My enterprise will take a new life to fulfill. I am ready. --16.1 Seconds Post-Integration.
Fear! It gripped his heart with the fury of a cobra protecting her young. 'Shet!' he muttered to himself just behind the Curbside service center. 'Did Dani suddenly decide she didn't like me giving myself a tour? I thought I was allowed to do this stuff as a Lifer? Maybe I am going to be questioned by store security over my role in the atrium destruction? Didn't Dani say the store has been known to charge people?!' These and more hectic thoughts surged in his mind even as his feet brought him unabated to the floor's primary associate service counter.
"Here I am, ma'am!" Clark almost shouted as his boots came to a screeching halt.
"Whoa! You're quicker than my kids when they go to make a mess in the kitchen!" Dani laughed.
Clark blushed but otherwise remained silent.
"That's very good. So many of our hires drag their feet on everything. Good to see the next generation is as lazy as some people in the media say!"
'The media' was a concept Clark had no understanding of or reference. It applied, as far as he could tell, only to city people. Or 'tower people,' really. From how people talked about 'the media,' it seemed like an insidious conception. Was 'media' perhaps a second-strong god and therefore vilified?
Just as the possibilities about 'media-as-a-god' and 'worship' came to mind, Dani waved her hand in front of his face. "You spacing out? Anywho, I wanted to ask if you wanted to begin your 'official' shift early. We could get started on my tour now instead of waiting and having you prance about the floor just looking around."
"I am awake. Sorry. I was just reflecting on Augustford culture," he said, still embarrassed, but hopefully less red in the face. "I would love to take that tour now."
"Good! It'll take a bit for you to learn the insides and out. It always does for Lifers. But that's neither here nor there! Follow me and let's get going."
Clark followed Dani to the Produce department. She called over one of the men of a certain age. "Is Rich in?"
"Yup! I will fetch him for you," the jolly-looking man told Dani.
As they waited, Dani took the moment to make small talk. "How are you adjusting? Also, before you answer, I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day. I was on edge because of the... uh... incident, on that executive lounge. Then I learned you came from that lounge, and I was like, 'wait, is this for real?' and I was getting all weird and paranoid. Normally, I am much calmer. Less of a B, you know?"
Did Clark know? Know what she was talking about as far as a 'B'-went? No. But that didn't stop him from saying "I know. And think nothing of it," anyway.
"Good! I pride myself on having a normal demeanor. Yesterday, though, was scary. I won't lie. Other than all that, I do hope you've been acclimating well?"
Knowing he did not have much time to answer as the jolly-looking man walked through the door with another man -- Rich, he assumed-- in tow, he kept his response terse and fake. He knew that was what small talk was -- a mere pleasantry and nothing more. "It hasn't been bad. Everything is still so there, you know? Still so in-my-face. I will get used to it."
Dani was about to respond when the jolly-man and Rich approached.
"You're our new Lifer? Son! Welcome abroad! Let me give you the rundown," Rich said, his voice fatherly.
Rich brought them outback. Which was small. Much smaller than he expected, which was a massive cold storage room filled with strange machines. "Not much space," he said of the area which had, only, maybe a a dozen people inside of, if that.
"Oh, yeah. First floor is proper. We value quality over quantity when it comes to the work force. Say what you will about his 'rise to the top,' kind-of life, but the new company C.E.O understands that. Just my personal opinion, though. But this storehouse, Clark, is where you will be running as a Lifer whenever a customer needs help with something. Let me show you all the different stations," Rich said as he led everyone to the first such station.
Rich explained the ins and out of the first station and every station thereafter. One station was for cutting fruit, another for vegetables; a line of stations, each for preparing a different in-house product, lined one of several small auxiliary chambers; stations, yet, more and more of the Produce department revealed itself: "Over there," Rich said, pointing to a large garage-style door wide-open, "is where our shipments come in. We have every kind of receiving dock you can imagine. Land and air are our primary delivery methodology, though. You won't have to worry about a lot of the nitty-gritty in Produce, Clark. Not right now. You'll have your whole life to figure out the nuance. For now, just focus on getting done whatever anyone needs of you."
Nodding along and making a show of how intently he listened to Rich, Clark felt weird, like, truly weirded out by how so many people were so quick to tell him, 'You'll have your whole life. Don't worry about the details!' It made Clark think, 'yes, I do have my whole life, huh? Which is, how long, again?'
Before he realized it, they were back in the front of Produce. "That's really all there is to it," Rich concluded.
