Ancient Mariner, I very well can sympatize with your anxiety and frustration in this situation. Let's see if I also can be of any assistance to you in trying to help lifting a tip of the foil.


I wonder in what ways you've practised observing your customers so your writing may benefit from it. Do you have a specific 'goal' in mind when you observe - specific characteristics you're looking for, for example? From your post it sounds like you're eager to soak up all -any- information you can, leaving you... well, drowning.


So, maybe, it is not really a case of using the right means of recording that fit the situation, but
rather a case of using the right mode of observing?
Maybe, instead of trying to swallow the stream of the 'mother-lode' all at once all together it would serve you better to narrow down the amount of what you're trying to take in?


Maybe it would be helpful to narrow it down by setting assignements for yourself? Go after specific demonstrations of behaviour or manifestations of characteristics over a certain amount of time (say a day or a week), or focus on a situation and observe how different people act to it . Use the quantity of the source you have at hand - gather a variety of examples to a certain 'theme'. And play with it. Make a ‘theme’ more specific or broaden it’s scope - explore it’s possibilities.


Maybe this way you can make enough observations without violating the high standards of service you are bound to keep, and store them long enough to record them whenever you can?
Maybe this way you can go around the limitations the nature and demands your job bring with it, but still use the wonderful opportunities it holds?


Does this make any sense to you?

The first two postings pegged my ideas exactly. I've rarely been struck with someone quirky enough to be in my musings but I have had the occasional opportunity to be in your shoes. Well, almost literally.

I worked at a shoe store for more than a year of my young adult life and one frequent customer was an elderly lady I suspected of being extremely lonely for I saw her the same time each day about three times a week. The girls and I nicknamed her "Aunt Agatha". The odd thing about her was that she was very near-sighted, had a different hair color every week in that clown like poof of hers and a squished, hawk-like nose that seemed to touch her upper lip when you looked down at an angle (which wasn't hard since she was maybe five foot solid).

So, in addition to the first two, I'd think you should also look for "regulars". Find those that stop by that look familiar and soon, you'll find that you remember them better each time. Not only will this open a way for a little chit chat while you ring them up and learn something new about them each time possibly, you'll get a chance to do closer observation since the rest of the stuff is an old hat by then. Try and find something new about your regulars each time: an involuntary action, a habit, jewelry, tattoos, the way they talk or pronounce a word.

Good luck! 

I think that all of the suggestions that you were given were great ones.  I understand about TIME to jot down/record notes and still trying to keep up with the day to day responsibilities.  I assume that you get a break during your work hours, so this may enable you to write down some notes, paragraphs, or pages (when Stephen King started out writing, he would even write on his lunch hour, in the back storage room,  at the store he worked).  I don't know if you'd be able to, but would you be able to review the recorded images of the security camera(s) and jot down notes? This may even give you a different perspective of an individual(s).  Good luck to you!  - Keith C.

I wonder if what sticks in your mind with the passing of time might be what is really important and useful about these characters anyway.  Perhaps you needn't obsess over getting down the details, but let them percolate in your mind and then write about them later.  More confidence in the power of your memory (and, if you are writing fiction, your imagination), rather than stressing about reporting "reality" in all its details might serve you well.

Right.  There are many varied ways of finding, collecting and storing ideas. They are all around you basically.  Some I know have suggested a few already but I am sure you won't mind me sticking my orr in this.  There are newspapers, magazines[also excellent for research purposes, the agony columns in magazines, also those makeover programmes on television.  Sometimes on Channel 4 in this country, we have Grand Designs where he poses possble conflict situations - what if.  The most important two words that should spark off ideas.  In fact in 1994, I spent a week at Fenn Farm where I had the good opportunity to meet Sally Worboyes who wrote about the Kent Hop Gatherers.  If the clients have families with young children and there are hitches, look between the lines. You be surprised what you can cook up in terms of ideas.   Now the problem of keeping them. Ah yes, well that is easy enough.  Have you a good ring binder, one of those big ones because believe it or not, you will fill it up as easy as can be.  Either go out and buy one or ask at your work place if they are getting rid of any -surprising what people throw away you know and somethings are not in bad condition.  You will also need twelve dividers, one representing each month, Jan-December.  Don't worry about putting the year.  Now go home and switch on your PC.  For each month, use Word and Clip Art for this, perhaps treat yourself to a clipart disk.  Type out the month then create an appropriate symbol then if you have some ideas for the current month[always have your dictaphone or notebook at hand]  Click on to Word and type out your ideas. Believe me, sometimes one's scribble can let one down - there is nothing more infuriating that having an idea you cannot make sense of.  Make a point of writing your ideas for the month you are in in Word then print them out at the end.  Before long, you will have more than you know what to do with.  In short, you will have a compendium or Diary of Ideas.   I hope that this has helped you.  Don't watch television in a vegetated state - be proactive or you might miss something.  Well good luck and hope this has helped you.  Have a brilliant New Year and make this suggestion a New Year Resolution

Regards Mousetrap