I'm Done!

This week at work was one of the worst weeks of my entire 15-year stint at the Hellhole. Thursday wasn't so bad but Friday & Saturday they had a big sale in shoes, buy one get one for $1.00. Corporate sent a memo out that at least two people should be scheduled in the shoe dept for this sale. Do you think my store scheduled another person? Hell no. To make matters worse, I was also scheduled as rapid responder (fill-in cashier) on Friday. So any time it got busy up front, I had to go run a lane. Four cashiers quit this week so they were short-handed. Why this is my problem is beyond me.

In the meantime, the customers are tearing the shoe dept apart. Papers, shoes and boxes all over the floor and I'm up running a lane with no one in shoes to try to keep on top of the mess. And even more disgusting is the fact that a co-worker who usually does women's stock was off. No one was scheduled to replace her which means those of us who were there had to do her stock also. There was so much women's stock that we ended up in overtime because now, we can't leave until the stock is done. It doesn't matter if you spend most of your shift on a lane...the stock has to be done before we can go.

Then comes Saturday. Oh. My. Word. I thought Friday was bad but Saturday took the cake. I go in at 6AM and there's a list of chores we have to do before we can even begin working stock. By the time the list is taken care of, the customers have already started coming in looking for shoes. They are everywhere and I have shoe stock to put out. Only problem is, I can't put it out because there's people in the way. So I stand there and wait, and wait...and wait. They are everywhere and they're tearing my dept apart!

It was worse than Christmas!

Of course, once again we didn't get the stock done by quitting time, so we had to work overtime to get it done. I felt like I had been beaten and battered for 9 hours straight. By the time I got home I could barely move. And I had to go back again Sunday morning to do it all over again.

Even though I was exhausted, I could not sleep Saturday night. All I could think of was how much I hate that place, the work, the customers, the managers and most of all the Meijer sons for being such greedy bastards. They expect us to do the work of three people because they're too cheap to hire enough help. I hate everything about it.

I thought, do I want to put myself through this anymore? Do I have to? The answer to both questions was a resounding "NO!"

That's when I made the decision. I'm done with it. No more. It gave me some peace and I finally fell asleep.

Sunday was a bit easier but I think it's because I knew I only had 3 days left to deal with that place. I can handle 3 days but I can't handle another 6 or 7 weeks. I just can't do it anymore.

We still had to work overtime but the stupid buy one get one for $1.00 sale was over, thank goodness. My manager didn't come in until just before I left. I punched out then told her Friday the 15th will be my last day. She was shocked but completely understood when I said, "I just want to be happy and this place doesn't make me happy."

Third Shift, Sickies and Football

I've been working 3rd shift since November 12th. Although I prefer working nights I've had a hard time adjusting to the change. I haven't been sleeping well and I've been feeling sick almost the entire time. I also miss the daylight.

The Hellhole continues to give me fewer hours. Only have 22 hours this week. Alice offered to give me her shift for tonight but Heidi wouldn't do it. I have no idea why. Everyone below me in seniority has more hours than I do. I guess sales are even worse this year than last. I fear what's going to happen in January with my hours.

Dan and his new girlfriend Heather came Monday night for his birthday dinner. After dinner I got pretty sick and left them at the door in a hurry. I was SO embarrassed. They met in October and have gotten very serious, very fast. She has two boys. She actually talked Dan into going to a photo shoot.

Christmas is just a week away. I look forward to it being over. Will have to work Christmas night to do clearance so I'll be sleeping the day away. Dan will be spending Christmas Eve with Heather's family. I've been invited but I don't plan to go. Don't want a repeat performance of the other night. Every time I eat anything of substance, I get sick. Am sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I've still got 6 days of vacation and 3 personal days left. I think I'll take a vacation in early January but I'm going to save at least one day for Superbowl Sunday (just in case the Lions make it.) They are 10 and 4 and still play Chicago and the Pack (at Lambeau). I know I shouldn't get my hopes up but it's hard. It's been a lot of fun watching them play this year.

