The pace at work picks up on Saturday afternoons. Saturdays are the turn-over days for tourist rental spots, so a new batch of tourists comes into Garden City (and the store that many CO students work at) every Saturday afternoon. The parking lot of our store is full, and as you walk into the store you hear families devising shopping game plans (“You go get the eggs and milk. I’ll pick up two beach chairs – should I get three? – and we’ll meet by the sunscreen in fifteen minutes.”). The reinforcement cashiers are called to the front and managers direct cart traffic in the main aisles.
Despite the hectic pace, I enjoy working on Saturday afternoons. As a cashier, I have the opportunity to talk with each customer, hear a little about them, and share why I’m spending my summer in South Carolina instead of Minnesota. Many of the families going through my line are worn out from a long day of traveling and stressed from reuniting with family members from around the country. There are high levels of stress, frustration and excitement evident in their faces.
Working in the retail business in this tourist area has given me a perspective both on the economic impact of tourism (hundreds and hundreds of dollars are spent on food and supplies for a week-long vacation!) and on the fact that spending a week on the beach isn’t ultimately satisfying. As humans, our desire for rest needs to be satisfied by something much deeper than a change of scenery – we need to find our rest in the only true Source, our Lord Jesus Christ.