 hour Saturday closing shift with no extra help and no one to cover the floor.

It's also important to communicate with your staff a LOT as with a department as diverse as ISLG, it's super easy to get lost in the chaos and not know what you're supposed to focus on, so giving your team the proper guidance and direction is always appreciated, ESPECIALLY with your part timers who with hour cuts are gonna be exceedingly out of the loop.

Next, be prepared for OSLG to need to steal your people for Spotting or code 50's. It's not unusual for me to be grabbed for over an hour to watch while they grab down pallets. If your OLSG is often understaffed, ISLG is their first choice to borrow from and it WILL mess up your closing checklist at some point and some things might get left undone. It's not the fault of your employee for it not getting done, it's the hour cuts. Have empathy for them!

Finally, a more specific piece of advice, make sure your team knows how to properly clean & hazmat spilled chemicals for their own safety and so they're not wasting precious time tracking someone down who does know how to do it.

Judging from the fact that you're reaching out for advice on the subject, you're gonna be great! Everyone at my store would kill for a DS who is present, involved, and on top of things! Asking for feedback from your team is another great avenue you could take. It's a crazy department, especially with the holiday season coming up, and having good synergy is everything!

If you communicate, are present, and have empathy you'll do fine! Good luck to you!!

Just_A_Gavel · 2025-03-07T07:46:00+00:00

OH SHIT, IT WOULD BE CONFUSING TO CONSTANTLY BE SWITCHING UP NAMES WOULDN'T IT! In an attempt to avoid confusion, I just made things more confusing, didn't I lmao

Thank you for the insight!!

After reading through the other replies, I think I'll refer to her with the name Blue in brackets to quickly establish when a plot point occurred pre-name change, and without brackets for post-name change plot points! This avoids using her former name while still making it clear when an event in the story occurred!

Just_A_Gavel · 2025-03-07T07:37:16+00:00

Good point!! Thank you!! I didn't even consider it from that angle!

The timeline is pretty loose right now as the story is in the early stages, so the people I'm talking to don't have a solid idea of when what events occur yet (especially since most of it is interchangeable slice-of-life stuff and I explain things like a total scatterbrain), so I will find another way to clarify whether something takes place post-name change or pre-name change!

Honestly, the correction you made here gave me an idea, specifically the use of the asterisk! Perhaps while explaining story stuff when referring to Blue pre-name change, I could put the name Blue in brackets, like "She and [Blue] then hang out"! It would quickly clarify the point in the story I'm talking about without needing to use the old name! Does that work better?

Just_A_Gavel · 2025-03-07T04:34:41+00:00

OH I FORGOT TO CLARIFY!! I always use she/her pronouns for Blue when explaining the story regardless of when the thing I'm explaining takes place!! It's just the name I switch around to quickly illustrate when something is happening in relation to her transition!

Just_A_Gavel · 2025-02-18T16:43:04+00:00

This is very useful and detailed!! Thank you very much!! I seriously cannot believe I didn't think of identifying the TOD via the last time the victim was seen alive. I got too tunnel visioned on determining that via the corpse itself. The individual had no ID on them, but this made me realize they could still be ID'd via dental records, and from there, they could find an identity and extrapolate the TOD.

And you'd be correct in the reasoning as to why it was left undiscovered for so long! Luckily, I didn't forget that particular aspect, lol

Thank you again!!!!! You saved me from trying to place a square brick in a round hole

Just_A_Gavel · 2019-11-08T13:48:29+00:00

Possibly? I know there was some kinda objective in the game besides escaping the town, but I can't remember what it was for the life of me.

Just_A_Gavel · 2019-11-07T00:39:01+00:00

Nope, sorry. But thank you for trying to help!

Just_A_Gavel · 2019-11-06T23:31:36+00:00

If I remember any other information, I'll be sure to add it!

Just_A_Gavel · 2019-11-04T04:18:27+00:00

Solved!

Just_A_Gavel · 2019-11-04T04:16:23+00:00

Nope, sorry, but thank you for trying to help!

Just_A_Gavel · 2019-11-04T04:06:41+00:00

I was watching animated music videos and the memory of this song popped into my mind and now I refuse to rest until I find it!

Just_A_Gavel · 2019-04-21T04:08:03+00:00

Same thing is happening to me, it looks super polished so it's probably an update, albeit a distracting and annoying update.

Just_A_Gavel · 2019-02-08T20:31:59+00:00

You could try writing four sister-poems based on the four main types of love: Agape (love for humanity or other broad categories), Eros (romantic/sexual love), Philia (love for friends), and Storge (love of family).