I just love their new coach, Jim Caldwell and even though I hated Golden Tate when he played for Notre Dame, I LOVE him as a Lion!

DEFEND THE DEN!!!

184 days and counting!

The Hellhole

I was scheduled only 22 hours this week. I told my manager that I can't survive on those kind of hours so she gave me an additional 7½ hours. I really like her. Thanks Heidi.

One more week on days and then I'll probably be going to third shift for the Christmas season. This is a good thing. No upper management, no running a lane and best of all almost no customers.

Could Use More of These

Today was actually a good day at work. It wasn't crazy busy so I didn't have to spend hours running a lane and the GM team leader wasn't there. If more days were like this I could tolerate the Hellhole much better. :-)

Our weather has become very fall-like this week. It's rather chilly in the house but I haven't serviced the furnace yet so I don't dare turn it on. I hope we don't have another horrible winter like we did last year.

How Low Can They Go?

Pretty damn low!

All year my hours have been reduced. I can't remember the last time I had my regular 32 hours in one week. This week I was given a whopping 21 hours. How the hell do they expect people to survive on that?

They don't.

They want us to get so discouraged that we give up and quit. Then they can hire new people at minimum wage.

I wonder how much time, money and effort they spend trying to find more ways to screw their employees?

217 days and counting!

Just Hanging On

I've worked at the Hellhole for nearly 14½ years and every day that I have to go there gets harder and harder. They've cut my hours so much that I can't make ends meet. I have been sick for months and more depressed than I've ever been in my life. They're worth 8 - 9 billion and they're worried about my measley $200/wk. They continue to prosper while they take food off my table and clothes off my back. They can't seem to understand that the people who work for them are human beings with basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing. All they can think about is the almighty dollar and I despise them so much.

One of my co-workers told me this would be the longest year of my life. She was right.

Merry Christmas!

Even though I didn't have to deal with all the crazies this year since I'm working 3rd shift, I'm still glad it's almost over. I have to go in tonight at midnight. We have to mark all the clearance items down so when the crazy after-Christmas shoppers come in when the store re-opens in the morning, all the prices will be adjusted correctly. There's no way we'll get it all done, though. There's too much stuff and it's just not humanly possible.

From what I understand sales have been down quite a bit this season, which usually means a deeper cut in hours come January. I've already been told I'll be cut down to 24 hours per week (thanks to Obamacare) but the low sales will more than likely make that number even lower. Can't wait to retire in 2015.

It's been so long since I've posted anything here that I'd forgotten how. Anyway, it's that time of year again but this year is much different. I'm working 3rd shift and am very happy about it. Almost no customers, I NEVER have to run a lane, change a watch battery, answer a phone and best of all...NO MANAGERS!!!!!!!!

I've been sick with a cold but otherwise this season has been much less stressful than Christmas's past. I was remembering the worst Christmas I had spent working at the hellhole. It was 2006. I had written an essay of one particular night that I will never forget. I thought I'd dig it up and post it here...then count my blessings that I don't have to deal with the insanity this year.

Here it is:

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

(Names changed to protect the not-so-innocent)

This will be my eighth Christmas spent in retail...8th! And except for Christmas Eves past and the one night after Thanksgiving when I was working 3rd shift (Black Friday, 2:00-7:00AM, 2004), I have never seen such a crowd at my store as I saw yesterday (Sat 12/02).

I arrived at the store at approximately 2:23PM. The parking lot was so full that I had to drive around several times just to find a place to park. This was in the employees parking section.

When I walked into the store I encountered a huge line of people waiting for help at the service desk. The line was so long it actually turned a corner and ran all the way to the registers and beyond. Instead of lining up the other direction towards Health & Beauty, there they were, right in front of the entrance doors blocking the way of anyone foolish enough to enter. These people were more-than-likely returning the crappy items they'd bought at greatly reduced prices on Black Friday. That's what you get for buying junk.

