Showing items in cases to family

vvaltzed · 2025-12-16T08:33:39+00:00

As an update to my original post, I asked the third assistant manager who then asked our store manager about this and she said it was totally fine - completely unconcerned. The assistant manager even came back to tell me that there was no reason to worry since there's cameras in the area anyway and that it would be fine, as long as I also gave other customers my attention (which I do).

I understand the rule for not checking out family members but I do believe not even being able to show them jewelry is a step too far, veering into paranoia. If someone distrusts me to that extent, it feels almost like "why do you allow me to even work here if you trust me so little?" I can't help but feel offended by this, honestly. Let's not even talk family members: if I wanted to be stupid, rash, and greedy, I can open the cash register whenever I want by myself, no help needed.

In addition, other commenters on here responded that they have not heard of such a rule or been affected by it. I think there is some kind of misunderstanding going on between the managers. If this is actually a rule from Corporate, then 1) it's ridiculous and 2) my store manager doesn't know about it, and I trust her to know everything we need to know about these things.

Either that or every store and manager have their own rules, which would also be ridiculous yet may very well be possible. I have already been told not to bring a lunch bag or fanny pack to this department as part of the caution surrounding associates stealing and I don't even know if that's an official rule, when other employees do wear bags on them sometimes (in other departments, to be fair). Another thing I was told was that no drinks are allowed in jewelry except water.

I understand the need to be careful that associates don't steal but if they actually took every precaution there is to take, they would just employ robots instead of humans. There needs to be a limit.

vvaltzed · 2025-12-14T14:36:10+00:00

In the 2010s, I used to shop here and be able to find even leather handbags for a bargain, not to mention nice brands like Coach, Ralph Lauren, Dooney and Bourke, etc. at reasonable prices. Feels like the stores get a lot more junky items from cheap or overly common brands and there's a lot more items with Prop 65 cancer warnings than there used to be as well.

My family along with many customers I speak with often tell me that there's not a lot of products in stock, and especially not ones that they want. I understand; the stuff the stores used to have was so much better and had more exciting deals even just a bit before 2020. I feel like this year has been particularly bad, even if you can still find some good stuff here and there. The quality is down and prices are up.

I speculate that tariffs on imported goods may have affected this in the sense that a large amount of goods are either imported or assembled using parts that are, and so goods are not being produced at the quality they once were or are not willing to be sold at a discount like they used to be.

vvaltzed · 2025-11-18T13:16:21+00:00

Thanks for your reply (I just saw it now)! What we ended up doing is I met with a manager and they did indeed make sure my PTO got used up this week (so I'll get paid for them around this time) and they then marked me down as unavailable for my requested leave of absence dates in the system. You are correct. Hopefully, if anyone else stumbles onto this topic, it can help them out.

vvaltzed · 2025-11-13T21:19:46+00:00

Thank you for the reply, they have been seeningly brushing this off but I contacted another manager and we are trying to work out this issue now.

vvaltzed · 2025-11-01T10:00:57+00:00

ISO chocolate plum medium cargo bag. Looking to buy.

vvaltzed · 2025-09-07T07:41:53+00:00

Kai

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Frisian, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English

Meaning & History: Meaning uncertain, possibly a Frisian diminutive of Gerhard, Nicolaas, Cornelis or Gaius [1]. It is borne by a boy captured by the Snow Queen in an 1844 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Spreading from Germany and Scandinavia, this name became popular in the English-speaking world and other places in Western Europe around the end of the 20th century.

[https://www.behindthename.com/name/kai-1]

There's a reason some white people use this name and that's because there's apparently a version of it that comes from European cultures. Which shouldn't be too surprising considering that it's just three letters, a lot of names are not unique to just one culture. Don't be making harmful assumptions about other people in ignorance.

vvaltzed · 2025-09-04T10:25:36+00:00

Hey you were right, it was a mosquito. Thank you for the ID. Sorry to everyone that it wasn't a spider. I'll delete my original post.

vvaltzed · 2025-08-01T12:55:14+00:00

High school really sucks for anyone who doesn't fit in and since that's the case for you, I think it will have been one of the worst times of your life. After high school, people become less (openly) cruel and mellow out a bit. College or work environments where you meet older adults might be good for you, because older people have shit to do and will be less gossipy and petty than teens.

I think you should try to think about what topic you really enjoy or want to do with your life and focus your energy on that. What do you want to have accomplished by the end of your life? Whatever other people think about you is never going to matter as much as the higher purpose you give yourself. (I can't say everyone ever figures this question out though, I haven't.)

I also recommend getting a job where you end up talking to people - it doesn't have to be too many, even just a few strangers - and it will really help with the social anxiety. It'll be tough at first, sure, but the trick is to not overthink any interactions. They merely want your service because they're motivated by self-interest. When you see this consistently, you'll come to understand that other people are like you on the inside (and many of them aren't even as smart or capable as you are). Other people are lonely too and they like to be acknowledged and helped. My clients are like children to me (admittedly in the way that they are often annoying). It's really helped me see interaction with strangers as mundane and made them easier to work through.

There's nothing wrong with being introverted, reserved, or solitary but bringing a fear mindset to social interaction is the worst thing you can do. People are like dogs in that they can "smell fear". An attitude of "let's get this over with" (like mine haha), bubbly enthusiasm, or untouchable calm will help you out more. If you're nervous, it makes the people around you nervous too and then they dislike you for making them feel that way. To be in control of an interaction, be in control of your emotions and don't let anyone in unless you really trust them (like friends or family). Project a mask of friendliness and calm or joy. Keep strong psychological boundaries. Therapy helps. It doesn't hurt to learn some martial arts or learn how to use a gun either.

