Stepping into the dark shop, Coco Pommel flicked on the lights, revealing a large department store filled with a variety of clothing. With little to no thought, Coco made her way over to the cash register, sitting down on a small stool, just like she had done every weekday morning for quite a while now. Coco Pommel had been working at Noel's, the department store, as a cashier for almost three years since she had moved to Canterlot. Every morning, opening up the shop had become a simple routine before the other workers, as well as customers wandered in at their respective times.
Taking a sip of her iced coffee, Coco dug through the shelves underneath the counter she sat at, finding a decently new magazine to keep herself busy until the day started. On the cover of the magazine was a mare, no doubt a top model, was dressed in a cozy outfit, fitting for the Autumn weather. Right now, sales were up, considering we made most of our profits in the Autumn and Winter months. Everypony was out buying things for the colder weather, and in not too long, they will likely be making holiday purchases. Skimming through the magazine, flipping pages on occasion, Coco almost didn't notice when some pony walked through the door. The sound of a voice brought her from her thoughts.
"Excuse me," A voice, definitely male, chimed in greeting.
"May I help you?" Coco questioned politely as she closed her reading material. "We don't open for just a bit, but if you aren't looking to make a purchase too soon, I would be able to let you browse."
Drawing her eyes up from the counter, Coco found a tall and thin stallion, his coat a shining white. His fluffy mane and tail were a mint green, stripped with smaller brown sections. A slightly confused expression occupied his face, crinkling his fawn-tinted eyes. Like any mare concerned with fashion, Coco had a good eye for colors and rhythm as she picked apart the stallion's appearance. In her opinion, he didn't look half bad.
"Actually, I'm here from the corporate office. I work in marketing and they gave me the job of being an in-house sales rep. I take it your the cashier of Noel's Canterlot branch?" The stallion asked casually, running a hoof through his slightly wild mane.
"That's me. My name is Coco Pommel, by the way, but feel free to call me Coco," the earth mare began, offering a friendly smile. "Would you care for a quick tour. I've got to get back to the register before we open, but I have a little time."
"That'd be great. Oh, and nice to meet you, my name is Palette Splash, by the way."
At that, Coco climbed down from her stool, walking around to the opposite side of the counter where Palette Splash stood. Knowing nearly every inch of the store, Coco set off towards the center of the building. Her hooves tapping lightly on the tile, Coco turned to ensure Palette Splash was following, seeing him behind her, glancing to either side to get a good feel of the place, she stopped in the center. Coco cleared her throat, attempting to get the newbies attention.
"So," she began, "to the left you will find the mares department with stallions on the right. Adults in the front, fillies and colts in the back. Makes sense, right?" Coco asked, though it was more of a rhetorical question.
With the puzzlement on Palette Splash's face fading he gave a nod. "Yeah, I'll try to remember," he agreed, lazily flicking his eyes over the clothes on either side of them.
"Good, now there are restrooms and changing rooms in the back, and as you already saw, the register is up front off the the left. That is where I'll be spending my time," Coco replied, running through all the main features of the shop once more in her head, in attempts to make sure nothing was forgotten.
"Cool, thanks for giving me a heads up. Seems like the manager hadn't thought to give me any instruction. I'll work everything out though. Corporate gave me pretty a specific idea of what I was supposed to be doing," Palette Splash noted with a roll of his eyes.
Giggling in response, Coco reached a hoof up to cover her mouth. Almost everypony involved in anything related to Noel's knew how overbearing corporate could be. With Noel Snow herself in charge of everything, it was hard to get even a little leeway. Because she had started the company, Noel tried to establish complete control. Though, with the company getting bigger and opening new branches, more and more of the control slipped away from corporate. Now, it was really up to the managers to make sure everything ran smoothly. Unfortunately, the Canterlot branch didn't have the best management.
"Well, if you need anything, let me know. I'll just be at the counter all day," Coco said with a warm smile.
"Thanks again," Palette Splash called out in reply as Coco made her way back to the register.
With a soft sigh, the creamy coated mare sat back at her post, taking a sip of her iced coffee. Well, now it was more like cold, watered-down coffee, but it would suffice. Reopening her magazine, Coco looked through the images, but her mind was elsewhere. Of course, Hard Sell, the manager, wouldn't do much to help out the newbie, he never did, so it would likely be Coco's job. Hard Sell had a reputation for goofing off and messing around, but could really impress corporate at their sporadic meetings, so he always kept his job. Never the less, Coco often ended up dealing with the brunt of his work when he cast it aside.
Shaking her head, Coco pulled herself from her thoughts, glancing up at the clock. Soon, the day would start and she could just mindlessly do her job, answering phone calls and scanning tags with a bright smile. That was one of the few things Coco enjoyed about her job: it was simple and it was predictable, though curveballs always seemed to wind up being thrown her way.
Author's Note
Sorry, that was a lot of set up. I promise in future chapters, there will be better quality writing as well as better plot. If you enjoyed the story so far or are interested in continuing it, go ahead and give it a thumbs up and track it so you'll get the updates as soon as they're posted. If you didn't like it, please, by all means, don't hesitate to leave some constructive criticism in the comments.
Thanks everyone!