And I think to myself...this is gonna be a great day!

The first thing I do every day is stop and pick up the returns for our area. They are placed in laundry baskets on the front wall behind the service desk...just the other side of where all these people are standing in line waiting for help. We have two baskets. One for Women's/Kids and another for Shoes/Men's. They were both overflowing and there were even more things stacked on the floor. Boots, coats, underwear, diapers...you name it, it was there.

I grabbed a shopping cart to load all my goodies into and because there was so much, I had to make several trips back and forth through this long line of people. I'd say, "Excuse me," and they would seperate to let me through, then close up again after I'd passed.

When I came back with my arms full of goodies you'd think they would realize I wasn't just standing there with these treasures just for the fun of it and would kindly step aside so I could get by...but no. They'd stand there and look at me like I was from outer space. So, once again I'd say, "Excuse me." This took about 6 passes before I had gotten all our returns.

Customers...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.

Upon arriving in my dept I came upon two more overflowing shopping carts of returns. My wonderful co-worker Candy says, "Oh, I see you picked up more returns. They (service desk) called about them two hours ago but I just haven't gotten up there to get them. I'm going to lunch." And with that, she hands me two of our three phones and goes on her merry way. She wasn't there alone, Judy had just left when I arrived at 2:30. So I don't know what Candy's excuse was for not picking up the returns.

Co-workers... ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.

The third phone, the jewelry phone, was being manned by Darlene (a very sweet, hard-worker) who was stuck at the jewelry counter because she was swamped with customers. Super Saturday...60% off jewelry. Oh joy!!!

The next two hours I spent my time answering both phones non-stop. One of the calls was from my Assistant Manager. He had a project for me in shoes. What's this? A project??? I have 3 shopping carts full of returns. Fitting rooms full of clothes people have left behind because they don't fit. Clothes, boots, shoes and the paper that comes with the shoes all over the floor. I'm swamped with calls from cashiers for price checks, calls from people who want me to look for a specific pair/size/color of shoes or a snowsuit for their cousin's 18 month old. Calls from women wanting to get into the fitting rooms (we keep them locked). Calls from outside the store from people who want to speak to someone in Stationery, or Media. (Why call the women's clothing dept if you want Stationery or Media? HUH?)

I'm alone on one of the busiest days I've seen in months and this guy has a PROJECT??? Riiiiiight!

So, I kindly tell him I'm not in the position to take on a project as I will be constantly called away from said project by these nasty interruptions also known as customers and these non-stop phone calls.

His reply, "Oh, yeah, I see your point. I guess this isn't the best time for a project is it?"

Ah, NO!

So, 4:30 finally arrives and along with it, another co-worker. "Oh thank goodness," I rejoice. "Help has arrived!"

Not so fast!!!

The assistant manager promptly approaches her and gives her this all important shoe project. It's time for Darlene to leave which means we now have to cover jewelry. The whole dept is trashed from top to bottom, there's customers everywhere, the phones are still ringing non-stop and he insists she tackle this shoe project?

Assistant Managers...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.

Sometime around 5:30 or so things get a bit quieter. People must be home eating dinner. Another co-worker has arrived and one more will be here at 6:00. Time for a break.

Yay!

After my break, the store once again gets busy and the next 5 hours are spent picking up after the biggest slobs this earth has ever seen. Re-hang, re-fold, re-place...re-peat! It's endless and infuriating at the same time.

At one point I'm folding Plus Size tops, completely zoned out (ya have to zone out to remain sane) when all of a sudden I notice a man's face (and not a nice face) about 5 inches from mine.

I'm like...what the.....!!!

He says, "I was just wondering if you're having fun?"

Me: "Do I look like I'm having fun?"

Him: "You look like your cleaning up after a bunch of slobs."

Me: "That's what I do...Anything I can help you with?"

Him: (with a nasty, evil grin) "I don't think you'd be willing to help me with what I want."

