I’m new to Reddit and this is really random and will probably be a little long, so I’m not sure if this is the best place to be posting this or not, but here goes.
So I started working at a new job about two months ago, and I really like it! It’s at a major retail store, so there’s lots of coworkers in a lot of different departments that I’m still getting used to. I’ve slowly been talking to more and more of them and it’s been great. I work at the customer service desk at the front of the store, so I don’t interact with a ton of the other departments. I’m very comfortable with all of the other customer service people because I’m always working and talking directly with them, but it’s been slower with some of my other coworkers simply because we don’t cross paths as often. But I’ve still been trying to learn as many names and people as I can and I really like everyone I’ve met.
I should also say that while I’m a very people oriented type of person, I also have pretty crippling general anxiety at times and I’m shy by nature. I love being around people but I’m introverted so it’s very difficult for me to initiate conversations. But once the ice is broken, I won’t shut up! It’s just that I usually end up waiting on the other person to do the breaking. I’m working on it.
Anyway, I have sort of a unique situation with one of my coworkers in particular. I work at the very front of the store, but sometimes I have to run back to our secondary storage area to retrieve items for curbside/in store pickup. To get there I have to walk past our Asset Protection guy, many many many times a day. He has a small kiosk to the side of the main aisle when you first walk in and I have to go past him to get to the holding area for pickup items. In the two months that I’ve been there I’ve literally only spoken to him maybe twice. There’s only 3 people that work for asset protection and my shifts seem to line up him in particular, a lot. So I constantly see him, but our departments rarely ever overlap unless there’s a major issue with a customer. So in all the time I’ve been there and seen him, we’ve not really ever spoken. And because I’m so anxious and awkward, I’ve never attempted to initiate a conversation.
He seems really cool and down to earth, and I’d love to have a good work friend. While at work today, I think I had just finally felt so awkward that it had been such a long time of us seeing so much of each other but never actually talking, and I started overthinking it way too much. So, out of complete impulse and lack of social prowess, when I was walking by him today, I shot him a peace sign. A PEACE SIGN!!! And no words. Barely even a facial expression. Just a peace sign. Why?? Was I trying to play it cool? No clue. I’ve literally never even made eye contact with him when I walk past, or waved, so I don’t know where my decision to do a PEACE SIGN came from. He was really confused by it but it did actually end up breaking the ice and throughout the rest of our shift we were joking and pointing out how incredibly awkward I was and laughing at how I made things even more uncomfortable now because now we both feel obligated to make eye contact every time I walk by him. Which is literally at least a hundred times a day. So.
As awkward as it was, it was actually nice to now be joking and talking like normal coworkers and I can definitely see us being good friends at work. Towards the end of the day, he gave me some “homework”. He said I needed to practice my conversation starters a little more and maybe think of some better gestures to say hi with other than a peace sign. And also get better at eye contact. Lol.
So here’s my question. As lame and corny as this is, I was hoping for some ideas on cool ways I can greet him next time we work together so I can switch it up. Work is a lot of fun and I genuinely love interacting with all of the customers, but as with any retail job it can be draining and exhausting to deal with customers all day, especially during the pandemic, and ESPECIALLY now during the holiday season. so I figured a little wholesome fun with a coworker couldn’t hurt. We could all use a little corniness sometimes to give us a break from how serious the world is, and if through my awkwardness I can be a small moment of relief for one of my coworkers or anyone, then I’m cool with that.
I’ve thought of a salute, some finger guns, and the classic thumbs up. But after that I don’t know. Maybe a curtsy? Any ideas?? The lamer the better! I embrace it.
Submitted October 25, 2020 at 04:59AM by stackalyn https://ift.tt/3om4hOF