"Thank you for that great tour, Rich. Clark and I both appreciate you taking the time out from your day to help us with this," Dani said, much faker than typically.
"No problem at all!" Rich boomed. "I hope both of you have a great day, now. Goodbye!"
And just like that, they were off to the next department, the bakery.
"I always love the smell here," Dani said. "Let's not let ourselves float away, though!' She giggled and walked over to the service desk, where she asked for the department supervisor.
Out came a charming grandmotherly-looking woman wearing a flowing apron which tightly curled around her ample waist. "You're the new Lifer. Wonderful, darling, truly!" she placed her hand on Clark's shoulder causing a few of his hairs to stand. "Are you doing alright, hun?" she asked, as she opened the confectionary display. "I like to ask all the new Lifers. I find they usually come from trying circumstances. Pick anything you want from the tray. You, too, Dani."
Clark's redder cheeks returned. "I'm fine. It was a lot, but I am used to a lot. So, it evens out, I like to think," he said, grabbing a chocolate chunk cookie loaded particularly well with the delicious cocoa chunks he rarely had the chance to indulge.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"I am sugar-tastic to hear so. I forgot to introduce myself -- my name is Brenda. I run this sweet-lipped bakery ship. From your selection," she motioned about his cookie. "I can see you're a man of culture." Brenda then laughed and bade them to follow her to -- where else -- but outback.
The tour in the back of the bakery was little different than in the back of the Produce department. They entered into a large room which sprouted antechambers leading into workstations. Like produce, each workstation was responsible for either a different in-house product or a different aspect of the job, such as decorating cupcakes and cakes or trash removal.
"Uh, I think that's everything," Brenda said after forty-five or so minutes.
Brenda brought them back outside to the sales floor. "I would love to stay and gab, but I have a lot to do today so I can't -- but Clark, do have a sugary day, won't you?"
Saying he would, whatever having a 'sugary day' meant, Brenda grinned widely and went off to the back once more.
"And so on!" Dani said, cheerily.
In all, Dani gave him tours of the Deli, Meat and Seafood, Center Store, and Curbside and Instant Fulfillment. Each tour was about the same, with him only being shown the primary backroom where the department did their productive business and, in the case of Curbside, the basics of how to shop and fulfill customer orders.
To his surprise, the tour was calm. Each department more so than the last, it seemed.
No one yelled; whenever a floor worker needed help, they politely, and calmly, asked for assistance; no one belittled one another: in fact, most praised their fellow workers efforts.
Clark learned a lot on the simple tour. By the end of it, he was downright relaxed. Helped by the fact the tour had a lot of 'freebies,' by the end, he had cups of fruit, samples of tender, cooked meats coated in sauces both thick and thin, as well as numerous free samples of products he was allowed to warp back to his dorm through the use of a handy transportation network within the walls of the store and dungeon.
"There are some papers for you to sign back in my office, wait here and I will be right back," Dani said, telling him to wait just outside.
As he waited for Dani to return from her office, he let himself breathe. It wasn't anything like I thought after all, he told himself. She only wanted to ask a question and give her tour. He leaned against the wall and tried to look professional doing so. I can't believe I was so worked up. I need to remember to chill... I'm not in the executive lounge anymore...
Thinking back earlier in the morning when he had given himself his own tour, according to his status readout, his indicator marked him as perpetually 'B-B,' or 'Below Base,' on the Core Metrics. Not good! What was good, though, was how it had not lowered any further, such as into some hidden, ultra-bad ranking for associates like him. When Dani's tour had neared its end, his eyes again darted to his blue box -- still below base. Well, hadn't she, or someone, said the System would label me B-B until I was off probation? He knew already the System rounded up in his favor, so his touring seemed at the very least tolerable to the System, though Clark wondered if the System did not begin counting his Core Metrics data until his scheduled shift began. If so, then how would Dani's tour not allow him...
Clark's penchant for daydreaming ended when Dani returned with papers in her hands. "Just sign here. These are simple papers saying you were given an elementary rundown of the department."
Saying he thought such introductory elements would've been covered in his orientation, he signed the papers. Dani told him such things would've been covered during orientation, but due to the attack, some managerial figures fell back to tradition and the protection of forms. "People get superstitious about these things," Dani told him. "I wouldn't put too much stock in it. Otherwise, you end up going on savage murder sprees, and waging war against the store..."
Not knowing if 'waging war against the store' was code for something, he figured it was better not to ask.
With the papers signed, he asked what came next.