Me: (I think I've just been propositioned at age 51) "You're probably right. What ELSE can I help you with?"

Him: (Laughing as if something was funny)..."Where are the wallets?"

Icky old men...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.

As this wonderful day begins to draw to a close, one of my co-workers heads home for the night, another goes on lunch leaving me the jewelry phone and the other co-worker also decides she needs her break. So, here I am all alone once again, this time with all three phones. Still ringing, but not quite non-stop...that is until I get a call to the jewelry counter.

A very nice lady wants to buy a necklace and a watch. No problem, so I begin to ring up her purchases when...r-r-r-r-ring. The fashions phone on my back-right pocket starts ringing. R-r-r-r-ring. The shoes phone on my back-left pocket starts ringing. At this very same instant my co-worker comes up to the register with snacks for her break..."Are you almost done? I don't want to wait in one of the long lines to check-out."

Calgon...take me away!

I get the lady's jewelry rung up and take care of the two phone calls. Somewhere along the way my co-worker decided to wait in one of those lines afterall. It's now time to take my foreign objects (things found in our dept that don't belong in our dept) up to the returns area behind the service desk. I put these items in their respective baskets and turn around to see the Assistant Store Director giving me the dirtiest of looks.

Her: "Who's covering Fashions? Who's got the phone?" she bellows.

Me: (completely flabbergasted) "I am...I do."

Her: "Why didn't you answer? I've been calling and calling."

Me: "I always answer the phone when it rings. I may have been on it or perhaps the battery is dead."

Her: "I even paged Fashions. Didn't you hear me...I screamed it!!!"

Me: "I'm sorry, I've been overwhelmed and I didn't hear the page, either."

Her: "Where's Nadine? Where's Natalie? Where's Susan??? Why didn't one of them answer the page?"

Me: "Susan has gone home. Nadine is on break and Natalie is at lunch."

Her: (A bit sympathetic by this time...but not much) "Oh...well, the display of pajamas and slippers in the drive aisle hasn't been touched. Someone has to get over there and pick it up."

Me: "I didn't even know we had a display over there. I'll do that right now."

Assistant Store Directors...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.

Finally, it's 10:55 and my time to leave is nearly here but before we can leave we have to call the closing Manager to get permission. So, I dial the number and the phone rings and rings and rings. No answer. Next step, page him. I continue to tidy up what I can and by the time he finallly gets back to me it's after 11:00.

Now, if I punch out late and get overtime I get written up with a 'black mark' that goes on my permanant record. Three write-ups and you're gone! But overtime doesn't kick in until you're 7 minutes or more past your scheduled clock-out time. I made it by the skin of my teeth...which also means I was working without pay. (Wal*Mart isn't the only one!!!)

Management cuts our hours yet can't understand why the work isn't getting done. We are out-numbered 100:1 and none of us are capable of miracles. (Except maybe Darlene 'cause she's so sweet!)

The customers are complete slobs, rude and demanding. They treat us like we're no better than the dirt under their feet. They expect us to magically make things appear out of thin air. They lie, cheat and rob us blind. They poop in underwear and leave it wadded up in the fitting rooms. They leave bloodied panties hidden inside 'our' clothes in the fitting rooms. They steal everything from jewelry to $70.00 bottles of Scotch and hide the alarm tags and packages in the fitting rooms. They leave shopping carts full of groceries behind because the check-out lines are too long and they don't want to wait. Guess who has to put all those groceries back?

When nothing I say will satisfy an angry customer I send them to a manager and have been known to tell them that if they throw a big enough fit they'll get whatever they want, plus a gift card to boot! The customer is always right afterall.

So, at this most wonderful time of the year I ask, have you hugged a retail worker today?

Believe me, they need it.

Rambling

First off, I HATE this new Blogger interface. It took me forever to find out how to post. Why change a good thing?

