Chapter 19: Enough With These Tantrums
Working in retail teaches you to expect the unexpected.
Customers would yell over the smallest mistakes.
Managers would change schedules without warning.
Staff members would complain about almost everything.
Most days, those complaints disappeared as quickly as they came.
But every now and then...
Someone finally reached their breaking point.
It happened just after ten o'clock.
The store intercom crackled overhead.
"Attention all service workers," Mr. Adams announced. His usually calm voice carried an edge of frustration.
"Please report to my office immediately."
Everyone looked up.
Service workers?
I exchanged a glance with Jess.
She sighed.
"I wonder what this is about."
"I suppose we'll find out."
She gave me a small nod before disappearing towards the office with the rest of the service department.
The store returned to normal.
Customers wandered through the aisles.
Children begged their parents for sweets.
Lance somehow managed to steer a trolley into a promotional display before apologising to it.
Just another ordinary day at Pick Your Product.
Until...
The manager's office door burst open.
Jess stormed out.
Her face was bright red.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Every conversation inside the store stopped.
Even the customers stared.
She pushed her stock trolley so hard that it rolled into the end of an aisle, narrowly missing a customer.
"I've had enough!" she shouted.
"I've absolutely had enough of this place!"
Without another word she grabbed a box of shampoo and began throwing bottles onto the shelves.
Nothing was straight.
Nothing was faced.
Products bounced across the aisle and landed wherever they pleased.
I had never seen Jess pack stock like that.
This was the woman who once made me redo an entire shelf because one bottle was turned five degrees the wrong way.
Now she didn't seem to care.
Gammie hurried over.
"Jess!"
She ignored him.
Another bottle flew onto the shelf.
"Jess!"
Still nothing.
He stepped in front of her.
"Would you please tell me what's going on?"
She finally looked up.
"Go away."
"I'm your supervisor."
"I don't care."
"You realise I can discipline you for this?"
Jess laughed bitterly.
"Then do it."
She pointed towards Mr. Adams' office.
"Your precious manager has already ruined my day."
Customers awkwardly pushed their trolleys around the growing crowd.
Gammie lowered his voice.
"Jess..."
"What?"
"What happened?"
She wiped away another tear.
"He wants me to work on Sunday."
Gammie blinked.
"...That's all?"
Her eyes widened.
"'That's all?'"
"Jess, it's one Sunday."
"It isn't just one Sunday!"
Her voice echoed across the department.
"Do you know how many birthdays I've missed because of this job?"
Silence.
"How many family braais?"
"How many church events?"
"How many anniversaries?"
She shook her head.
"I've always said yes."
She looked around Health and Beauty.
"I've stayed late."
"I've worked overtime."
"I've trained new staff."
"I've sacrificed enough."
Her voice cracked.
"And now he wants my Sunday too."
For the first time...
Nobody laughed.
Gammie's expression softened.
"I understand."
"No, you don't."
"Jess..."
"You don't."
She folded her arms tightly.
"Sunday is the one day my whole family is together."
"My parents."
"My sisters."
"My nieces."
"My nephews."
"We have lunch together every single Sunday."
Her eyes filled again.
"I barely see them during the week."
She looked towards the office.
"And now Mr. Adams wants me to give that up."
Gammie sighed.
"He's not taking every Sunday."
"He only needs you for stock take."
"Layla has already been scheduled for night shift."
"You're the only other person fully trained in Health and Beauty."
Jess looked away.
"I don't care."
"A Sunday is a Sunday."
"I'm not coming."
For a moment...
Neither of them spoke.
Finally Gammie bent down and picked up one of the shampoo bottles lying on the floor.
"Jess."
She remained silent.
"Look around."
She slowly did.
Customers were pretending not to watch.
Children had stopped asking for sweets.
Even Lance stood frozen with three packets of biscuits in his hands.
"You're frightening people."
Jess looked down.
The anger remained.
But embarrassment slowly replaced it.
She quietly picked up another bottle.
"I'm sorry..."
Gammie gave a small nod.
"I know."
Just then another voice echoed from across the store.
"I'm not working night shift!"
Heads turned.
One of the shelf packers marched towards Gammie.
"This overtime nonsense isn't my problem!"
Another joined in.
"Mr. Adams cancelled overtime months ago!"
"So why are we suddenly working after hours?"
A third employee folded his arms.
"I've already made plans."
Within seconds...
Half the shelf packers were talking at once.
Everyone had something to complain about.
Everyone wanted an exception.
Everyone believed their reason was the most important.
Gammie stood perfectly still.
His eye twitched.
He closed them.
Took one long...
Very slow...
Deep breath.
"Breathe, Gammie..."
Another breath.
"...just breathe."
Lance quietly leaned towards me.
"Should we run?"
"I'd wait another minute."
"You think he's going to explode?"
"I think he's trying very hard not to."
Gammie opened his eyes.
He looked at every member of the department.
Then calmly said,
"I have had enough."
Silence.
"I'm tired."
"I'm tired of the complaints."
"I'm tired of the arguments."
"And I'm especially tired of grown adults throwing tantrums every time the schedule changes."
Nobody answered.
"If you have a genuine problem..."
He pointed towards the office.
"Go and discuss it respectfully."
"But shouting."
"Complaining."
"Throwing stock."
"Arguing in front of customers."
He slowly shook his head.
"It solves absolutely nothing."
Without another word...
He walked away.
The department fell completely silent.
Even Jess looked guilty.
Later that afternoon I found Gammie sitting alone in the staff room.
The room was unusually quiet.
A glass of lemon water rested beside him.
He wasn't reading paperwork.
He wasn't checking schedules.
He simply sat there...
Staring into space.
"Are you okay?" I asked gently.
He looked up and forced a smile.
"I will be."
"You don't sound convinced."
He chuckled tiredly.
"My blood pressure is through the roof."
I sat opposite him.
"I've had it with these shelf packers."
I reached over and gently took the glass from his hands before he could spill it.
"You know..."
I smiled.
"They don't actually hate you."
"I know."
"They're just stressed."
"So am I."
He rubbed his forehead.
"You see them for a few hours each day."
"I see them every day."
"When they're happy."
"When they're angry."
"When they're tired."
"When they're fighting."
"When they're complaining."
He laughed quietly.
"Sometimes I feel less like a supervisor..."
"...and more like a kindergarten teacher."
I couldn't help laughing.
"You do spend a lot of time telling people to behave."
"Exactly."
We sat in comfortable silence for a moment.
Then I handed his glass back.
"You know what I think?"
"What?"
"I think everyone in this store is tired."
"The staff."
"The supervisors."
"Even Mr. Adams."
Gammie thought about it.
Then slowly nodded.
"You might be right."
Outside the staff room we could hear the familiar sounds of Pick Your Product carrying on.
Customers asking questions.
Trolleys rattling across the floor.
Someone laughing.
Someone complaining.
Business as usual.
I smiled to myself.
Retail wasn't easy.
Some days tested your patience.
Some days tested your temper.
And some days...
They tested both.
The important part wasn't avoiding those difficult days.
It was remembering that tomorrow gave everyone another chance to start over.