Alright, onto the next part. Still a lot of ground to cover, but working through, I think this is still during my first three months, maybe a bit after too. Hard to recall after 5 full years, a lot of crazy stuff happens there.

A big problem here, despite attempts by government and regulatory bodies, is alcoholism and smoking. So much of it. Like, we have laws that regulate that stuff.

Until 2025, you could buy cigs and alcohol from the age of 18 and alcohol could only be bought from 8:00 in the morning and until 22:00 in the evening. After 2025, you could only buy cigarettes from the age of 20. And from August of 2025, alcohol times changed to 10:00 to 20:00 (with Sundays time being 10:00 to 18:00).

People, still don’t realise that. I get 19-year-olds demanding cigs, claiming they were sold days before at this same store. And it’s been months! Not to mention, how many ladies freak out just because they can’t get some muddy liquids after 21:00. Ridiculous!

Anyway, back to 2021, when 8:00-22:00 and 18+ for both was still in effect…

I had a man who was swaying so bad, I was honestly worried that he’d fall over and smash his head open. And I wasn’t the only one, with people in the line asking if they need to call for an ambulance, though the man denied needing medical help.

Or another time Drunk Guy 2: Electric Boogaloo came by for some more booze, it being after 22:00, which, y’know, means no more poison water, tried the routine of 'cmon, be a gal and give us the bottle' and saying they have 'permission' from. . . wait for it . . . the Chief of the Militia - as in, the police force in RUZZIA . . . WHAT????

And there was this older lady, who bought three blocks (packages of 10 packs) of cigarettes. And the price? 108 euros. 108!!! You can pay off some bills with hat money! But no, she wastes on like, 30 cigarette packs! She probably resells them, lotta people do that, usually they try to steal from the store, though, give her some credit that she actually bought her stock.

Fun Fact #1: Dunno about the rest of the world, but in Latvia, we put PSA/warnings as to why smoking is bad, including pictures of cancer, stitches from surgeries, corpses, infants hooked up with machines because of its smoking mother, child casket, dying people, etc.

Fun Fact #2: 108 is a sacred number in Hinduism and the number of the wholeness of existence

Also, people for some reason think a supermarket is synonymous with bank, because they all try to get their money changed. Problem? If we just opened the store, I do not have the needed bills to swap your 100 bills to ‘small notes‘ AND even if I wanted to, we couldn’t, our bosses tell us we can’t exchange money - worries of fakes and all. I did not even know 200 and 500 euro banknotes existed before these yahoos! Where the hell do people even get these?! Like, I wouldn't know what to do with a random 500 euro note. Aside from 'so I can wow some people', I'd go to the bank and break it down. A client right after them - having asked if he saw right that they paid with a 500 note - made a crack about free time to draw money.

Another thing! What is it with people rushing close to closing time and buying cartloads of foods?! I get it, busy days and a lot of stuff to do, but do you not plan your day at least by when to do what? Or at least plan out to have enough food if you remember too late to go to the store? I’ve so many folks with their trolleys full of stuff and then being like “oh, wait, forgot a thing!“ We are closing soon, get back here!

My lane has a nice divider, so while one is packing, another can be served, but when I get two or more with mountains of products in their carts, man, both sides of the lane were full, so I’ve had to improvise with the next few people on the whole scan and put away routine, just so the line can move forward!

I've had people close to 200 euros in food and they paid with card. What makes a 20 euro purchase worth 500?

Interestingly enough, despite having been in the Humanitarian Faculty at University, I don't think I ever saw this many foreigners. India, the Stans, France, Italy, South Korea, the works. We’re not a cultural hotspot or anything like that, but from the ones I ID’d (you know, gotta ask for booze and smokes), they have 'studying' or 'working' written on their residence permits, so most of them are students. Most are polite, though some are more…hardheaded. Especially the Germans, they really want alcohol regardless of the law and allowed times.

Oh! Hang on, can you guess what kind of measure of controlling the numbers of people in the store the building owner decided to use, because the baskets and carts belong to the specific supermarket inside of the building and not to the building as a whole?

…

…

…

Laminated notes that say 'COVID-19 Guest Card'.

… Cards, that people have to hold. And carry with them, anywhere in the building, given to them by the door by the security guard.

It wasn’t even a week and those things looked chewed up and old. Not to mention that little kids and babies were putting them in their mouths because mommy and daddy have to pay the cashier. The bacteria number was probably worse than the baskets ever had.

And nobody seemed to inquire as to what they are supposed to do with it! For several days, practically every single person asked the cashiers if they are to give us the card or toss it somewhere! Like....did you not ask what to do with it? Did you not think to ask? Why all, but throw it at the cashier and complain when told to carry it back to the guard and not ask him when he gives it to you then and there?! One question - “Hey, why are you giving me this card?“ It’s not that hard!

If you know the game Person 5 and know the story, let me say, these are the people the Big Bad of the Game, Yaldabaoth, would’ve loved to have.

For one week.

Because then he’s realise how utterly stupid they are and just yeet them all back to Igor and vanish from existence just like that, because the level of stupidity presented here, is not something anybody should deal with!

…sounds harsh, but just remembering this made me so mad!

Oh! And we have cases where people forget their stuff they just bought, usually chewing gum, but also bigger stuff. We had a drunk guy who bought pickles and vodka, went back into the store without his purchase and went out through the other register, showing the receipt, but never actually picking up his pickles and vodka…some people…

Looking back, I agree with my friend, who described my store as a “Bloody Sitcom Set“. Truth is stranger then fiction and The Lord protects the simple – never has that been truer.

Alright, part 3 done, part 4, soon enough. Till next time! Bye~!