Second, my 'new' neighbors continue to be a PITA. They seem to find enjoyment in setting off fireworks til well after midnight. On Monday night, (09/03/12) the last night of Summer vacation, I was so tempted to go out after midnight and set off some of my own. I knew the little darlins would be asleep because school started Tuesday. I would have enjoyed waking them up for a change...but I behaved and didn't do it.

Third, after 21 years of making payments to Midland Mortgage Company, they absolutely refused to work with me. I find it really disturbing that they won't give me a one-month reprieve and allow me to pay only the interest and escrow amount due this month but they're more than happy to refer me to a government program. No wonder this country is in such a mess. One month isn't going to break the bank! Why not help people help themselves for pete's sake?

Fourth, Dan is finally working but unfortunately, his paychecks have been confiscated by the credit union with whom he has a loan. The payments are deducted automatically. He gets paid every 2 weeks and has been paid twice. But, the Credit Union has taken his entire pay and overdrawn his account both times. Since his account is overdrawn, they've charged him overdraft fees and left him with nothing. Not even money for gas to get to his job.

He went and talked to them, thought they had worked out an agreement to skip a payment...had the paperwork and everything...but when he went to put gas in his vehicle, his card was rejected and his account had been overdrawn again. He contacted them yesterday and they actually apologized to him. The agent had made a mistake and hopefully, corrected it. We shall see.

Fifth, I never could have guessed things could get any worse at the hellhole, but I was wrong. Three of my favorite co-workers are leaving because they can't take it anymore. One has been there for 22 years and will be gone in just over a month. She has always liked her job but since the new store director took over in Oct 2010, things have gone to hell.

Another has been there for quite a while...not sure how long. She has MS and I have no idea how she continues to work. She will be leaving in May 2013 and applying for disability. Another has been there since '04. She's not old enough to retire but she has had her fill and will be leaving next year. She works third shift and much is demanded of her. More than anyone could handle.

I love these women. They are the only saving grace about the place. I don't know what I'll do without them. I also don't know who they will get to replace them. Their jobs are very demanding and difficult. No one wants them because no one can handle them.

This has been a very tough, trying year. I'm tired.

She'd Better Be Worth It!

Since that woman transferred over to our dept, things have gone downhill fast. Putting her in Fashions has screwed everyone below her in seniority...either affecting their shifts, or the number of hours they get. She's getting 30-35 hours per week...those hours had to come from somewhere so they were taken from the rest of us and given to her.

The girl at the bottom of the seniority list was cut down to 13 hours per week...spread over 3 days. Since she's fairly new, she still makes minimum wage. I imagine nearly every dime she earned went to pay for gas just to get to work. She quit last week.

The girl 2nd from the bottom gets about 17 hours per week now. She's constantly begging others for some of their hours. I doubt she'll stick around much longer.

The one that's 3rd from the bottom is transferring to the Service Desk and the girl just above her has gotten a second job in the field she's going to school for. I suspect she'll be leaving soon.

The gal just below me has given her 2 weeks notice. She does all our price changes, marks clearance items, etc. She'd been working 1st shift for over a year but once the new woman came over, she was pushed back down to 2nd shift. I will miss her the most.

I have inquired about moving to 3rd shift stocking. Haven't heard anything definite yet...will have to keep on them about it.

Everyone is in turmoil. I've been sick for weeks. I want out of there so badly that I can't think of anything else but I've tried finding a different job before and couldn't even get an interview, let alone a job. I feel hopeless.

I've Been Replaced by an Older Woman

How many times does that happen? Not many. But if it's going to happen, you can be sure it will happen to me.

I had one more paid day off left for this anniversary year so I used it on the day before my birthday, April 15th. (If we don't use our days off we lose them.) On that day, Sunday, the biggest stock day of the week, there were 4 skids of shoes that would have to be worked out onto the floor. Only thing is, when they gave me the day off they neglected to schedule anyone else to cover my shift and work in shoes that day. So the 4 skids of stock sat in the back room untouched.