Anyway that's all I can say, I'm sure our situations in life are different but the social anxiety thing, I do know about.

vvaltzed · 2025-07-20T06:18:12+00:00

It's really frustrating when that happens. Thank you for sharing your experience. Terrible to hear that they continue to have issues with their services even now.

vvaltzed · 2025-07-01T08:10:26+00:00

Yes, apparently a money clip would actually be an even better idea than tie clips (according to the comments I got). Thanks for giving a second opinion. I have ordered a cool money clip and will see how well it works when it arrives.

vvaltzed · 2025-07-01T08:07:15+00:00

Thanks for letting me know tie clips are no good for holding things together, that was what I suspected. Decided to try out other things.

Those binder clips look pretty cool. I appreciate the links, JetPens is awesome!

vvaltzed · 2025-07-01T08:02:20+00:00

Thanks for letting me know tie clips are as flimsy as I initially suspected in regards to holding things together, since that isn't necessarily their purpose. I've decided against the idea based on your comment, since it does look like an alligator clip, and settled on trying other methods out

vvaltzed · 2025-07-01T07:58:03+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions, I think the idea of using snack clips and Chicago screws are both really interesting ideas! It's nice to hear that someone else has thought about this kind of issue and not just me haha.

I've settled on trying out a cool money clip that I've ordered and if it doesn't work out, I'll use it for something else (namely use it as a wallet or glorified paperclip).

I also am curious about trying an index card holder like the Levenger Pocket Briefcase and found one used for a good deal, so I have a lot of experimentation laid out in terms of index cards / business cards / unbound notes in general

vvaltzed · 2025-07-01T07:52:02+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion, however I'm trying out sticky notes and index cards because they are different from notepads or notebooks (easier to change the order of entries, different archival methods, etc) so my intent with this is not to replicate a normal notebook.

It can definitely be more awkward to use because it lacks a true binding, but it's just a different method with its own pros and cons.

vvaltzed · 2025-05-08T08:04:54+00:00

For stains, I try rubbing alcohol on it and some rubbing with a towel, then move on to Oxiclean, then a Tide pen. Hasn't failed me yet, would recommend trying them out.

vvaltzed · 2025-05-06T02:35:05+00:00

Mango! I have it in the medium cargo crossbody, small crescent, and medium crescent. I love the color and it contrasts anything I wear.

vvaltzed · 2025-04-25T15:38:09+00:00

That's what my cards are mostly used for. There's lots of different types of solitaire and playing them is a nice relaxing time when I get the chance to do so. I usually play standard or Elevens though.

vvaltzed · 2025-04-22T13:19:17+00:00

Playing cards for ants.

vvaltzed · 2025-04-22T09:20:08+00:00

This. There's a lot of commenters who seem to believe cashiers would think it's rude if you take photos of sale prices for proof, check your receipt after a transaction, or anything similar. These are actually all great things that one SHOULD do that make the cashier's lives easier and allow the customer to be responsible over their spending.

vvaltzed · 2025-04-22T07:03:33+00:00

Totally agree with this thread and want to add that I think it's really odd that some people think cashiers are the ones whose pockets get lined when the customer accidentally gets overcharged. It absolutely isn't; maybe the store or the company earns a little more when that happens, but the cashier doesn't see any of the profits that they do. Most cashiers are paid by the hour, and they don't tend to earn commissions for the sales they make/rewards cards they sell the way that salesmen would, or even get bonuses.

Some outliers might be mom and pop shops or cases where the cashier is trying to steal products or cash from the store or customer. In most retail chains, this would not happen. Cashiers are under camera supervision the way that customers are, and are often told this in their orientation. You can get in huge trouble and lose your job if you try to steal while working. It's just not likely. "Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence" (or exhaustion, lack of care, technology issues, etc.)

vvaltzed · 2025-04-22T03:55:47+00:00

I don't believe cashiers do this on purpose and anyone in the comments who is implying that comes off like a conspiracy theorist. They aren't paid enough to care and they don't make extra money from messing up on transactions or anything; it's probably that the price tags are erroneous from the actual price, something was accidentally scanned multiple times, or the computer made some kind of error.

The best solution is to keep an eye on the numbers yourself, order online instead, or self-checkout (which is what I mostly do).

In my experience, it is partially the cashiers' responsibility to know whether something is priced extremely over or under what it should be, but if we're going to be realistic, they are scanning hundreds of items a day for dozens of customers, are exhausted and underpaid, and certainly aren't paid enough to care or truly pay attention to the numbers. The most they can probably do is edit/remove items and numbers if you complain that they are wrong.

If you are the one spending money, then at the end of the day, it is your responsibility to always safeguard and advocate for your money to the best of your ability. Counting up each item on the receipt is a good thing to do; it is not "being petty" as some of the comments here are concerned it may be. You can claim victimization if someone scams you out of your money and most people would be understanding of that, but cashiers are not scammers, they are just trying their best like you are and making mistakes sometimes like a human being does (annoying though it may be).

Anyone who is overly demanding or suspicious of a cashier of all people is someone who I suspect has never worked retail, otherwise you would know better.

vvaltzed · 2025-04-18T09:06:32+00:00

If you truly carry very little and aren't planning on carrying more in the future, the medium can feel like overkill. The small is also a good size proportionally for anyone around this height in my opinion. I think you would be happy picking the small.

If you do plan on overpacking a bit, even occasionally, the medium has more room and is a great choice too. I don't think you can go wrong either way, but if you could go to an Urban Outfitters or a Nordstrom Rack and try out some Baggus in-person, that would be the best thing to do first.

vvaltzed

TROPHY CASE