Being a receptionist is weird. I'm like part of the furniture to the people who work in this building, which affords me the opportunity to observe how they behave when they feel like they're not being noticed. I've grouped them into fun types for you! Now you can catalogue your own office workers, as well as get a basic level of understanding in how to deal with them.
Synergistic Facetime Guys
The Originalist
The Originalist really, really, really wants you to like him but he can't think of anything good to say. He has probably worked for the company for longer than you have been alive, and there's something sad, yet noble about him, as if he were a piece of coal that has almost but not quite turned to diamond under immeasurable pressure. Whether you like or hate the Originalist will depend entirely on your own personality. But either way, he is going to talk to you every time he passes by your desk. You will say, "Good morning, Originalist, how are you today?" And he will say, "Another day, another fifty cents!" and then he will laugh for much too long. This will happen every day until one of you leaves or dies. Just let it happen.
Everyone says she's a very sweet girl, bless her heart. Cathy is the yin to the Originalist's yang. Whereas he has nothing new to say, Chatty Cathy always has some sort of drama going on that she wants to tell you about. Maybe she's going through a messy breakup, or she lost her favorite necklace at the gym, or maybe her toast burned this morning. No matter what it was, she wants you to know about it down to the most minor detail. The upside of Cathy is that she's not looking for a response. You can go ahead and check your email or read news on the Internet. Cathy knows that silence and a lack of eye contact are no reason to stop talking to someone. Eventually someone else will make the mistake of walking by and asking Cathy a question. At that point, she will follow them away, telling them a story, and you can bask in sweet silence.
The Traditionalist does not like change. If something was done a certain way 20 years ago, that's good enough for him. He doesn't have time for your little social niceties, either. He said "Good morning" to that one receptionist on his first day in 1987, and that should count as a blanket "good morning" for all the others. Why, in his day, women wore skirts and gloves, and they knew their place, which was in the home taking care of the children. What he really wants to know is, when did they start hiring high school kids for this job? With the Traditionalist, it's best to use misdirection - tell him something shocking, like how the sodas in the vending machine are $1.50 now. He usually will go away to complain to someone older than you, someone who can empathize, about our degenerate society.
Rabble Rousers
All office workers love getting free stuff. Whether it's coffee or cake, they have come to expect it, and they feel they are entitled to it. But sometimes the vicissitudes of an office supply chain play them false and suddenly something that has always been there just isn't there! What are they going to do? They're going to complain. Loudly. And since they don't know where to direct their impotent rage over the dearth of Sweet n Low packets, they square their shoulders and march to the reception desk. "Excuse me," they say, bristling with indignation, "but who is responsible for ordering our supplies? We are out of imitation sugar!" The only thing you can do here is sympathize with their plight. Let them know that this tragedy has been brought to the attention of your superiors and, God willing, will never happen again. They still won't be pleased, but all but the most dedicated will go away.
And there you have it! Office workers are a strange bunch, but with a little finesse, you can usually manage them to your satisfaction. It works pretty well if you imagine you're babysitting very sensitive children. Eventually, whether through Stockholm Syndrome or a general sort of understanding, you might even come to appreciate your very own office workers in all their varieties. Might.