Why am I working HERE?

Well, when I applied for summer positions, I thought it would be fun, even entertaining, to meet new people whom also temporarily (some permanently) are living in RV's.... to be parked by the water, dreaming it would be like Spring Break all over again! I wanted the hiking trails, the rafting experience, and to be able to learn to fly-fish, just for fun, because the Green River, at Flaming Gorge, is world renown for being one of the great trout catch and release rivers. (This is true as I created a fishing license for a gentleman from Turkey this week who always dreamed of visiting!)

My picture of a perfect summer is not even close to reality! First, the place is not on the water - even though it is named Flaming Gorge Resort - it is at nearly 7,000 ft elevation, the dam is 6000 and the river is at the bottom of the reservoir, another 500 feet lower. So while the weather down there may be different, it is going to always be warmer than up here! And the temperature up here went from 72 degrees to 42 degrees in 24 hours with more snow expected (it is May 18, 2019 by the way). I really don't have enough of my winter clothes in SueCanDo to actually ever keep warm and no place to store them if I were to shop in my most accessible store - the fly shop.

Speaking of.... the fly shop in addition to selling flys, rods, reels and line, is also an apparel store for fly-fishing gear, expensive waders, boots, hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and it is a convenience store with snack food, beverages, cold and stomach medicines, motor oil, camping supplies, beer and it is also a trinket / souvenir shop.

My role is to stock the shelves with the new stuff, keep the apparel displayed with various sizes, keep over 100 varieties of hats and t-shirts stocked and straight, face the other products, run the register.... typical retail stuff I did when I was 15 working at Turn-Style (now out of business).

While it should be mind-numbing, simple work (it isn't rocket science, though we serve rocket scientists, business owners, government contractors), but the people I work with take the fun right out of the day. Try as hard as I can to stay positive, funny, upbeat and make light of having more merchandise than we have space to display, I am not comfortable working with 21 year old, proud parolees (sharing where they sleep and with whom they have sex) who want to tell me how to put together metal trinkets! LOL

Nor do I enjoy the "I am going to give each person a pass / or fail grade if they don't do all the chores on the list" shift supervisor. He truly takes the fun right out of store - even ignoring the customer if he is involved with the computer or the price-gun!!!!! Just blows me away that he has had 30+ yrs working in various retail environments around the country and thinks he is "good" at what he does! LOL

<a little more about him ... no one wants to touch the t-shirts because the back stock is organized by SIZE - not style, not color, or any other attribute like men's vs women's, hoody vs crewneck, long sleeve vs short....>

I could go on and describe each of the other co-workers, and I am sure each of them would have a less-than-admirable description of me (because I am always reorganizing and trying to make the place look like a museum), but I just wanted you all to know why

(a) you may not want to apply for any seasonal position without asking many more questions than I did about the weather, the terrain, the location

(b) don't expect me to invite you here as I am embarrassed by my neighborhood and neighbors and the employee trailer park where I am currently parked

(c) I may not last the summer or the "busy season" they all keep telling me to expect.

Why am I still here?

As in most of my other positions, I enjoy the customers, the clients!! Yesterday a younger lady originally from Australia, now living with her husband and kids in Utah, shared pictures of the moose in her driveway eating away at shrubs.. she didn't care. It was the magic of watching Northern Exposure in person in her own yard that gave us both a rush of positive energy! Oh, and she had been in last weekend and I sold her waders, a hat and this time some 50% off jewelry!

Another example: A gentleman from Colorado called and said a friend needed new boots, did we have a selection? I told him the brands we carried and that we had plenty of sizes (each pair is easily $200+). Two days later, he and his English friend were in the store, he saw my name tag and said "Sue! We bought the boots yesterday and you were correct - great selection and the right sizes!" I have outfitted a dozen others so far, always up-selling additional items, or leading them to the right fit.

Yep... I am doing my job well and serving these customers who seldom ask the price of anything on display.. that's why I am still here! To meet some fascinating people from all over the world!

Send prayers that the clientele continues to lift me up above the nonsense of the co-workers. I am here for a reason yet to be discovered...or I am here to learn when to say "no" and move on. Either way... I pray for clarity!