Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th. After a 20 plus year absence from the retail world, I've now spent the last year at Woodinville Costco. While I usually boast I'm not scared of anything, I'm developing a small case of Paraskevidekatriaphobia (And no, I can't pronounce it either)
And yes, I've already scanned ahead to find the next Friday, 13th. It'll be October 13th, 2017. Oy vey! And no, it won't be a full moon on that night, either. And yes, I checked that too!
My friend, Megan Lovett, is the only other person that I know of that shares my dislike for Friday, the 13th's.
Speaking of which, there was one particular Friday the 13th that will always stick with me. It happened at the Thrifty Payless Drug Inc that Megan and I worked at. She wasn't working that night with me, and I really wish she did. If only to corroborate my story!
I was the closing supervisor being the youngest and newest addition to supervisory staff. Meaning I was the person-in-charge (PIC) for the store since the store manager, Larry, rolled out for the night. Towards the end of a weeknight shift, we would schedule one cashier with one supervisor, perhaps an additional cashier if sales/work warranted it.
This night it was only Clara, and yours truly. She was very capable cashier regardless of her MS (Multiple Sclerosis) As I drove into my shift of only 4-hours from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm, I spied the full moon already hanging in the sky, illuminating my way to TPI.
As I approached the driveway entrance for the parking lot, my car headlights flickered. Yes, they flickered. A clear omen of the events that were about to happen to me.
The night was filled with cranky, upset, and somewhat crazier than usual customers. Clara would use the PA system via the phone to call for management / supervisor approval on transactions with "Management courtesy on register 1".
There's just a few minutes prior to close, which was 9 pm, a stray dog suddenly appeared in the front lobby area. The store's location on the corner of Highway 99, and 196th St SW in Lynnwood was prime real estate for crazy on the regular. However, it's all developed area so stray animals were definitely not the regular.
He sat up, at attention, on the mat of the east door which faced Hwy 99. The west door led to a walkway directly to Safeway. Once I walked toward him to shoo him away, he stood up, and walk out the automatic door which detected his motion and opened.
I returned to the recess of the store, presumingly for the night.
A few minutes later, another manager courtesy page was blasted out. I turn on my heel to return to the lobby. I arrive to Clara simply pointing to the west door, as a little Asian looking boy was there. I sigh, another lost kid. I say out loud, "Hello!" but the child turned around and left out the store. As I kept going the east door opened up. The same dog walks through that door.
I grumbled, "For the love ..." I wheel in stride back to him! The dog turned back around and out the door.
I told Clara, "If another weird thing happens, I'm gonna lose it." She almost cries, as she points towards our Camera Department. Someone is behind the glass case trying to steal electronic merchandise like VCR's (Video Cassette Recorders)
I ran towards the perpetrator without saying a word. As soon as he hears my foot falls, he faces me and quickly leaves from behind the counter. I'm mere feet away when the PA system blares, "Los, come back."
The assailant escapes my eyesight as I turned my head. I return to my task of apprehending this would-be thief, but he's already out the west door.
Once I get back to the lobby, the Asian child is back, and screaming bloody murder! Why? Because the dog is latched on to the kid's pants while being dragged across the polished titled floor in a circle. The entire scene reminds me of #IRL Norman Rockwell painting nightmare!
So many questions, such as:
I bull rush the west door, turn off the door, shut it, and lock it. Eff this, I mentally screamed. I run to the other door and do the same. I barked out, "Clara, go upstairs, and count down your till. Close the door behind you, and don't open it until I use the key to open it. Go NOW!"
I literally ran through the store to find any stray customers, and found none. I checked the warehouse steel, and the bathrooms. Again, no one. I killed the lights, and overhead music before going to the office. It was times like this I had a concealed weapons permit, and packing some heat.
At any rate, as we were exiting and I was about to set the alarm. We heard movement like a ghost was in the store. Clara asked if we should investigate the noise. I shut that down, with a "For as nutty as this night has been, do you really wanna know what made that noise?"
Her eyes grew big, and she yelp out, "No."
Once I entered my car, I checked the backseat, and mirrors. Sure enough, you guessed it, the dog was perched by the door with it's nose pointed directly at it. Then casually looked in my car's direction because of the noise of starting.
Then the dog mean-mugs me from my parking stall to the parking lot exit. As I turned the corner, I watched it walk towards the darkness of the night.
Apparently, watch dog approved.
Fast forward many years to the most recent Friday, 13th, with a full moon. That's right January 13th was a Friday with a full moon. And yes... something weird happened to me at Costco. That's for another story.
