The last shift
Nov. 7th, 2025 07:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dmxratedI did see my bus outside the window upon getting the arrival call from SCAT yesterday, but by the time I got out there, I couldn't see it anywhere. Checked Masem Court to see if it had gone down there not for the first time, but upon returning to my driveway, I spotted it tucked into Eddie's right over.
-
Having built back up to two hours of PPTO after taking Monday off, I had requested a lateness as planned. Asked the busdriver to drop me off at Tropical, and she wound up dropping me off in front of Starbucks instead. Went in there to place my planned order on the app.
Had what was essentially an early lunch, and then read the rest of chapter 6 of Magical Girl Raising Project: Breakdown.
Went on to place two orders for Starbucks. The first of those was for the usual Nitro Cold Brew, but then I figured, given how cold it's been lately, I might as well order something warm. That second order was for some espresso.
Said espresso was pretty shallow in the cup, but the barista I asked explained that two shots is the default for that drink. (That actually explains what a shot even is, which I assumed meant a shot of flavoring rather than coffee itself when I ordered a latte at Tropical, and I also recall Mom telling me before that an authentic latte is typically served in a shotglass if you order one in Italy or Austria.)
Read a section of the next chapter before making my way over to Walmart.
-
Sure enough, I spotted Zinora immediately inside the pharmacy entrance, and went to retrieve her copy of my farewell letter.
-
The second-to-last thing I would bring to customer service was a set of ratchet bits, that someone had left on the top remaining palette stacking windshield cleaner.
-
Spotted a checkout attendant named Marcía I had already accounted for inside the market entrance. Her badge reads "Marseeya", making it seem to come from some obscure African language (her father is actually Haitian), and I had also noticed her name spelt as "Mar-see-ya" on the waiting list in Starbucks. Apologized for misspelling her name on her envelope (never picked up on it from her badge, and she wasn't wearing it previously), but she said I actually spelt it right; she spells it differently so that people don't keep mispronouncing it like "Marsha". We chatted for a bit before I resumed working.
-
Shortly before my lunch hour, I spotted someone making a Coinstar deposit on my way to the restroom, and helped myself to a total of $1.29.
Right before my hour, I spotted another deposit in progress, this time with a large plastic coffee can full of change. Decided to come back for that after having lunch.
-
For lunch, I ordered some gnocchi short rib ragu at Southpaw. Left a tip of around $4.85, with some singles from breaking that fifty covering the dollar amount.
-
Scored $1.32 from the machine upon coming back, before buying three bags of chocolate to put my discount card to one last use towards. The total came out to $11.04, and I gave the cashier $1.04 in change before halving a twenty, the remainder left over from that protein shake transaction.
-
The last item I would bring to customer service was a 2-quart carton of half-and-half.
-
Had one of those shakes I had bought a box of, but despite a hint of actual flavor, it tasted mostly watery somehow.
-
Shortly before my second fifteen, a customer service rep named Frankie asked what was going on, I told him about my departure, and he asked me to say one last goodbye to him before I leave. I emailed him a link to that Google doc.
Went on to order a Cranberry Bliss Bar and a peppermint mocha at Starbucks, where I also read a few more pages.
-
Half an hour before my shift ended, Jeyson told me on the market side that he was going on his meal hour. I bid him what I assumed would be one last farewell, and he suggested I say goodbye to another cart attendant named Ezekiel, whom I never spoke to as much.
Went on to email Ezekiel a link.
-
Back on the pharmacy side, I spotted a total of $2.12 worth of loose change just behind the cart gate.
-
Upon clocking out, I asked customer service to call for Frankie. He turned out to be right behind the wall behind the counter, where stuff for online orders is stored, and we said one last goodbye.
Spotted Jeyson in the break room, and said a final goodbye to him before sitting down to have what's going to be my last Body Armor for a while.
Spotted Marcía one last time in the hallway just before cleaning out my locker and then handing Doreen my lock, vest, and discount card.
