{ Monday, December 11, 2006 } 6:32 PM

So Tiring....

I'm a part-time cashier at Fairprice.

Everyday I come home from work, I feel super tired.

Today I had 9 errors in my report. 5 were double-scanning of a single item, 3 were void sales (meaning in 1 transaction, there were 3 items, but because I forgot to swipe the link card before cashing out, the transaction was made void and I had to re-scan everything all over again. Luckily there were only 3 items.) and 1 was line void. Line void means the customer rejected an item scanned onto the receipt earlier on. For the 5 mentioned earlier on, I had to do item correction.

NO................................. Working at Fairprice is not easy. I thought all I had to do was just to scan scan scan and collect money... But no....................... You have to memorise department codes, you have to remember the price of 1 Zespri Green Jumbo Kiwi and the offer price when you buy four. Then there is the China Fuji Apples, some Dole Pineapples, local pineapples, Malaysian Medium Pineapples ( I was like, what is the difference??? They all look the same.), France Fuji Apples, US Green Apples, France Royal Gala Apples, Australian Rockmelons, Thailand Organic something-melon, Turkey Lemons, China Navel Oranges, Vietnam Dragonfruits, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc.

And every Thrusday the stupid prices change.

And the Purchase-with-Purchase, PWP offer prices change weekly too. Like, when you spend $25 and above in a single receipt you can buy some tissue paper at 3 plus instead of 5 plus. And that's only till this Wednesday.

And there are so many free gifts to remember to give to customers. Like, you can buy a Happy Feet colour pencil set at 2 bucks when you buy a 6-can pack coke. You buy Gardenia bread (white only I think) you get a pack of free bread. The same with Sunshine bread too. And you also get a small bottle of Kaya when you buy Hi-5 bread.

Damn it la. Don't forget the US Russet Potatoes. 5 for $1.20 only. Department code is 6003.

What else? When you make an error, write it down. Later you gotta explain it in your report. and this customer is so unfeeling. I had to void my sale because of my mistake, but you can just say, it's ok... So I don't have to void it!! But she still want her 4% rebate out of the $6.80 she spent. You think it is a lot huh?

And the stupid scanning machine is just so lousy. So not sensitive. Why? There are so bloody many times when I had to manually key in the EAN code (i.e. your barcode on your groceries) when the stupid scanner refused to register it.

Why? Because the EAN code is bloody small.

And there are so many freaking times when I can't find the barcode on a particular product. And the customers are so demanding. If you forgot to weigh your veggies, I can wait for you. You just go to the weighing station and weigh it, then give me the veggie to scan. Don't ask me to do it for you. You were the one who forgot to weigh it, not me. Otherwise, don't buy it!

Today the senior cashier became my packer. Maybe tomorrow she won't be around to help me pack. Which means I will take a longer time to complete one transaction.

Do you know how bloody difficult it is to earn $1.50 a day? I heard that the cashiers can get a commission of 0.05% of the sales they do in a day. Today my sales was $4000 plus. But I took it as $3000. So my commission is $1.50. I work 20 days in a month (for example) and my total commission is $30. That is so bloody little la.

I do so much just to earn $624 a month. And I spent 5 bucks on food a day. 20 days I spent 100??? So I only have 524 left. Transport is around a dollar a day. So I have 504 left.

Give my sisters 30, I have only 474 left. Give my parents 200, I have only 274. What the hell can I do with so little money? Can't even buy my Nokia N95.

I want to quit la. I want a job that gives me 1500 a month. Then that is what I call A LOT. But which job will give me that much? I already cannot hold 2 jobs because I am on shift in Fairprice. But I want to make a lot of money, at least another 400 from my second job. But where can I get 400?

And I just fell sick. DARN IT.

I don't want to work at Fairprice anymore la. The only thing good today was because there was no Declaration Fault in my Media Declaration. Which means my sales are balanced.

Yay. 1st day and I got such fantastic results.

But the thing is, I am staying on because soon I will have an assessment. When I pass it, I get a certificate.

Yes, I WANT that CERTIFICATE. When I get it I am gonna say bye bye.

Then I want another job. A 1500 job.

Maybe I will do Business in NUS, that's where I hear you get high paying jobs.

I hate doing sccounts.