'los; out
Especially if it falls on a full moon!
And yes, I've already scanned ahead to find the next Friday, 13th. It'll be October 13th, 2017. Oy vey! And no, it won't be a full moon on that night, either. And yes, I checked that too!
My friend, Megan Lovett, is the only other person that I know of that shares my dislike for Friday, the 13th's.
Speaking of which, there was one particular Friday the 13th that will always stick with me. It happened at the Thrifty Payless Drug Inc that Megan and I worked at. She wasn't working that night with me, and I really wish she did. If only to corroborate my story!
I was the closing supervisor being the youngest and newest addition to supervisory staff. Meaning I was the person-in-charge (PIC) for the store since the store manager, Larry, rolled out for the night. Towards the end of a weeknight shift, we would schedule one cashier with one supervisor, perhaps an additional cashier if sales/work warranted it.
This night it was only Clara, and yours truly. She was very capable cashier regardless of her MS (Multiple Sclerosis) As I drove into my shift of only 4-hours from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm, I spied the full moon already hanging in the sky, illuminating my way to TPI.
As I approached the driveway entrance for the parking lot, my car headlights flickered. Yes, they flickered. A clear omen of the events that were about to happen to me.
The night was filled with cranky, upset, and somewhat crazier than usual customers. Clara would use the PA system via the phone to call for management / supervisor approval on transactions with "Management courtesy on register 1".
There's just a few minutes prior to close, which was 9 pm, a stray dog suddenly appeared in the front lobby area. The store's location on the corner of Highway 99, and 196th St SW in Lynnwood was prime real estate for crazy on the regular. However, it's all developed area so stray animals were definitely not the regular.
He sat up, at attention, on the mat of the east door which faced Hwy 99. The west door led to a walkway directly to Safeway. Once I walked toward him to shoo him away, he stood up, and walk out the automatic door which detected his motion and opened.
I returned to the recess of the store, presumingly for the night.
A few minutes later, another manager courtesy page was blasted out. I turn on my heel to return to the lobby. I arrive to Clara simply pointing to the west door, as a little Asian looking boy was there. I sigh, another lost kid. I say out loud, "Hello!" but the child turned around and left out the store. As I kept going the east door opened up. The same dog walks through that door.
I grumbled, "For the love ..." I wheel in stride back to him! The dog turned back around and out the door.
I told Clara, "If another weird thing happens, I'm gonna lose it." She almost cries, as she points towards our Camera Department. Someone is behind the glass case trying to steal electronic merchandise like VCR's (Video Cassette Recorders)
The assailant escapes my eyesight as I turned my head. I return to my task of apprehending this would-be thief, but he's already out the west door.
Once I get back to the lobby, the Asian child is back, and screaming bloody murder! Why? Because the dog is latched on to the kid's pants while being dragged across the polished titled floor in a circle. The entire scene reminds me of #IRL Norman Rockwell painting nightmare!
So many questions, such as:
- Who's this kid anyway?
- Where the hell is his parents/guardians?
- Why is this dog back again?
- Why is guarding my store unannounced?
- And what the hell did this kid do to rile up this dog?
I bull rush the west door, turn off the door, shut it, and lock it. Eff this, I mentally screamed. I run to the other door and do the same. I barked out, "Clara, go upstairs, and count down your till. Close the door behind you, and don't open it until I use the key to open it. Go NOW!"
I literally ran through the store to find any stray customers, and found none. I checked the warehouse steel, and the bathrooms. Again, no one. I killed the lights, and overhead music before going to the office. It was times like this I had a concealed weapons permit, and packing some heat.
At any rate, as we were exiting and I was about to set the alarm. We heard movement like a ghost was in the store. Clara asked if we should investigate the noise. I shut that down, with a "For as nutty as this night has been, do you really wanna know what made that noise?"
Her eyes grew big, and she yelp out, "No."
Once I entered my car, I checked the backseat, and mirrors. Sure enough, you guessed it, the dog was perched by the door with it's nose pointed directly at it. Then casually looked in my car's direction because of the noise of starting.
Then the dog mean-mugs me from my parking stall to the parking lot exit. As I turned the corner, I watched it walk towards the darkness of the night.
Apparently, watch dog approved.
Fast forward many years to the most recent Friday, 13th, with a full moon. That's right January 13th was a Friday with a full moon. And yes... something weird happened to me at Costco. That's for another story.
'los; out
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