Close at 5 PM translates to close NEVER.

I work in retail. I know it seems terribly glamorous, but my job is pretty much like any job you see in the movies. It looks fun when celebrities are doing it and their friends are sliding into the shot and bringing up something exciting, but when you're actually there selling lingerie to wrinkled old ladies, it's not quite so riveting. But just because it isn't exciting doesn't mean I don't love my job.

Most of the time.

Among the things I really fucking hate are the people that come in at 4:45 PM. We close at 5 PM. It says so on our door, on our business cards, on our pamphlets and on our websites. We close. At five. PM. But apparently that translates to 'we're open all the time and we never close so come on in and keep me from having a life' to a lot of people.

These little hookers come in at 4:45 and start browsing. That's fine. I say 'hey, closing in about twenty here' because I don't mind staying an extra five minutes for a customer, that's fine too. At 5:30 finally they've decided not to buy anything. This is where I have an issue, because for one I don't get paid for staying late, second I didn't make any sales in that time so why would I get paid anyhow and third fuck you. Luckily I'm just a retail peon with no life to live, nobody to get home to, no errands to run or dreams to follow. It's cool guys.

At least they've gotten over the fact that I'm not a stuffy older lady working in a stuffy older lady store. The store is consignment clothing so we get a big variety of people, but I understand I'm not the most conventional looking person ever. I understand if a few people want to ask about the dreadlocks or piercings, that's totally cool. But it's when I'm talked down to, when people eye me up and then scoff and say 'when will your boss be in?' that I have an issue. Hi, I work here. I have for two years. I do my job well and you know I do it well because instead of stabbing you with my tagger, I'm smiling in your fucking face. So in the words of Richard Pryor, have a coke and a smile and shut the fuck up.