Punching the Clock: Insights Into Our Working Lives

Walmartians

%E2%80%9COne+forty-one%2C%E2%80%9D+Turner+says%2C+the+drawer+popping+open+so+she+can+count+out+the+change.+

Alex Walsh

“One forty-one,” Turner says, the drawer popping open so she can count out the change.

Alex Walsh, Staff Writer

From being called stupid to weird managers, working six months at Walmart for junior Meagan Turner has garnered many strange experiences. Having a job as a cashier should seem easy and repetitive enough, but like every job it comes with its share of crazy stories, especially when you are in the customer service industry.

While she spends most her time behind the register she also performs miscellaneous tasks given to her such as stocking the register aisles with candy or returning merchandise to its correct place. Doing her job can become interesting at times; for example when one of her managers started singing Christmas carols at each register and insisting he be called Joe, not his real name.

“A lot of people flirt with me, ask if I’m single, tell me I’m lonely and need someone,” Turner said of a regular occurrence at her job, adding that some people can be ignorant, sometimes coworkers, sometimes customers.

One time Meagan got yelled at by a woman, another stand-out moment. The woman got angry because Meagan is 16, which means she can’t sell alcohol. The woman then proceeded to insult Meagan because she could not legally sell alcohol to her.

One particular instance that stands out is when Turner suspected a customer’s suspicious activity. “I followed him around and asked if he needed anything. He just said, ‘I’m fine,’ and then ran out of the store stealing something,” Turner said, unsure of what the old man took or if it ever got taken care of.

On the positive side, however, Meagan says most people are nice and the money doesn’t hurt either. Regardless of the sometimes colorful people she encounters, she admits she likes her job even if one man did tell her he, “smoked his supper.” Working at Walmart means selling nearly anything under the sun and meeting all the personalities you can possibly imagine.