Old Job

When I moved to London back in the early 1990's I took a Christmas temp job in a record shop. I was deciding what I really wanted to do.
I kind of knew what I really wanted to do but had yet to make it happen. I wanted to either make stuff or be Quincy. Being Quincy was off the table on account of not bothering to go to university to study forensics. Making stuff was great but paid badly and I still had to buy electricity and food so I thought working in a record shop would be fun.
It was.
Also, being in the West End I got to see famous people shopping for records. We didn't get as many famous people as our big shop up the road but we got our fair share, mostly old duffers like Ken Livingston or show people like Michael Ball.
I served...........

Stephen Hawking....he bought Tracy Chapman 'Greatest Hits'......he didn't 'speak' but did look at my boobs and drool... although the drooling might have been coincidental.

Princess Diana.....she was with a bodyguard and bought the soundtrack to 'Indecent Proposal' and Abba 'Gold'...she wore a lot of blue mascara and leaned on the counter.

Pat Cash......can't remember what he bought but it was in the first part of the A-Z so was probably Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds' or something by Ginger Baker. He had a HUGE ruby cross in his ear... was buff and ripped.

Michael Parkinson....he browsed the classical section then went upstairs to the dvds so I didn't see what he actually bought BUT he was proper stylish and smart in an understated but wealthy way, very polite.

Jools Holland used to come in a lot, he had cute kids and always checked to see what cd's of his we had in stock.

There was nothing I enjoyed more at the time than walking the A-Z, doing orders, putting stock back in place, seeing what was missing from the back catalogue and generally just getting lost in it all. I didn't care to much for the retail aspect but always respected the customers even if they did buy some right old shite.
When I am in a record shop now I find it hard not to tidy up as I browse.