On a brighter note, I'm here because I feel like writing about something :-) Initially wrote in my personal blog, but ditched that draft and came in here instead. It isn't 100% related to books, but it's about my job, which is in a bookstore, so that's close enough right?
So I've been a loyal employee of Popular for nearly 9 months now; 3 as a part-timer and the rest as a full-timer, and it's a lot to me. In fact, it's the longest I've stayed in a job. My first full-time one too.
But that's nothing compared to the time I've been a loyal customer of Popular. For as long as I remember, I am always buying things from Popular. Be it stationery, assessment books or just storybooks, it's always the same place; we don't even need to mention any name. Mention "buy things for school", and it's a straight go to Popular.
Of course I stopped buying assessment books when I left secondary school, but even in my poly life I was faithfully buying my stationery from here. Don't need to talk about books because of course I'm definitely still buying them now ;)
I cannot for the life of me remember the very first time I got a membership card. I've been a member here for all my life: the other time when I was at Bookfest 2015, one of the promoters came up to me and asked if I have a membership. I told her straight that I've had one since very young; not that it matters because I have a staff pass now anyway :p
That aside, I'd wanted to blog about the differences of being a customer and Retail Assistant in this company. Childhood and adulthood. So let's just get into it before I start gushing about my love for Popular again.
childhood: hanging out in the children's books section, asking my mom if I could buy thisthisthis.
adulthood: hanging out in the Multimedia section, telling customers why they should buy thisthisthis.
childhood: not giving a single shit about ink cartridges.
adulthood: knows by heart which ink cartridge models do we or do we not carry :-)
childhood: hearing the closing music, and knowing it's the end of my life because AW MAN POPULAR IS CLOSING AND I HAVE TO GO HOME )-:
adulthood: hearing the closing music, and knowing it's the end of the day and AH YES POPULAR IS CLOSING AND I CAN GO HOME (-:
childhood: the woman named Hooi Peng is the cashier.
adulthood: the woman named Hooi Peng is my colleague.
True story there. I met her on my second day of work back in April, and instantly recognised her as the cashier whom I was always going to at the Whitesands outlet.
childhood: hearing the paging system and wondering what the hell is that.
adulthood: hearing the paging system and wishing pleasedon'tcallmepleasedon'tcallme.
childhood: membership card is fucking important.
adulthood: staff pass is fucking important.
And the Popular lanyard.
Which glows in the dark by the way.
childhood: arranging the books neatly when they are in a mess but I can't, because my mom will ask me to hurry up :-(
adulthood: wanting to arrange the books neatly when they are in a mess but I can't, because we don't like the English Department HOD and don't want to help her :-(
childhood: the old Whitesands Popular was my favourite place ever. (besides the library though)
adulthood: the current Whitesands Popular was partially set up by me before its reopening :-) go to the Multimedia section, I'm the one who set up the bars and the hooks :-) :-) :-)
childhood: am the daughter of a very troublesome customer who is asking the staff so many unnecessary things.
adulthood: am the staff.
Bottom line: I have so many memories in Popular even before I started to work here. But it's so interesting to see how I've changed my perspective of it after working with the company.
Even though it's kind of bittersweet because my first anniversary of working in Popular will be around the same time that the people I'd entered polytechnic with will be graduating; it's still a blessing to be where I am.
I have goals to work my way up to HOD and then Store Manager haha, maybe be the first ever Malay SM? ^_^
Til next time.
A kiss for my beloved department, Multimedia.
Taken & edited by one of my lovely colleagues of course.
No comments:
Post a Comment