Working in a surf shop has some obvious advantages to a grommet that we shouldn’t really need to go into. If the shop is a real surf shop rather than boutique-style, you should be able to hang out there, watching vids, checking out the new boards that come in, reading mags, chewing the fat with the shred dogs that wander in. The technique to master is the unobtrusive hang-out; I’m-here-but-I’m-not-in-the-way. If you spend enough time in there, you’re gonna be asked to run to the shops, get coffee, go to the post office, etc. Do these tasks quickly, always hand over the receipt and the change to prove your unfaltering honesty. If you spend enough time there, eventually a customer will ask you for help and when they do, seize your moment. Bust out your knowledge of boards, fins, wetties, whatever, and as they’re making their way to the cash register, be sure to chuck the boss some ‘imagine how many sales like that I could make if I actually worked here’ eyebrows.