695 Before She Became A Dog.

I’ve gotten a few messages about the RSS feed being messed up. I don’t use them so I don’t know how they work, but if they need to be refreshed whenever changes are made to a site you might want to do that. We’ve been trying to repair all the damage done to the site over the course of its existence (culminating in the unexplained loss of the files that made it work after the last update…) so the RSS may have been connected to some random file that it shouldn’t have been, which is now deleted or updated. As far as I can tell it’s still working, so it may only be certain RSS readers that are effective. If you notice a problem please let me know, and give me any information you think might be pertinent.

Holiday weeks are notorious among webcomic artists for having low traffic. Especially the actual day off the holiday in question. Then it snaps back when people have to get back to work. The reverse of that is that you get an influx of bored kids who suddenly have some time off and are stuck with their boring families.

I also usually get at least one email from some kid on their break who recently found themselves stuck in retail. If you happen to be that kid this year please know I look forward to hearing from you. XD Also, stay strong, support your coworkers, and try to keep a positive attitude. If all else fails packing a small Nerf gun does wonders for relieving stress. Especially if you work with people who wear glasses and you are a good shot. >:3

Seriously though, don’t shoot at anyone who isn’t in on the game.

I worked so many holidays over the years it soured me on them for a long time. Even now I bristle at the thought of them. The negativity doesn’t go away until I’m actually with my family on the day.

The day after Thanksgiving is, or course one of the biggest, and most mean spirited, shopping days of the year. I worked almost every Thanksgiving Eve for years to avoid having to endure it. Most of my employers valued my services, so they avoided placing me in situations that could lead to disaster.

The American economy relies almost exclusively on consumerism now. Over the years I’ve come to understand exactly what that means. Every store I ever worked at ran in the red the whole year and made up for it in the span of 3 months. As annoying as it is, America runs on Christmas, and not Duncan as certain doughnut manufacturers might claim. Without it the whole system falls apart. So no matter how frustrated you get this year, while you track down whatever trinket is going to make someone else happy, remember to be nice to the people serving you. They have a thankless job and without them everything falls apart. EVERYTHING.

39 Comments

I’m one of those kids who works retail. Double Retail actually. Small south-east grocery chain and Gamestop of all places. Your kind words soothe my soul but my feet still ache like no tomorrow. xD

While I work in fast food, I share your aching feet Ryutso because tired, worn out shoppers seem to like pizza for dinner after a Black Friday run. I can’t tell you how many times the manager got cussed out from orders being 5-15 minutes late but I imagine it is ten times worse in retail for ALL the people working that day. Still, I can relate to your pain. =3

Kind of neat that you used a similar pose for Brooksie today as I did for Tracy. (I’m sure your readers may have appreciated a similar level of clotheslessness too, however inappropriate.)

Not for me, thanks. Not from Brooksie, anyway. She’s tremendously cute, but it’s the kind of cute that triggers my “nurture and protect” instincts, not my “where do I get tickets for that ride?” instincts. Now, Nina, or Carol, or Jess…

(What ride would Jess be, anyway? First thing that pops to my mind is “bumper cars”.)

I must third Nick’s comment as well as agree with yours. I have very complex opinions on things. I feel equal parts nurture and protect for her and hit it like a caveman. Same goes for all the other girls and almost all the guys. Man this comic is brilliant.

Looking forward to the next update of Treading Ground too.

America does not run on a brand of yo-yo (Duncan), it runs on Dunkin’ (a local-to-me but national brand of donut shops)!
Your advice to those who work in retail (bless ’em) rings very true. They are a bigger and more important part of the whole economy than anybody lets on.

Ok, just read the entire site over since yesterday. Even called out of work to read it. (Sorta, just needed a day off. Making me work Black Friday, then telling me to come in for another 8 hours the next day, low fuckin’ blow). My main thoughts so far are, you look like you are a fan of the pear shaped woman. No big deal there, you draw it well. Nice and witty without having to make me think so much, I can respect that. Thats why I refuse to read Pulitzer prize winners. During that whole saga with Ed and his sister, I truly kept expecting some wincest to come about, just my depraved nature though. Also on the subject of Ed, even though he is short as a dwarf, why the hell does he look like Legolas when his hair is down? Lastly, can we see Ed kick some ass soon?

And a short P.S., since you have all the LOTR references, do you happen to play Lord of the Rings Online at all? Just wondering.

I remember finding this comic long, long ago. Probably a year or two. I rediscovered it a few months ago and realized I’d completely forgotten to stay updated. Then I forgot again for a while and I had nothing to do and suddenly I remembered again. So I read through the whole thing from start to finish. I love it. The characters, the dialogue, the situations, the humor. Everything. The girls are cute and hot. The guys are cute and hot. Well…Mike is just really cute. And L R you weren’t the only one hoping for wincest in that point. You are a genius and should be praised as such. I must say though, when Carol unbound her chest I thought I was going to pop a blood vessel or something. Then later she took the shirt off and I just about died. *repeated banging of head against desk, wall and any other solid object* And then you throw Jess at us too? ARGH! You magnificent bastard! I love how when Carol and Thomas kissed it brought the color back into his world. <3 But seriously, somebody needs to rule 34 this shit. Now. Hope that's not too disgusting for the rest of you…but it must be done.

Hmmm… Brooksie is truly an imp in face, word and deed. It would not do, however, to underestimate her womanly charms.

Something I’ve noted….with the exception of Carol, personality and body type of your characters correspond. The taller, lankier, and thinner-faced a character is, the more jerkish they are. Chubbier and/or shorter characters tend to be nicer or shyer. Not a concrete rule, but it’s interesting.

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