“Fortunate are those people in a position to
transform their work into play,” Joseph Epstein states in Work and
Its Contents. My work isn’t play, but it is very interesting. I
have met people from all walks of life who come for the treasures I
sell. I work in a thrift store. The merchandise can be anything from
a bust of Columbus to Mystery Merchandise; “What is it? Your guess
is as good as ours." The clothes run the gamut from turn of the
century to the present. For the theater and movie people our clothes
closet is a goldmine of treasures.
The store where I am employed is owned by Christ in
the Desert, the monastery in Abiquiqu, New Mexico. At our Santa Fe
store, we have humorous signs such as, “Be nice or go away,’’ over
the register. We also have a little statuette on the counter that
says, “Our highly skilled and intelligent personnel are eagerly
awaiting to serve you.’’ The statue is a carving of three befuddled
men. “Wonder Woman works here,’’ is also on the counter. I don’t
feel like Wonder Woman, but I like the thought of encouraging the
employees so that our job doesn’t have to be drudgery. I feel that I
can turn any job into something meaningful by my attitude. If I go
in negative, I stay negative. But if I go in positive I know being
positive will help me do not only a better job for my employers, but
for my own self.
The customers range from the homeless to students,
and, of course to bargain hunters. Believe me, the art of haggling
is not gone, “Did you say that was four? How about two?’’ There is
our military surplus which sells quite well; “I don’t know, should
I be nervous, I don’t think that boy scout will do anything, he’s
just into the military look.’’ The artists (is there another
profession in Santa Fe?) come to buy all sorts of things that they
will turn into art. I see junk in that broken glass and rusty metal;
they see art.
When I sell electronics, I usually write “as is”
meaning you take your chances. It worked yesterday; it should work
today. Sometimes, a person will find a treasure worth lots of money,
but this is as rare as winning the lottery. I know a guy who found a
Tiffany lamp, not in the store I work at, but in another thrift
store. I don’t see him anymore; I guess it’s hard to get into the
shop from your beachhouse in the Caribbean.
Working in the store has been a glimpse into so many
different people and items that I could never experience in a
department store, and I have worked in department stores. Here at
the thrift store, I have gotten to know the customers by their
names, met some of their family, become friends with some. I don’t
think this could happen in a regular retail store, not to this
extent. This could be because we are small, or because we work hand
in hand with the community in need.
I have seen items and clothes from all over come
through where I work. It’s ironic, I think, when I see expensive
items and well known brands that are pricey elsewhere get donated.
For one reason or another people want new things. The good thing is
all the merchandise trickles down to the people who could never have
it otherwise. I myself always hear, ‘’Did you get that at the thrift
store?’’ I jest in fun, “Of course I did. You think I go to Dillards
when I can get it for a mere pittance where I work?’’
I used to hear the joke, ‘’What’s the difference
between an estate sale and a garage sale?’’ “What you can charge.’’ I
guess where I work is like the garage sale, and the retail store is
the estate sale. When I say others can own stuff they can’t afford
in other places, I am including myself. I am a bargain hunter as
much as the people who come into the store. I have to work at this
point in my life, but I enjoy where I am working. Sure there are
days that have their challenges, but many times I go home and smile
to myself about something that happened at work or something a
co-worker said or did.
Joseph Epstein had various types of work. I felt he
tried to make the best of each one. That is what I try to do,
whether it be volunteer work or paying work. I try to see the play
in work and have fun doing it. It makes work much more enjoyable to
see its humor, whichever side of the window you are on.
