So here's how my first day at the new CompUSA store went:

Before I walked in, I was nervous as hell, to the point where I wanted to throw up. I was nervous because I didn't know what to expect, since it was a much bigger store and I was afraid that they'd do things differently from what I was used to. Fortunately, though, Randy (sales manager, my direct supervisor) took the time to clarify what needed to be done, and how to do it. That was certainly a plus.

The store is easily three times the size of the Melbourne one, so it took a couple of hours for me to adjust and learn where things were. What I found interesting was that they used slightly different terminology from what I'm accustomed to. For example, what Chris calls "recovery", they call it "straight store".

I spend the whole evening doing a "straight store" on the entire place. That took quite a bit of time. Around 7:00pm there were two kids standing in front of the AOL kiosk apparently trying to freak out customers and employees. This one guy had fake teeth that was supposed to look like he had snaggleteeth, and another had contacts on that made his eyes totally black. Once I saw them, I laughed and knew that working there was going to be one interesting ride.

The location... Yes, the location. How do I put this? It's right next to a house of ill repute and in a section of Orange Blossom Trail where prostitutes frequently do the walk. And that's just the nicer part of the road. It's a good thing I always set the alarm on my car.

Just before I came in work yesterday, they had a major theft in which somebody cracked open plastic cases with pliers and stole copies of Windows XP, so Shakif (another merchandiser) had to photocopy and shove them in the cases, not unlike what we had to do for the video games. What I do like, though, is that they had a rent-a-cop at the front and I suspect he'll be there more often.

I had a few surprises in the first week I was there. When I was working at Melbourne, there was this one guy who worked at the tech department who came in, worked for a couple of months then left without saying good-bye. Incidentically, he transferred to the Orlando store, and I didn't recognize him at first. I felt really embarrassed, but it's all cool. :)

Another surprise, I have had, not one, not two, not three but FOUR people who came up to me and started speaking in Spanish. I didn't know a word of Spanish at all! I realized that if I were to work at that location, I had better pick up some Spanish, and fast, so I made a decision to put my Japanese studies on hold while I learn some Spanish. Emma taught me some sentences. :)

So all in all, it's been a great experience and I think I'm gonna enjoy it. BTW, here's a picture of me wearing the new CompUSA uniform. Fortunately, we don't have to wear the badge anymore. I like the shirt, so comfy.