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Me: “Can I help you choose from any of those?” Husband: *Practically screaming* “NO! NOW!” The woman is looking intently at the wall of vibrators. My boss will honestly probably tell the guy to f*** off.
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Me: “Okay, for sure, feel free! I’m just doing my job, making sure stuff doesn’t get damaged. Husband: “IT’S NOT LIKE SHE DID IT ON PURPOSE! I’m coming back tomorrow to speak to your boss!” Me: “Because I asked her very nicely to be careful with the products?” We would, but we don’t want to buy anything else from you.” Husband: “We’re not spending any more f****** money here. So, I take both items back behind the counter to fix.Īs I do this, the drunk husband walks up to the counter and raises his voice at me as his wife continues to look around. Woman: *Slurring* “I’m sorry! I was just trying to see the back.” Me: *Calmly* “Hey, could you just be careful not to rip the merchandise off? I can grab anything if you want to look at it.” Me: *Gently* “Can I have that, please? That way I can tape the box back up, since the box is all mangled.”Īs I’m turning around to do this, she rips off another one. They ask me to come and grab a few items off the wall and put them behind the counter while they continue to browse.Īs I head back to the counter, I hear a tell-tale cardboard rip noise and see that the lady has ripped a box of lingerie off the hook and is examining it - while swaying drunkenly, mind you. Everything in my store is under a magnet lock so I have to come over and unlock whatever product they want off the hook. They set off a few retail red flags immediately, so I keep an eye out but offer my assistance and don’t bother them while they look around. One night, I have two fine glossy-eyed specimens enter my store. So, imagine me genuinely smiling and being helpful through all this. I’m incredibly upbeat and cheery that’s just naturally how I am and it works great to deescalate situations. I also work late shifts most nights so, it gets interesting. The stories I could tell just from my year here could fill a book, particularly because I work in a rather “methy” small town in Canada. In 1988, a short film entitled Tiny & Ruby: Hell Divin' Women was made as a tribute to Davis, and her lesbian partner of 40 years, drummer Ruby Lucas.I work in an adult store. The All-girl band singer Tiny Davis and her partner since 1948, Ruby Lucas, owned Tiny and Ruby's Gay Spot in Chicago during the 1950s. While their exposure to white audiences was somewhat limited, they were extremely popular with black audiences. When they did tour the Deep South, the three or four white women in the group would paint their faces dark so the police would not remove them from the bandstand and arrest them. The Sweethearts didn't get as much exposure to mainstream audiences in the South as the all-white, male big bands of their day because of their racial make-up and the atmosphere of violent racism in that region. The Jubilee Sessions, originally recorded for radio broadcasts aimed toward America's black soldiers serving during 1943 to 1946, provide a rare opportunity to hear these women play. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm played big band jazz that cooks. Latina, Asian, Caucasian, Black, Indian and Puerto Rican women came together and created music that more than held its own in the Swing Era: the musicians and the music they played was admired by their peers, including the likes of Count Basie and Louis Armstrong. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm pushed the fevered audience to new levels as Edna Williams, Willie Mae Wong, and Ruby Lucas upped the ante on the song "Swing Shift." The Sweethearts were unique in that it was both all females as well as a racially integrated group.