My First Day at My New Job: A Cogs Experience

     My boss’s name is Cog, and she sure does run her store like a well oiled machine. I respect her history immensely, since she not only mastered her trade from scavenging junkyards, but also learnt how to create a machine which could stabilize the core of Neopia! That however, is a tale for another time.

     My name is Trysks, and my naive excitement at this moment in time has since taught me numerous valuable lessons in life.

     The beginning of that fateful day...

     The morning sun crept through the slightly open drapes in my room as I heard my alarm begin its unforgiving duty. My eyes, heavy from a good night’s slumber, struggled to open. I then remembered very suddenly that today was Monday .. my first day of my new job, my first shift!

     This realization brought my body to life, jumping out of bed and eager to get on with the day! It was only 6am, and my shift did not start for another 2 hours.

     “Hmm, I do have plenty of time - but I must not be late!”

     I did not want to make a bad impression on my very first shift, but instead really wanted to show my enthusiasm for being there. I had a good feeling about the day, and truly believed that there was nothing that could ruin this experience.

     I took my time getting ready; shower, teeth, breakfast, caffeine. I also had to make sure I combed my ghostly wisps as they sometimes have a mind of their own. Then, with an hour to spare I grabbed my lunch out of the fridge, said bye to mother who was fussing in the kitchen and started my journey to Moltara.

     The walk wasn’t long to Altador, from there needing to climb through a secret tunnel which led into the city of Moltara. I won’t be late, I have plenty of time.

     My walk through the city of Altador felt warmer than usual, and I couldn’t help but chime ‘good morning’ to each passer by. Most of them did give me a scowl in return, I suppose because a Ghost Hissi in these parts is not a common sight. I did not let it bother me, and kept my stride strong.

     I knew I was getting closer to the hidden tunnel which led to the City of Moltara, but I was suddenly stopped in my tracks by a long line of Neopets, queueing.

     “Excuse me, what is everyone queueing for?” I asked, bewildered.

     The Nimmo standing in front of me turned to tell me that it was almost time for the Magma Pool in Moltara to be usable by the public, so everyone was simply lining up for their turn.

     “Great”. I blurted.

     A few faces turned to look at me, startled by my outburst.

     “Sorry - I am just trying to get to work, would you mind letting me through?”

     The faces turned back around and completely ignored my request to jump the queue. This is the moment the panic set in, because I could see no easy way to get through the tunnel so I could arrive at my first shift at my new job on time. The only thing I could do was wait.

     The line moved very slowly, but with patience I eventually got through the tunnel. Once I could feel the radiating warmth of the city through the archway I started running. I may have bumped a few others as I took off, but they were heading in the other direction and I had no more time to wait, I was already 30 minutes late!

     I burst through the store’s doors with such urgency that Cog herself jumped straight out of her boots.

     “I am SO sorry I am late, I did not know the Magma Pool was so popular at this time!”

     Cog sighed heavily, but reassured me it was okay. I felt awful for letting this happen but she seemed too busy to notice, and advised me to put my things down and get started because there was a lot to do before the store’s opening.

     That was an awful start to the day, but I am still feeling good and am still wanting to show Cog how good I can be. I need to simply catch my breath and settle my nerves, and then I can be of use.

     Cog came out to get me from the staff room, and seemed to be walking with such ferocity that the paperwork on a table nearby was sent flying onto the floor.

     “Come on, there is a lot to do and I want to run you through a few basics to get you started” she said.

     “This shop is my pride and joy and I expect you to treat it with respect. I make everything by hand, and Neopian’s travel from all over to shop here. I know you have exceptional customer service so I'd like to get you started working the front desk. This means it will be your responsibility to greet customers as they come in, answer any questions they have about the items, haggle the price, take their payment and say well wishes by welcoming them back”.

     I have always prided myself on my ability to talk to others, and having worked previously at Huberts Hotdogs and Ye Olde Petpets I was confident I could let that skill shine here too. I knew how to work a register, and the principles of haggling for an agreed upon price with the customer is essentially the same everywhere you go. I can do this!

     It was only moments before the shop opened, so I hurried along to take my place at the front desk while Cog flipped the door sign to ‘open’. She immediately ran off in haste to continue working on her goods to sell.

