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| Dr Baghead 3486th Post
 
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|  "(OT) I HATE MY JOB!!!" , posted Sat 9 Jul 16:42:
I need to rant.
So over the summer (and maybe into the Fall if I don't have a web-site up to try and get real art related jobs) I'm working at K-Mart's One Hour Photo, home of the world's bitchiest customers.
I'm gonna rant about shit that's happened to me so far since if I don't I know it's only a matter of time until I scream "YOU DON'T LIKE THE PICTURES?! THEN MIGHT I SUGGEST YOU LEARN TO USE A GODDAMN CAMERA AND STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR YOUR SHORT COMINGS?!" which actually, when I'm ready to quit I think I'm gonna do just to have a story to tell.
-Dispoable Cameras Are $5 for a reason
I'm honestly shocked how popular dispoable cameras are... I mean, I can see them being useful in theory if you only need a camera once in a while, before I got my bottom barrel digital camera I always used them when I went someplace fun because my parents wouldn't let me use the real camera. But it amazes me to see people turning in 5 to 12 at once, for that much you could have bought a low grade digital camera!
Most people seem to understand they're getting what they paid for. Occationally people will complain "HEY! this looks green!" and I explain why to them (if your film looks overly red: too much light, overly green: not enough both are normally because the idiots don't know how to use the flash on their $3 cameras) if they continue with this I take a section of their negative, reprocess it with a color correction and show them it wasn't the machine, if they still don't like it I'll give them a discount of 'doubles for the price of singles' (a dollar off, but it sounds better that way, eh?) and if that's not enough I can take back ones they don't want and recharge them as if they only processed that many to begin with (ie- you had 24, you fucked up 10, I only charge you for 14) Rarely the customer will get a free roll of film/replacement shitty dispoable camera if they're really irrate.
The most annoying case so far happened today. I was in the back mixing chemicals when I was called over the intercom to go back to the counter, so as I'm walking back I'm lugging back two heavy jugs of chemicals I'm getting progressively angry since I'm sure they want me to pull customers from other check out lines (it kinda urks me when the cashiers move slow I have to pick up their slack, but when I'm behind on film no one helps me) or some other grunt task. But no, I was called back because a rather attractive chick was trying to take the film out her nice non-disposable camera and it got stuck. So I unstuck the film, return her camera, and tell her she can get the pictures in an hour... the pictures turn out EXCEPTIONAL (I wish there was some legal way I could have made copies for myself, they were some of the nicest pictures of Time Square I've ever seen, the neon lights againist the black sky where amazing.)
That's not the rant, but it's a very important preample: Real camera, slightly exposed film, but sill: EXCELLENT PRINTS.
Right after Real-camera-owning-hottie drops off her film and older lady brings in 4 disposable cameras. Not even good ones, all $3 Fuiji or lower. So I process them... one camera was a dud roll, two had pinkish tints, one was green. Pretty standard stuff when dealing with dispoable cameras, the pictures looked fine, just tinted because of the light... unfortunately the lady apparently thought all cameras where the same and expected professional level results.
So 10 minutes before I'm allowed to go home (right about the time I should be trying to hide from my manager for 7 minutes so they can't give me a grunt assignment before I leave) Old lady comes back with a gaggle of friends (at least 5 or 6) who want their pictures... first thing out of their mouth was "YOUR MACHINE IS BROKEN!" which I knew for a fact it wasn't because as I explained in the set up it had just printed out the most beautiful pictures of downtown New York. I explained them about the lighting and that it was a problem on the film, not the machine to which one of old lady's friends yelled out "SOMEON MUST HAVE PROCESSED THESE WRONG"... now you all know I'm an asshole with no problems with making vicious personal attacks for mundan comments, so you know it took an insane amount of will power to not snap her neck for basically saying "HEY! YOOOOU FUCKED UP!"... also it's funny they thought up every way *I* could have fucked up, but wouldn't even entertain the thought they used shitty cameras and were crappy photographers. So I took their negatives and ran a color correction, they came out a little better but still tinted... her friends keep going "OH THEY'RE DREADFUL! OH IT LOOKS *AWFUL*" which I want to respond to with "well, take better pictures next time" but don't because I know better. Lady herself keeps making 'anime cat noise', swear to god she keeps going "Fu fu fu", I think it was fake crying... I certainly hope it wasn't trying make me feel bad and give her free photos.
So I make the standard offers 'doubles for singles', the 'give me back ones you don't want' and just to get them to leave so I can go home 'ask the manager for replacement film if you're THAT unhappy' are met with "Well that won't do me any good! these are my daughters wedding!" which really begs the question if this was THAT fucking important why not splurge for the $12 disposable camera and not take pictures in a half lit room?
In the end, they paid their slightly reduced price and left... they took the dud roll with them as well and one of lady's friends say "Sherry works at Kodak! I'll call her and ask about this"... so I'm sure they'll be back, hopefully not until Tuesday so my supervisor will be able to rightfully deal with them and I can be off at ComicCon... a trip which I'll be bringing my rinkydink $100 digital camera on, metting Ron Pearlman and the Enigma might not as important as someone's daughter's wedding but it's worth capturing on a camera that doesn't completely suck ass.
I have other angsty stories but I don't feel the need to rant anymore... maybe I will bitch more later about ugly naked redneck, why I hate the digiprint maker, old people, and a customers who don't seem to grasp I work in One Hour Photo and drag me on bizarre missions.
If anyone else feels the need to vent about their shitty job feel free to hijack the thread, I titled it "I HATE MY JOB" and not "One Hour Photo Sucks" so anyone could use it.
Next time I get I got based a on Robin Williams movie I hope I'm Popeye!
Blanka and Dan make for a most excellent tag image (yeah still not funny)
[this message was edited by Dr Baghead on Sat 9 Jul 16:48] |
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"Re(1):(OT) I HATE MY JOB!!!" , posted Sat 9 Jul 19:29