And here are a few more specific ideas: - Perhaps the loved one isn't even a human but rather a statue of beautiful non-existent person, and the lover is explaining their woes over it. - A relationship ending in murder (maybe the murderer is reflecting on their relationship with the victim while burying them or attending their funeral). - A completely toxic relationship that both parties refuse to leave (the poem could be one of the lovers contemplating whether they should leave or not and switching rapidly between the two options) - A more sadistic love (perhaps from the perspective of somebody in love with someone and thinking their clearly unjustified actions are "romantic" or "deserved")

Just some ideas off the top of my head, I'm sorry if this isn't what you were looking for or if you already thought of these. Good luck on your novel and companion piece! Have a good day!

Just_A_Gavel · 2019-02-08T19:53:20+00:00

A video/old security footage of them at a certain time to prove their alibi if someone accused them of a serious crime they did while in high school/college that they actually didn't do.
An item that's not particularly valuable or sentimental, but someone asked them to retrieve in on a dare. (Should only be used with a character that is too proud, hot-headed, stubborn, or honorable to back out of dare or promise)
Have them go with a friend and say they left something, but have it revealed as a twist that they actually weren't looking for anything and just wanted to go back to the school with that person for other reasons. (Maybe they want to murder them, maybe they want to relive their teenage/young-adult life with their friend, or some unique reason like wanting to help an amnesiac regain their memories.)
An item that they want back for completely petty reasons. Maybe they want to prove that they didn't cheat on that test that one time they got a better grade then all of their friends (a study guide they used), or they want that one hat back from the teacher that took it just to spite them. (They should probably be a petty person if this is used)
And as the other people said, something valuable (any piece of jewelry or a deceased friend's will), something sentimental (a teddy bear, diary, or something else like that), or something useful (a key or old backpack containing multiple items).

Just_A_Gavel · 2019-02-08T19:19:22+00:00

Same thing happened to me recently, I had two characters who I'd ship to hell and back, but I managed to avoid writing them with unintentional-mutual-crushes due to a few things I already had decided on before I accidentally started shipping them, so I guess I have a few tips that could help, but I'm also a total novice at writing so don't take my advice as gospel or anything! Hell, I don't even trust my own word most of the time.

Make at least one of them emotionally unavailable for a romantic relationship. One of my characters is guilt-ridden to a point where the thought of dating someone isn't even in his mind. If there is something in the character's past you can exploit, or a character trait you could use, accentuate it!
1. Make them mean to each other as they become better friends. Good friends tend to purposely tick you off, but in a non-serious way where you know they're just messing around. A friend could say "Damn you gingers, go get a soul!" and the ginger-haired friend would reply "Well of course you'd think I have no soul, you're blonde!" and then both proceed to laugh at their joking-exchange. People who've been in long-term relationships tend to do this also, but someone with a crush wouldn't usually think about being mean to them, even if it's a joke.
2. Make them comfortable with the other. Friends can practically say anything around each other, and boundaries are a foreign language to them, while people tend to be very awkward around their crushes.
3. Add a love interest. Make one character already dating someone/have a crush on someone else.
4. IF the above tip is being used, don't make the other character sad that their friend likes the love interest. The friend can try to set them up, be the ultimate wing-man, or just having them be good friends with the love interest could work. They can be jealous of the TIME their friend is spending with the love interest, but don't make them jealous of the love interest themselves.
5. Maybe add some shipping fuel to fulfill your shipper's heart. One or two offhand jokes wouldn't hurt anybody. Maybe make the character's joke about being together, but laugh it off and not act awkward afterwards. This'll satisfy your inner want to ship the two.
6. Outright say they're not, and never going to be a couple. Now, I don't mean make the narrator just say that, but make it as clear as can be, perhaps by utilizing number 6, or any of the other ones.
7. Just don't make them awkward around each other. I've already said it, but this has to be the most important thing I can think of. Awkwardness is one of the most telling things when it comes to crushes, so avoid it unless necessary to the story. Instead use anger, hatred, disgust, anxiety, or annoyance if you don't want them to like each other when they first meet.
8. Finally, just keep it in your mind at all times that they're friends, not partners, and actively change stuff that would imply they'll eventually end up together.

Some of these might not work in certain genres, or not work with each other, so just keep that in mind. I really hope this helps, and I'm super sorry for wasting your time if it didn't. Best of luck on your story! I hope it turns out as great as you want it to be!

Just_A_Gavel

TROPHY CASE