And a Happy New Year

I'll make this quick. I've got a little post-Christmas annex post that involves, in no means a coincidence, what happened at work the day after Christmas. I'll keep names out of it, because I have a feeling what I'll be describing is potentially illegal.

Anyway, some branches are friendlier with the customers, and some clerks are very friendly with the customers. Most of these friendly clerks are veterans, some have been with the company for over 30 years. Some of these clerks live in the same area as their own branch, usually because they've got the seniority to handpick where they want to work. The customers are their neighbors, their butchers and baby-furniture store owners. There's a certain rapport there that grows out of those relationships, adding another dimension to the clerk-customer dynamic. (This does complicate things for the rest of us, like when I curse out my co-worker's golfing buddy right in front of the guy.)

Some of these relationships are so strong that, during the holidays, gifts and cards are exchanged. One guy, who's an OTB vet and local resident, even buys cards for some customers' wives and families. In return, he gets cards loaded with cash. Big fat tips, basically, even if the card-givers aren't winning any races.

I happened to be sitting next to this clerk for the December 26 day shift. It didn't take long for him to start complaining that a lot of the customers weren't as generous this Christmas. Not only were the cards light, but a lot of them didn't even bother with gifts. He never mentioned if he knows about the worldwide recession currently ruining millions of lives, but he seems like a smart guy, and I'm sure he does, but apparently none of that matters. He didn't get his Christmas tips. And there will be hell to pay.

I usually drown out other co-workers to begin with, and this guy likes to talk even while I'm dealing with customers, which doesn't help, so I didn't really catch all that he was spewing at me. But the gist was, a lot of people "forgot about him" and now his "List" is getting a lot more names added to it. He's going to remember everyone who didn't remember him this yuletide season, and each and every one of them was going on The List, even the ones that have been his so-called friends for the past three decades. Again, I missed crucial chunks of this subdued rant, but I think it was implied that even other OTB co-workers somehow made The List. Everytime he mentioned The List, he'd motion to it, taped on the inside wall of his booth, but I never got to see it, fearing that if he caught me looking at it, I'd make The List.

What The List is exactly, I don't know. Who, specifically, is on The List, I don't know. But what happens to the people on The List... I also don't know. And that's what makes an otherwise ordinary list become The List, and that's why I thought it was interesting enough to merit a blog post. December 26 is many things to many people. Some celebrate Kwanzaa. Others enjoy Boxing Day. A lot of folks would just like to relax after a month of stressful holiday preparation. But in OTB, we have The List. And God help you if you're on it.

Tip your mail-carrier. And your OTB clerk. Happy New Year.