Chapter 3: What Do You Really Need To Go "Back To School" Shopping For?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: You may find that this chapter is shorter and not as interesting as the others. I'd like to explain why. It's quite simple. My time at Old Navy was indeed shorter and not as interesting as the others. Thank you.


After coming home from Australia and promptly quitting Red Robin, I took a few weeks off to relax. But unemployment didn't last that long, once again. Now that I had a car and an actual life, I was actually spending money. So once again I needed a job. I went around different places and applied. Old Navy seemed easy. They called me and wanted me to work seasonal for them. Just for the Back To School season. They told me my last day would be October 5th. I'm telling you that because it's important. Keep that in mind. Log it away, if you will.

So it didn't take long for Old Navy to suck enormously. It was the first time I had to work 8 or 9 hour days. Not fun. I started in August, so I was still out of school. Some nights they would schedule me until 11:30 to work shipment, and then schedule me to come in at 7 the next morning. I don't know if you've ever been into an Old Navy, but I assume every American has at one point. Well you may be familar with the fact that all of their storage is held on the shelves above the displays. What this meant is that I was constantly walking up and down ladders.

Have you ever been to Old Navy when it was busy? It is comparable to a day at the zoo. Women (I'm not being sexist. I've worked in retail long enough to know this for an absolute fact) generally refuse to fold clothes after they unfold them to look at them. On a related subject, women are messy and disrespectful as shit when it comes to bathrooms too. Honestly. Go to any public restroom and compare the Women's to the Men's. You'll see what I'm taking about.

Anyway, by the end of the day, the place would be a mess, and we would spend approximately 17 hours folding and straightening before we went home. I started to find folding clothes to be quite Zen. I could really just get into my zone and fold until the cows came home.

The headset. The fucking headset. Any time someone tells them they work at Old Navy, do NOT respond by asking "Do you get to wear the headset?" If I had a dollar for everytime someone had asked me that...well, I could have quit Old Navy a lot sooner. Straight up, the headset was pointless. I don't think they are ever used professionally in any way. Generally they were used to talk with eachother or make fun of customers. Mostly making fun of customers. Once my boss called me on the headset and told me to keep an eye on a lady that looked like she was stuffing baby clothes into her purse. I went up to ask if she needed help and to be a good employee. (FYI, a majority of potential shoplifters will change their mind if employees acknowledge them) But she was kind of big and scary so I walked away. I didn't care if she stole anyway. It wasn't coming out of my paycheck.

It's true. You don't know what you've got until it's gone. Once Old Navy started to suck (about 10 seconds into orientation) I immediately started to miss Red Robin. I actually went back to visit a few times after work. Kim was still great. She didn't hold a grudge. I told her I hated Old Navy and she told me she'd hire me back. I was ecstatic. She called me the next day and said all I had to do was come in and talk to Duane about some stuff and she could put me back on the schedule.

Duane.

fuck

you

Duane.

So of course, Duane had no intention of rehiring me. I could tell that as soon as I sat down. He said that he normally wouldn't give someone a second chance if they pulled something like what I did. That 10 minute conversation with him was all I needed to realize that...no. I did not want to go back to Red Robin.

Besides, I was seasonal at Old Navy! Remember!? October 5th.

Well. October 5th came and went. I was still being scheduled. Turns out so many people had quit since I had been there that they decided to keep me. Apparently they saw no reason to tell me that. Screw that. I put in my 2 weeks. I forget what I told them. Some lie about not being able to handle work and school. (FYI, "I just can't handle having a job and going to school" is a foolproof excuse for quitting any job)