Garfield the Cat has for the past 30 years been known to hate Mondays, I often wonder why? Monday is the day you come off the weekend and expect it to go at a pedestrian pace so that you can settle into the working week. Monday is the orientation, the error-day. The day where Neil Mitchell does most of the talking. I think that Tuesday is the culprit of least favourite day of the week, for me it is.
I must say that the busiest shift that I work every week is Tuesday night. It is a night filled with the display of a chaotic, congested and frenetic customers rushing in to buy what can be comparatively described as the cheapest petrol of the week. Some have called it "Tight-arse Tuesday", others "Tight-rope Tuesday" and according to a highly intelligent monkey fringe "Highly cost efficient petrol productivity second day of the working week" But the times are becoming even busier, with media outlets coming out every Tuesday afternoon saying "Motorists tomorrow the price will go up to $3000 a litre, buy, buy buy!!" These nights have become even busier. Which led to interesting happenings...
If I can recollect...
Well I came into work, 18:15 on the dot, I was on time. Was I ready? Well perhaps a little tired considering that this is the first day back from the weekend. Funny isn't it how those 2 spare days disintegrate like a T-1000 hitting a pit of lava, in a matter of seconds. As I came in, I saw a long queue of folks, waiting as if it was a soup kitchen of sorts, alas with grime impressions. They looked as though they have been there for many hours, like war prisoners waiting for liberation. It was incredibly busy, cars behind cars, up to the road even!
I ran in and I got ready, not knowing how busy this night would be. My co-worker explained to me that it really was busy, he said "It was busy" I think he understood that I really understood when I started waving my arms like one of the members of "Naughty By Nature" to illustrate how busy it was, and so the night progressed. It was great, working side-by-side, serving the customers, offering them a wide range of excellent products. It was so productive I wanted to give my co-worker a high five, I would have except I couldn't move. But when it came to 9:30pm that all changed...
My co-worker's time was up, he had to end his shift. At the middle of all of this was the next bombardment of customers coming in, a line that was developing into a queue and a queue developing into an overcrowded hospital, accept without the hospital-like smell. They was a crucial moment, everything was seemingly falling apart. I thought in my mind that if a chaotic situation were to develop, and that there would be 30 minute queues, people would leave with tears in their eyes. They would be completely disillusioned, they would see that all my dynamic powers of service was a sham, a kind of fantasy propped up by popular opinion and the lyric on my Hip Hop album, "I'm the best, bitches". Well actually I do not have a Hip Hop album.
An innovative solution was necessary and it had to happen fast. As my co-worker left, the queues came in, the smiles were turning upside down, there were people outside getting riding to pop a few caps into others unless cars were moved, or so it seemed. So I thought of the greatest, my super heroic solution...thats right! I man two registers at once!
Yes folks this is was daring feat, a kind of legendary ability to those who work here. I knew that I had to try it, by God it was the only thing left to do. So I bolted between 2 registers, serving 2 customers at once, presiding over both transactions, looking outside at the forecourt, smiling at customers, waving my arms, saying yo, and even thinking about a theme song to compliment this. I was running around constantly and standing at the middle at the same time, my mind was there in full control. The key thing was always ensuring that the transactions flowed well and correctly, one slightest mistake in selecting the wrong pump and the entire network could potentially explode!
To the astonishment of these bewildered and disillusioned folks, the image of a Superman like character serving at insane pace kept them entertained and marveled. Queues were reduced and chaos disappeared. As I looked upon my domain I saw something come out at a time of near peril, a kind of semi-hope out of nothing.
End of Recollection...
Tuesday, its wacky in its busy-ness. I would sometimes joke with customers who would ask how the night was, I would say "Well Sir/Madam, It wasn't so bad tonight actually, we only had 2 fistfights compared to the 4 last week" They would get shocked a second before getting that it was a joke. I think its a funny way of describing it.
But anyway folks it was great having you reading this piece of mine, I hope you have gotten as much out it as I do waving my arms in reaction to various things!
