TWC article

I wasn't sure where or how to post my revised article on blogspot so I decided for now I would post it on my blog page. Here is my cheap grub food review. Enjoy!

With its strip of bars and restaurants near the shops on Newbury Street and the Prudential Center, Boylston Street is a great place for people to eat and drink well into the night.

But many of these joints are pricey, particularly for the college crowd. I've sat down at Abe and Louie's, and dropped $45 on a London broil dinner. That is something I can afford perhaps once a year.

There are, however, a few spots on the strip where you can grab a drink and a bite, and emerge with a few bucks still in your pocket. The Pour House Bar & Grille is actually known for combining a cheap eats with a tasteful atmosphere. Its whitewashed brick walls, some covered with graffiti, and neon signs at the bar give the place some edge.

With its 17 hi-definition, flat screen TVs, the Pour House is also a perfect spot to catch a game.

I recently visited the Pour House with four friends I had not seen a while. We arrived hungry. The sole guy in our party ordered up a burger -- a triple "Wisconsin," with three patties covered in blue cheese.

Burgers at the Pour House are juicy. They come with a generous amount of French fries, but you can swap-in some onion rings or a salad for a couple of bucks more. Even with the substitutions, a triple burger will only set you back about $10.

For non-beef eaters, the vegetarian burger will cost you a little more, but you will be surprised by its savory flavor, and its generous toppings.

The beer at the Pour House is tops, and the perfect accompaniment to its well-prepared (better than most) pub grub. The Harpoon UFO I had with our appetizer --
a massive plate of nachos -- was refreshing.

The Pour House offers 22 ounce frosted drafts, 12 ounce bottled domestic and specialty beers, as well as beer tini's (draft beer served in a martini glass) for only $3.25.

If you're not a beer drinker, The Pour House also offers frozen and non-frozen drinks and frappes. These make excellent dessert substitutes at the end of a meal. 

For the early risers on Saturday and Sunday there is a breakfast and brunch menu worth getting up for. It is the perfect remedy for the hung-over crowd who was there the night before.

The Pour House also offers specials Monday through Friday starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday night is the establishment's "Crazy Chicken Night," where all grilled chicken sandwiches are half-off. Thursday is "Mexican Madness" night.

Service at the Pour House is quick and attentive. The only time you will see a line out the door is at night, especially on the weekends. Our party did not have to wait very long for our food to be served and our waitress never neglected us. 

The Pour House Bar & Grille
907 Boylston St. Boston, MA
617-236-1767
PourHouseBoston.com

Drinks: $3-8
Entrees: $4-9

Leave It Up to the Experts

Bing Crosby's original holiday hit, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" is one of the more popular tunes the toy store plays during the holidays. I have always been a fan of the holidays and especially the music that comes along with it, that was until I started working retail. This year my boss decided to delight our customers with the sounds of jingle bells and laughter from Dominique the donkey the day after Halloween...awesome, right? It took our team of employees to agree with her that this would be a good idea, but let's be honest nobody wants to be reminded that early that the holidays are actually right around the corner. This is what makes people dread the holidays even more. Not only are you broke by the end, but you start turning on your in laws and hold grudges against your nagging children who just want more and more.

I miss the days when Santa gave me reason to be good throughout the year. I loved that feeling I got very Christmas Eve when my stomach would tangle up in knots from excitement. Being a kid was so much easier and ten times more fun. Now all I have to look forward to is ELF and the Polar Express, those are by far the best holiday movies, and let's not forget the classics! Holiday Inn and White Christmas will always be in my top five. These films remind me that I actually do love the holidays, regardless of what I deal with at the toy store. It upsets me to see how angry people can become over a stupid toy. I understand there is nothing like seeing a smile on your child's face as they unwrap the best gift they will every receive (until next year), but leave your shitty mode at the door. We smile, ask if you need assistance, then we offer COMPLIMENTARY gift wrapping!! So please make our day a little less stressful and just smile back. We accept all methods of payment...and get this, "thank you" is ALWAYS accepted! So relax and leave it up to us to make your holidays a little more peaceful. We are here to help.

I have attached "Christmas Time is Here", which is more famous from Charlie Brown's holiday movie. It's the instrumental version so it's actually peaceful and relaxing. Please enjoy while you read this blog :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gmiSPMHrWQ

Bring on the Daddy's

Most days I am used to watching mom's rush in and out of the toy store; and they typically know exactly what they want. It is the dad's who keep us going. Fortunately the men who come into our store are usually good looking, and if they weren't blessed with good looks, they tend to be very friendly. It is the cutest thing to watch a dad/man wonder through the store. They look so lost and confused. It is my job to come to their rescue and tell them exactly what it is they need to purchase. I never understood why their wives/girlfriends, or any female figure int heir life would send them by themselves to pick out a baby gift. Note to all women...never send your man to buy the gift! As much as they may love you and will tell you it's no big deal, they have no idea what they're doing. They will not know the difference between a burpie and a bib; so unless you send them off with the exact name or purpose of the item, he is doomed. It is our job and pleasure to help these lost souls so no worries on our end. Personally I think they enjoy the opportunity to be rescued by a female, especially when it comes to something they feel they should know nothing about.

