back breaking - hot - tired - headache - hoarse voice - sniffles - sweat - sore arms and feet
That practically sums up my first experience being involved in a book warehouse sale. Working for a book distributor means having to help out before, during and after the warehouse sale. And so for four consecutive Saturdays before the CNY break, most of us had to work from 8am to 3pm packing and pricing books some of which were covered in dust so thick that you can't even see what the cover looks like. We were supposed to work the weekend right before the sale but I refused to because it was still CNY. The physical labour was very tiring, not to mention inhaling all the dust. The only consolation I was looking forward to is to be first in line to choose and purchase books before anyone else.
Last Monday, the actual nightmare began. We had to unpack all the books and display them on the tables and shelves in preparation of the sale at our warehouse. The 9-hour ordeal left me with a head-splitting ache from all the heat and exhaustion. Getting sick is not an option at this point of time. And so I showered, took some vitamins and slept early that night.
Next day, I was prepared to face the crowd. There were 10 counters. My task was to assist my cashier partner which involves telling her the price and packing the books into bags. It was manageable, in fact at times it got a little boring when there weren't many customers. In fact I was wishing for more customers. The crowd peaked during the weekend. It was elbow-to-elbow. People kept pouring in and it was non-stop packing books into bags while smiling and thanking customers from 9am to 7pm. Did I mention it was hot and stuffy? Thankfully no one needed first-aid.
On the last day of sale, I had to wear a surgical mask to block the dust. My nose was watery and itchy and I could hardly breathe anymore. My colleague said that some guys actually queued at my counter instead even though hers was empty. It must be the mask. Darn! I should have been a nurse. Come 7pm, we had to drive the people away and start repacking the books back into cartons. Man, I was tired and sweaty and I couldn't lift up a book anymore. At least my team got to leave at 8pm, only because we had to work this morning for a book launch.
Well after all the sweat and heat, I have two good news. (1) I managed to get most of my favourite books at dirt cheap prices and, (2) Our sales revenue exceeded my GM's expectations. Hopefully we the employees will get a fair share out of it.
As my GM mentioned, this will be a memory for all of us especially for people like me who have never done this before. Indeed it is. I got to know some of my colleagues better. The camaraderie far outweighed my exhaustion. And from now on whenever I go for any warehouse sale I will remember never ever to be rude to the staff, never ever to mess up the stuffs and leave the place when told so. We're going to have stock check sometime this month. I've been reminded it's far worse than the warehouse sale. I'm (gulp) ready.
I will brag about the books I bought tomorrow. Ah, bliss!
