The Techno chime of the electric doorbell BeeBooped through the building, cuing a handful of employees scattered about the place to echo one another's greeting; "Hello, welcome to *insert arbitrary store name*".
An older, scroungy looking couple had entered, and despite the triad of greetings the couple didn't bother to look up from their own meandering dealings. I rolled my eyes at the irony, it fucking figures right?! They make you recite the same mechanical bullshit over and over so we come off as nicer people, but customers are so desensitized they won't look up at five people telling them "hi". Now who's being rude?
I continued to forge the paperwork in front of me, repeatedly dialing the theater box office and listening to the movie phone guy, as he rattled off show times for the 45th time that day. I faked enthusiasm while signing off on landlord and character references for citizens dangling at the bottom of the food chain. All so they could take home over priced merchandise that they could never afford outright. As the day crept on the movie phone guys voice even seemed to dim, as if he too grew weary of my games. My red pen happily dotting my I's and crossing my T's, as it danced along the rows of congruent boxes all begging to be filled with his ink.
However the "processing" would have to wait. The intercom Screeched and crackled... then my managers voice came pouring out, deep and up tempo; "umm Janet (he constantly called me the wrong J name) can you come to the back and explain to me this mixup in inventory?"
I bit my bottom lip to keep it from peeling back into a smile as I glanced around the floor then hurriedly made a bee line to the back room.