     There was a rush of customers who burst through the doors, some of which I recognised from the queue I had been stuck in earlier.

     I joyfully greeted them all with a ‘good morning’, only to receive snide comments in return about the store being late to open. I did my best to apologise, but continued to push the conversation into their interest to buy.

     Cog had made sure there was a decent amount of stock to get the day started: some Metallic Hissi Tails, Wild Lupe Bodies, Opal Uni Horns, Giant Grarrl Heads and Borri Quiggle Capes.

     I walked around and briefly spoke to each customer, when one of them had brought up one of the Opal Uni Horns to the desk, ready to haggle.

     “Oh hello, have you found something you like? You can haggle to push the price lower!” I said to him.

     “Obviously, 1500NP” the Yurble snapped back.

     “Um, I won’t take less than 3100 NP” I said, uncertain how this interaction will go.

     He was quick to have a counteroffer. “1800 NP?”

     “Like I said, I won’t take less than 3100 NP” I said sharply, hoping that this will end quickly because I could already see the anger growing in his eyes.

     “This shop is a rip off, how dare you talk to me that way! I don’t even want it now, and you can be sure I am never shopping here again” he growled. He stormed out of the store and slammed the door shut behind him.

     I was startled by this and didn’t really know what to say to the other customers who were now all staring at me. I was not expecting that at all, but had to quickly recoup my confidence so I could serve the others who wanted to buy.

     The other transactions went well enough, even though no one was particularly kind during any of them.

     Cog was running in and out of the main store, constantly bringing in new stock to sell. She worked with such determination and barely stopped to take a breath!

     The day was busier than I was expecting, and I also did not get to stop to take a breath. Customers were constantly in and out, and they often liked to hurl insults at me if Cog was taking too long to restock her shop, or if they were too slow on buying a rare item and it sold before they even got a chance to bring it to me to haggle.

     There was a brief moment as the afternoon came about and the store had quietened down, where I chose to walk out the back and sit down to try and eat my lunch I had brought with me.

     Cog also walked in for a quick drink of water, and almost immediately asked me to come and help her with some creations out the back while there weren't too many customers in the store.

     “Oh, yes of course I can”. I replied.

     I took a few more bites of my Fruit and Vegetable Hand Rolls, placed the rest back in the fridge and followed Cog to the back where she brought her creations to life.

     She showed me how to use the machinery, which was very hard and I don’t really remember much of what she said. She asked me to hold a Scorchio Tale in place while she added the spikes to its surface. The finished product was quite adorable, actually!

     Cog continued to show me how to work the machines and how to begin construction on particular items. I was so exhausted already I was finding it difficult to comprehend what she was telling me.

     “Don’t worry, the more you do it the better you will get!” she echoed.

     As we started working on another Scorchio Tail, a customer had poked her head around the corner and demanded that she get served.

     “Oh I am sorry, I’m on my way!” I replied quickly, leaving Cog to finish her work.

     The afternoon was a blur, and was busy yet again after the shop had continuous waves of customers. I did my best to keep up but could feel my smile fading. The customers were most often very rude, and seemed to forget that I was also just a Neopet and just doing my job. I continued to get the blame for the shop being empty for extended periods, one Wocky even throwing his Potato Shake at me because Cog had restocked the shop seconds after the old stock had been taken away.

     “We keep those out the back and bring them back out later, customers get excited because they think it’s all new!” she said with a chuckle.

     Only a little while longer to go and I am finished, come on home time.

     Finishing time had finally come around, and I could not believe how today went. I did not even get to eat, and could definitely feel the hunger pains now that the doors were closed and the air sat still.

     I let out a long sigh, shaking off the bad experiences and trying to focus on the good. I grabbed my belongings and almost untouched lunch from the fridge, and could feel my heavy tail trailing behind me.

     Cog walked out just as I was getting ready to leave.

     “Oh, are you leaving already? After closing, the shop needs to be cleaned so it is ready to go for tomorrow. That’s okay I know you didn’t know, you just have to remember to do it tomorrow. See you then!”

     Present day...

     My first day at my new job was 2 years ago now. I continue bringing my best to the store every day, even though it takes a lot out of me. Cog needs the help, and I want to be able to be there for that. It feels like I have been there for decades, and if I wasn’t a ghost already this job may have had that effect.

     The End.