There was this one dad who came in last week who I had every intention of helping out until he revealed his true colors...or should I say, his lack of. First, I approached him like I typically do to customers, then asked him if he needed any assistance. Without even acknowledging me, he just turns the opposite direction and continues to appear very important on his blackberry. I figured maybe he didn't hear me so I shrug it off and continue to clean up after his children's mess that they had left for me (lucky me!). Twenty minutes later,after his kids had successfully beaten the shit out of the store, he is ready to check out. Still nose deep in his blackberry, he tosses the gift onto the counter. "Hello sir, would you like this wrapped?" I asked. "Sure" he replied. I handed the gift to my co-worker to be wrapped while I ring him out. "That will be $21.25 please" I tell him. He hands me his card; still no eye contact! "Would you like debit or credit?" I ask. "Ahhh...it's debit?" Now another note to customers; if you hand me a debit card, typically you have the option of using it as credit as well as debit, so please don't give me attitude when I ask...after. I'm only trying to be polite. So I ring it through (as debit) and hand him his card back. As he waits for his gift to be wrapped, I notice his kids are continuing to mess shit up. I walk over to the mess/kids and start cleaning up, advising that they be careful. STILL NO EYE CONTACT or acknowledgment from their father. I was so disgusted by his behavior. He didn't even have the curtsey to thank us for our help.

A continuation of those Monday blues and Christmas hues

So I wasn't able to write again after my post on Monday, but I will say that it was such a long day. What made it so very long and unbearable was the fact that nobody was around because of the long weekend. It was gorgeous out...who would blame them? From what I can remember, I think there was a total of ten customers all day. We still managed to make a little more than $500, which for the toy store is not that much. On the weekends, we typically make between $3,000-5,000 each day. There is one loyal customer, Anne, who occassionally comes in to shop for her twenty grand-kids(exhaggeration), and has no problem spending over $500. She is one customer we have no issue dedicating our entire work day to.

Now that the holidays are approaching, slowly but surely, it is important in retail that you remind customers of this. The sooner a store starts decorating their area from head to toe in holiday decore, the sooner customers start buying our merchandise. Christmas used to be my favorite holiday but since I have been working in retail that has changed. On Wednesday I walked into the toy store to find Christmas clothing everywhere!!! Cute holidays dresses, boys red and green plaid vests, and baby's first Christmas bibs...it was depressing. We haven't even sold the rest of our Halloween costumes! I swear, if the radio and our store begin to play Christmas music before Thanksgiving, I will take the longest holiday vacation.

Serious case of the Mondays...

How can it be Monday already? I feel like this weekend dragged but was way too short at the same time. Unfortunately these past four days were filled with unnecessary drama. Now I am sitting at my other job, at a gym, where I check people in and greet them. My day started at 5:30 this morning, which is not a huge struggle for me; I don't mind mornings. It's just the fact that I don't enjoy working here. I deal with the same customers from the toy store. Who in their right mind (besides my mother) would voluntarily wake up this early, especially on a long weekend?! After working here, I have the pleasure of walking over to the toy store where I will be working for another four hours after I get out of here at 12:30...what a drag! Unfortunately I have to cut this blog short because my boss just wrapped up her aerobics class, and she does not allow this sort of activity on the computer. I'll be adding on later...ciao, for now.

So many of us..yet nobody can work?

Chloe became sick this past week, with a fever up to 100 degrees, night sweats and swollen glands. She was scheduled to work this past Thursday, and thought she could, up until an hour before she had to be in; that is when she had to call in. This did not please our boss, but Sheila, our boss, being the best boss around, let this one slide. Chloe's fever did not go down the night day, and yet again, she was scheduled to work, so we made sure to call around and ask the other four girls if they would not mind filling in for her. It was getting close to two o'clock, when Chloe's shift started, and still no word from any of the girls. We figured out of four girls, at least one of them would answer, right? Fortunately, three hours later, and a half hour before two o'clock, one of the girls let's Chloe know she can make it in for her. This was great news, but still frustrating to look back on because we have a handful of staff so we can rely on each other for these sort of occasions. I guess most of this frustration comes from me not liking two of my fellow employees. But at the toy store, we have to bottle these things up and be one big happy family!

Perfect example of a cashmere baby..

Saturdays..

I survived another Saturday at the toy store, which is always a relief. You never know who you will run into, or what will happen; it is our busiest day! Yesterday, I had the privilege of working with my best friend, Chloe (fictional name), who is the best person to people watch with. When it comes to entertaining us we are very easily amused, so when a customer, on her way back from the gym, came in demanding a smaller size in one of our red sox sweaters, we noticed something very repulsive. Not only was this customer stinking up the entire store, but there were buckets of sweat dripping down her face! I was ready to hand her a roll of paper towels for the sake of saving $2,000 worth of red sox merchandise. Attention to all future customers, please shower before you embrace us with your presence.  

Cashmere

I work in a store that sells high end clothing and toys for children. For example, the namesake of the blog is an 86 dollar cashmere sweater for a newborn child. For those who aren't familiar with children, they grow out of clothes relatively fast and neglect the act of staying clean. Hence, buying a newborn child a hundred dollar cashmere sweater to wear and ruin for approximately three weeks is, essentially, a waste of money. Impracticality is a theme that runs rampant throughout the store, but suburban mothers are the reason we remain in business; they have the resources to be frivolous shoppers.

In this blog I will not only indulge you with our customers "first world problems", but also discuss the importance of status, class and image in white suburbia.