Enthusiasm
Feb. 4th, 2007 11:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gordonzola"How do you get to be the cheese buyer here."
He is a late 40s white guy, non-descript except for slightly crazy eyes. He is excited about the cheese. He is talking to my co-worker, Garage Rockstar. "You have to get a job here," she replies. "But of course he'd have to quit first."
We've just gone through a week of the food show where lots of grocery folks from all over the country were in town, looking over the store, taking pictures, digging for info etc. Is he a leftover from the show? Someone with experience who actually is looking for work? Someone who's using cheese a medium for their mania?
"I might just have to take a contract out on him. Would that be ok?"
"Well, that's up to you, I guess," Garage replies. She laughs. I laugh. It's the humor of relief, knowing that we don't need to worry anymore what we say to him. It's not codified, but when someone crosses that kind of line, anything goes.
He saw it in our faces. The customers can sense it really, even many of the crazy ones. Not that they've gone too far, but that our retail worker tone has changed. We're ready to go on the offensive.
"Do you know anything about cheese?" I ask. Garage stops work to watch him. He seems suddenly antsy.
"Well, I'm trying to learn. How do you find these cheeses? You do such a good job." Awesome, Now he's trying to suck up to us.
"Sales reps, trade shows, the annual cheese conference…"
"Oooh, there's an annual conference? Can anyone go?" Crazy Eyes asks.
"It's mostly trade, but you can go as an enthusiast," I reply.
"How do I prove my enthusiasm? "
"You write an enthusiastic check," I answer.
He is a late 40s white guy, non-descript except for slightly crazy eyes. He is excited about the cheese. He is talking to my co-worker, Garage Rockstar. "You have to get a job here," she replies. "But of course he'd have to quit first."
We've just gone through a week of the food show where lots of grocery folks from all over the country were in town, looking over the store, taking pictures, digging for info etc. Is he a leftover from the show? Someone with experience who actually is looking for work? Someone who's using cheese a medium for their mania?
"I might just have to take a contract out on him. Would that be ok?"
"Well, that's up to you, I guess," Garage replies. She laughs. I laugh. It's the humor of relief, knowing that we don't need to worry anymore what we say to him. It's not codified, but when someone crosses that kind of line, anything goes.
He saw it in our faces. The customers can sense it really, even many of the crazy ones. Not that they've gone too far, but that our retail worker tone has changed. We're ready to go on the offensive.
"Do you know anything about cheese?" I ask. Garage stops work to watch him. He seems suddenly antsy.
"Well, I'm trying to learn. How do you find these cheeses? You do such a good job." Awesome, Now he's trying to suck up to us.
"Sales reps, trade shows, the annual cheese conference…"
"Oooh, there's an annual conference? Can anyone go?" Crazy Eyes asks.
"It's mostly trade, but you can go as an enthusiast," I reply.
"How do I prove my enthusiasm? "
"You write an enthusiastic check," I answer.
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no subject
Date: 2007-02-05 04:23 pm (UTC)