Yours Sincerely,
Altug Kayi
I must say that the busiest shift that I work every week is Tuesday night. It is a night filled with the display of a chaotic, congested and frenetic customers rushing in to buy what can be comparatively described as the cheapest petrol of the week. Some have called it "Tight-arse Tuesday", others "Tight-rope Tuesday" and according to a highly intelligent monkey fringe "Highly cost efficient petrol productivity second day of the working week" But the times are becoming even busier, with media outlets coming out every Tuesday afternoon saying "Motorists tomorrow the price will go up to $3000 a litre, buy, buy buy!!" These nights have become even busier. Which led to interesting happenings...
If I can recollect...
Well I came into work, 18:15 on the dot, I was on time. Was I ready? Well perhaps a little tired considering that this is the first day back from the weekend. Funny isn't it how those 2 spare days disintegrate like a T-1000 hitting a pit of lava, in a matter of seconds. As I came in, I saw a long queue of folks, waiting as if it was a soup kitchen of sorts, alas with grime impressions. They looked as though they have been there for many hours, like war prisoners waiting for liberation. It was incredibly busy, cars behind cars, up to the road even!
I ran in and I got ready, not knowing how busy this night would be. My co-worker explained to me that it really was busy, he said "It was busy" I think he understood that I really understood when I started waving my arms like one of the members of "Naughty By Nature" to illustrate how busy it was, and so the night progressed. It was great, working side-by-side, serving the customers, offering them a wide range of excellent products. It was so productive I wanted to give my co-worker a high five, I would have except I couldn't move. But when it came to 9:30pm that all changed...
My co-worker's time was up, he had to end his shift. At the middle of all of this was the next bombardment of customers coming in, a line that was developing into a queue and a queue developing into an overcrowded hospital, accept without the hospital-like smell. They was a crucial moment, everything was seemingly falling apart. I thought in my mind that if a chaotic situation were to develop, and that there would be 30 minute queues, people would leave with tears in their eyes. They would be completely disillusioned, they would see that all my dynamic powers of service was a sham, a kind of fantasy propped up by popular opinion and the lyric on my Hip Hop album, "I'm the best, bitches". Well actually I do not have a Hip Hop album.
An innovative solution was necessary and it had to happen fast. As my co-worker left, the queues came in, the smiles were turning upside down, there were people outside getting riding to pop a few caps into others unless cars were moved, or so it seemed. So I thought of the greatest, my super heroic solution...thats right! I man two registers at once!
Yes folks this is was daring feat, a kind of legendary ability to those who work here. I knew that I had to try it, by God it was the only thing left to do. So I bolted between 2 registers, serving 2 customers at once, presiding over both transactions, looking outside at the forecourt, smiling at customers, waving my arms, saying yo, and even thinking about a theme song to compliment this. I was running around constantly and standing at the middle at the same time, my mind was there in full control. The key thing was always ensuring that the transactions flowed well and correctly, one slightest mistake in selecting the wrong pump and the entire network could potentially explode!To the astonishment of these bewildered and disillusioned folks, the image of a Superman like character serving at insane pace kept them entertained and marveled. Queues were reduced and chaos disappeared. As I looked upon my domain I saw something come out at a time of near peril, a kind of semi-hope out of nothing.
A Starter cap like the Gentlemen on the left.
It was the equivalent to one of those rap videos where the hip hop guy finally gets that favourite baseball cap ("Starter" off-course) made out of diamonds from his great struggles of going to nightclubs, putting on bling, spending lots of money and waking up late every day.End of Recollection...
Tuesday, its wacky in its busy-ness. I would sometimes joke with customers who would ask how the night was, I would say "Well Sir/Madam, It wasn't so bad tonight actually, we only had 2 fistfights compared to the 4 last week" They would get shocked a second before getting that it was a joke. I think its a funny way of describing it.
But anyway folks it was great having you reading this piece of mine, I hope you have gotten as much out it as I do waving my arms in reaction to various things!
Yours Sincerely,
Altug Kayi
1 comment:
a hero among men
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