-
Mom and I concluded things by heading to Stop&Shop for my flu shot (she also had some shopping to do there), before heading home.
-
Having built back up to two hours of PPTO after taking Monday off, I had requested a lateness as planned. Asked the busdriver to drop me off at Tropical, and she wound up dropping me off in front of Starbucks instead. Went in there to place my planned order on the app.
Had what was essentially an early lunch, and then read the rest of chapter 6 of Magical Girl Raising Project: Breakdown.
Went on to place two orders for Starbucks. The first of those was for the usual Nitro Cold Brew, but then I figured, given how cold it's been lately, I might as well order something warm. That second order was for some espresso.
Said espresso was pretty shallow in the cup, but the barista I asked explained that two shots is the default for that drink. (That actually explains what a shot even is, which I assumed meant a shot of flavoring rather than coffee itself when I ordered a latte at Tropical, and I also recall Mom telling me before that an authentic latte is typically served in a shotglass if you order one in Italy or Austria.)
Read a section of the next chapter before making my way over to Walmart.
-
Sure enough, I spotted Zinora immediately inside the pharmacy entrance, and went to retrieve her copy of my farewell letter.
-
The second-to-last thing I would bring to customer service was a set of ratchet bits, that someone had left on the top remaining palette stacking windshield cleaner.
-
Spotted a checkout attendant named Marcía I had already accounted for inside the market entrance. Her badge reads "Marseeya", making it seem to come from some obscure African language (her father is actually Haitian), and I had also noticed her name spelt as "Mar-see-ya" on the waiting list in Starbucks. Apologized for misspelling her name on her envelope (never picked up on it from her badge, and she wasn't wearing it previously), but she said I actually spelt it right; she spells it differently so that people don't keep mispronouncing it like "Marsha". We chatted for a bit before I resumed working.
-
Shortly before my lunch hour, I spotted someone making a Coinstar deposit on my way to the restroom, and helped myself to a total of $1.29.
Right before my hour, I spotted another deposit in progress, this time with a large plastic coffee can full of change. Decided to come back for that after having lunch.
-
For lunch, I ordered some gnocchi short rib ragu at Southpaw. Left a tip of around $4.85, with some singles from breaking that fifty covering the dollar amount.
-
Scored $1.32 from the machine upon coming back, before buying three bags of chocolate to put my discount card to one last use towards. The total came out to $11.04, and I gave the cashier $1.04 in change before halving a twenty, the remainder left over from that protein shake transaction.
-
The last item I would bring to customer service was a 2-quart carton of half-and-half.
-
Had one of those shakes I had bought a box of, but despite a hint of actual flavor, it tasted mostly watery somehow.
-
Shortly before my second fifteen, a customer service rep named Frankie asked what was going on, I told him about my departure, and he asked me to say one last goodbye to him before I leave. I emailed him a link to that Google doc.
Went on to order a Cranberry Bliss Bar and a peppermint mocha at Starbucks, where I also read a few more pages.
-
Half an hour before my shift ended, Jeyson told me on the market side that he was going on his meal hour. I bid him what I assumed would be one last farewell, and he suggested I say goodbye to another cart attendant named Ezekiel, whom I never spoke to as much.
Went on to email Ezekiel a link.
-
Back on the pharmacy side, I spotted a total of $2.12 worth of loose change just behind the cart gate.
-
Upon clocking out, I asked customer service to call for Frankie. He turned out to be right behind the wall behind the counter, where stuff for online orders is stored, and we said one last goodbye.
Spotted Jeyson in the break room, and said a final goodbye to him before sitting down to have what's going to be my last Body Armor for a while.
Spotted Marcía one last time in the hallway just before cleaning out my locker and then handing Doreen my lock, vest, and discount card.
-
Mom and I concluded things by heading to Stop&Shop for my flu shot (she also had some shopping to do there), before heading home.