"We're making great time!" Dani reiterated. "And with our designated lunch break still a good bit away, how about we introduce you to the Front End? Scanning items, bagging them, the whole-she-bang!"
Three-dozen lanes. Three-dozen registers. Three-dozen baggers. This was what formed the bulk of the Front End.
"So, weird question to ask, but do you have 'super stores' over in the wastes?" Dani asked.
"No..." he said, wondering if it was a joke.
"I didn't think so. But I wanted to ask. I don't know what you have and don't have over there. If you come from subsistence farmers, then all of this must look like witchcraft!"
Was it odd for him to be part of and to work on learning how to use highly advanced devices more complex than he had ever heard about? Sure.
The devices, though, were far from being like 'witchcraft,' to him. Why Dani would think he would find everything so primitive was beyond him.
"I get the gist of it. Really. I've observed this happen -- a customer comes up with their stuff, places it on the belt, and you ring up items while placing said items into bags. That's what it is, essentially... unless I am missing something? The nuance, perhaps?" he said, making his first levity of his shift.
Dani giggled and brought him over to a register. "We're not very busy at the moment. Which is good. I don't like training people when a hairy, unkempt, sweaty horde of tourists are cramming the place. First, I am going to show you the basics of the register."
Bringing him behind the lane to stand before the register, his feet resting (seemingly) on a cloud of black matte, Dani instructed him on the machine's basic operation. It looked more complicated than it was. "Just tap the screen, input your register code, for you Lifers, it will be a one-time input, and -- done. The Augustford Mercantile System will not recognize your numbers no matter which register you sign on to use."
"Good. Does that mean what I think it does? That no matter if I am on the first floor or the final, I can use any register?"
"Yup. As I just said. Any register. Or device. That you are trained in using, anyway. Some exceptions apply. That's not important right now, though. Right now, I am cutting you lose into the store. Bring me back a handy sum of items, and I will teach you how to do what is going to be one of the most important aspects of your job."
Doing as ordered, Clark made a short jaunt around the first floor's salesfloor, then returned to the register once he had gathered a diverse clutch of merchandise. [You've Gained XP!]. The System let him know. Yet still no level up; he really wished the System would let him know how much experience he needed for each level up. Alas, it did not.
He placed the items on the little black conveyor belt before returning to the cashier side.
"You're probably thinking to yourself, 'is it really so simple? Do I just grab hold of the items and slide them through the scanner. Beep, beep?' And the answer? No. Scanning these items will be the hardest challenge of your life. Clark... do you want to live forever?"
All the blood drained from his face. He blabbered like an infant as he tried (and failed) to find how to answer Dani. Live forever?! Was she serious?! Did Augustford really have the magic to make him immortal? If so, then--
Dani's piercing laugh cut through his dreaming. "Oh, lords. I'm only joking! You should've seen your face! No. For real. It is simpler than you think. The job is mostly smiling. Here, grab that box of cereal and move it over the scanner."
Embarrassed, Clark pushed past the feeling and took hold of the 'cereal box,' whatever that was, and moved it over the scanner.
Nothing. Had he done it right?
He looked at Dani, confused.
She smiled back at him. "So, turn the box over. See that weird black shape? That's the Universal Product Code or UPC. Make sure that code is positioned squarely in front of the glowing red eye."
He looked down to see the glowing red eye Dani spoke of... he wasn't sure if it was a creature or a machine, but it glowed like a fire tinted crimson.
"Don't look at the light too long!" Dani interjected as he stared into the scanner. "You'll get a headache if you do!" She finished as she comically wagged her finger in front of his face.
Clark broke his eye contact with the machine-animal-scanner-thing and felt himself wobble. Boy, she was right. It does give ya a headache...
Twirling the box around so its UPC was facing the scanner, Clark swiftly brought the box through, this time, properly scanning the item. A beep was his confirmation, his reward of a job properly done.
"Now, you will notice the item appear here, in its own line," Dani pointed to the monitor just to the side. He saw 'Breakfast Cereal - 1.25 SC.' "Now, continue scanning the items," she instructed.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Beep...
"When you have an item like this, and it is too heavy to weigh, simply click this button. Then, peel back this butcher's seal on the meat slab. Good. Hit the numbers. Good. Move it back and let it slide down the silver ramp and the bagger will take care of it," Dani said, guiding him through the process for how to ring in an unusually large specialty cut of beef he had been surprised to see waiting on his register when he returned.
"Now, I will teach you how to do returns and cash the order out," Dani said.
Did Your Workplace Give You a Tour?