The Softlines Lead, MJ (who does the scheduling) had a complete fit because the shoe stock was still sitting in the back. Even though it was pointed out to her that she was the one who gave me the day off and failed to replace me, she over-reacted again and decided that I needed help in Shoes. She asked a woman from a different dept to transfer over and work in Shoes. This woman has more seniority than I do so I knew my days as a stocker on first shift were about to come to an end.

My manager was off for a while after having surgery and knew none of this was happening. She returned on April 16th and it was then that she found out about the transfer. When I talked to her about my concerns she assured me that this woman was not coming over to take my hours. But the very next week when I checked the schedule, she had my hours and I was pushed back onto working different shifts nearly every day and covering jewelry...which I despise. And lucky me, Mother's Day weekend is here.

This has literally pushed me over the edge. I've been in panic attack mode ever since and don't know what to do. My stomach is in knots and I've had chest pains for weeks. And some other not-so-nice things going on too. I feel I've paid my dues in that dept and earned my steady schedule. It's not right that it can be taken away just because someone else has seniority.

I've been trying to figure out my options...there aren't many...but perhaps I could get on the 3rd shift stocking crew. These are the type of things that I quit over before. I just couldn't handle it.

I can't handle it.

What a Lousy Day

Today was one of those days where you wish you'd stayed in bed. Got to work this morning and found out they've cut my hours. I'm down to only 3 days per week. This gave me a miserable headache and when I tried to buy some Excedrin (only thing that helps) I saw that all of it had been recalled.

Lots of slobs at the store today. I lost count of how many times I had to pick up their messes in the shoe dept.

I was exhausted when I got home so I took a nap. Steve slept with me on the couch. All of a sudden, he jumps up and goes and pees on the rug in the corner of the livingroom. I grabbed him, stuck his nose in it and yelled at him. He took off out the cat door and I haven't seen him since.

When I started cleaning up his mess I found a puddle of water under my bathroom sink. The drain has corroded (sp) clean through and the water was pouring out under the sink.

Then, I put the rug in the tub to soak with some baking soda and vinegar. When I tried to drain the tub, it was clogged.

I'm going to run away now.

I Survived Black Friday!

I guess there are T-shirts you can buy with "I Survived Black Friday" on them. I gotta get me one of those.

When I was a kid I loved Christmas. I used to make up a 'count-down' calendar with the number of days til Christmas on it and cross each day off before I went to bed. It wasn't because of the gifts...we weren't exactly well-off so that wasn't that big of a deal. I remember we'd try to stay up all night Christmas Eve playing Old Maid in the attic. But I don't remember if I ever made it through the entire night. I've always loved the beautiful lights and decorations, the music of the season, always hoped for snow (Christmas day especially) and the highlight of the season was watching 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' on CBS. (I still do that.) But, I think the thing I looked forward to the most was...NO SCHOOL!!!

When I became a mother the best part of Christmas was watching my son open his gifts. One year I started shopping in September as soon as school started. That way I could get the gifts wrapped and hidden while Danny was at school. But I was too excited and I ended up giving him several of his gifts early. Then I had to get more so he'd have some to open on Christmas morning. :o)

My love of the holidays changed when I started working retail in '97. For the first time in my life I had to work Thanksgiving day. Didn't understand that...who the heck shops on Thanksgiving? Well, it turns out, a LOT of people. For the first time in my life I saw the 'real' nature of humans...and it wasn't good. I found myself literally surrounded by people who just HAD to HAVE 10 strings of icicle lights for $1.50/box. Or the collapsible 5' lighted-rope tree for $9.00. Once the mad rush was over I actually sat down on one of our step ladders and cried like a baby.

The following year I didn't even put up a tree and for each year after, until I quit the hellhole in '02, my home was Christmas tree free. Since returning in '04 I've put up a small tree that I keep decorated all year, wrapped in a huge plastic bag. But this year there's no room for it since Dan has returned home and all his stuff is taking up space.

