As part of my internship at Pet Supplies Plus, I had to partake in what's known as Store Explorer. Store Explorer is a day in which new corporate employees spend a day at an actual Pet Supplies Plus store. Well, it was finally my turn to experience this day and let me tell you, it was one to remember.
When I arrived on location, I was told that the team and I would be waiting for two trucks; one would arrive around noon, and the other around two o'clock. In the meantime, I shadowed one of the employees. She showed me around, introduced me to all the critters, and gave me a 2-minute overview on how the cash register works. It was neat, but since the day was slow and the trucks still hadn't arrived, we got bored quickly. In an effort to help the time pass a little faster, the manager made me try some Fooey!. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, but by the soft chuckles I was hearing as I followed the manager down the aisle, I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it. He squeezed the smallest drop of Fooey! on my finger and told me to lick it. I did, and boy did I regret it. At first it was fine -- only the tip of my mouth tasted bitter, but soon enough as I began swallowing, the bitterness spread throughout my entire mouth and down my throat. It was horrible! All the employees were laughing at me as I emerged from the aisle with a scrunched nose. No wonder dogs hate that stuff! I must say though, it's damn effective.
When customers began to arrive, I shadowed an employee up and down the aisles asking if anyone needed any assistance. Now before I continue, you must remember that it was my first (and only) day on the floor; I was probably the least knowledgeable when it came to products. However, there were a few moments where I was actually able to help the customers without needing to seek the help of an actual employee. One of those moments went like this...
I was making my way through the dog aisle where I then stopped to adjust some of the products. One of the customers came up to me with a Bully Stick.
"Excuse me, could you help me with something?"
"Absolutely!"
"I was reading the label of ingredients in this Bully Stick and I don't know what pizzle is. Is it a tendon or muscle...?"
My first thought that came to mind was, LOL you're so not cut out for this! But after a quick chuckle, my response went something like this:
"Ha, well, uh..."
And then, once I was able to figure out how to answer his question, my response accidently came out a little too quickly and excitedly.
"Oh! That's bull penis!"
The look on the guy's face was priceless! It was a mix of: bull what? Did I hear that correctly? You're kidding... and, ha! Well this just got awkward!
He thanked me for my help, and as I walked away I couldn't help but think, of course something like this would happen to me. I was heading towards the front of the store when I noticed that same customer checking out.
He did not buy the Bully Stick.
My bad.
After that wonderful experience, it was time for me to go home. (Not because I wanted to, but because my shift was conveniently over) Working at the store level was an eye-opening experience, but ultimately I've decided that I belong at headquarters -- away from the Fooey! and most importantly, pizzle.
