First of the Month Blues: A Québec Retail Saga

Listen, if you've never worked retail in Québec during the first week of the month, you haven't truly experienced chaos. Picture this: it's the morning after welfare checks and pension deposits hit. I'm stocking shelves when I hear the automatic doors whoosh open at 8 AM sharp, and suddenly my store transforms into the running of the bulls.

There's Madame Tremblay with her meticulously organized coupons from 1987 (pretty sure some are older than me), three different men named Jean-Guy all trying to buy the same discounted poutine sauce, and an elderly woman asking me if we still accept Canadian Tire money while her grandson tries to convince her we're not actually Canadian Tire.

The best part? Everyone's cart is loaded with those massive yellow bags of No Name everything. It's like a weird modern art installation where everything is just... yellow. And don't get me started on the people who bring their utility bills to prove they qualify for the senior discount – from 2015.

But hey, at least the tips about which Metro has the best coffee and which Jean Coutu has the nicest pharmacist make it all worthwhile. Only 29 days until we do this all over again!