I really hate this time of year and I dread it the rest of the year. I actually had several nightmares this past weekend that woke me right up. I loathe those 4 - 5 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas because they ARE a nightmare. A real nightmare. It's even worse now that I'm old and have to be at work by 3AM so people who have nothing better to do can get some socks at half-off.

Madness!

This past Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, I arrived at the hellhole at 3AM. Our doorbuster sales didn't start until 6AM but the store was still crowded because people come in during the wee hours of the night, grab what they want, then just wait until 6:00 to checkout. We were 'out of stock' before the sale signs were even put up! I saw a long-time acquittance shopping and it was all I could do to not tell her "Shame on you!"

All day long I had to tell people we were out of the $20.00 Caterpillar jackets. This made some people very angry. I guess they haven't yet grasped the concept that in order to get the deals you have to get there long before the sale starts.

I did get to enjoy a wonderful dinner at Babcocks. Unfortunately, my nerves got the best of me and I got sick. :o(

Black Friday morning I got there again at 3AM only to find people 'camped out' in the shoe dept on lawn chairs and lying on the (filthy) carpeted floor. They and their shopping carts were all over the place and I had work to do. Managements' brilliant idea of having us come in at that ungodly hour so we could get the stock out before the crowd shows up had backfired. Just like I said it would. Kids were running around like wild animals and I gave them my best "stop or I'll beat you bloody" look.

*sigh*

After 4 straight days of doorbuster deals I am exhausted and already sick of Christmas. Only 4 more weeks to go.

Ho - ho - ho!

Big Wig Numero Uno Dead at 91

He was a nice man. His sons however, not so much.

Link

Schedule Shenanigans, Rain & Steve

It seems whomever made out the schedule made some errors and mine has been corrected. Haven't spoken to the manager but when I checked online this morning my hours had been put back to what they are supposed to be. Thank goodness.

It's been raining for two days. I need to get some things done outside before Winter hits and I should have done it Monday when the weather was nice. But I procrastinated...again.

Looks like we've got another kitty. Steve has decided that this is his new home and who am I to argue with him? He really is a sweetie. And a bit of a pig.

More Good News from the Hellhole

It's that time of year...the busiest period for retail and the hellhole has cut my hours. After all is said and done, I'll be losing close to one day per week but still going in the same number of days. Just two days ago we were bitched at because we can't get all the stock out and now, they cut my hours, put me on swing shifts again, take me off the stocking crew two days/wk and have me covering Jewelry on those days.

I honestly DO NOT understand that place.

It boggles the mind...

And makes me physically ill...

I need a beer!

(Shoot, it's only 9:30 in the morning.)

I Want What She's Smokin'

Not facing reality may be a mechanism some people use to get through their day. Unfortunately, reality hits me in the face the second I wake up in the morning and it pesters me all day long. My manager, however, doesn't have this problem. She lives in her own little world...and she likes it there.

After a co-worker retired in March, I've been working the morning shift putting out stock. At that time there were 4 of us. Three of us start at 6AM and the 4th came in about 9AM. She was the 'shoe diva.' In June, our 'shoe diva' moved to Ohio and was never replaced. This put us stockers in a very bad position. We now had to do our work and hers, too. And since the other two stockers have much more seniority than I, the bulk of the added work fell on me. I suddenly found myself in the 'shoe diva' position which I neither wanted nor signed up for.

So now there are 3 stockers to cover 7 depts and we almost never get the stock done. Today the manager calls a little pow-wow to inform us that since we can't keep up with the stock we are going to have to try something different. Rather than coming in at 6AM, they want us to come in at 3AM so we can work the stock out without a bunch of interruptions from the customers or having to go up and run a lane. They're going to try it during the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas to see how it goes.

Back in 2004 I worked on the 3rd shift stocking crew between Thanksgiving and New Years. There were many nights that we had wall-to-wall customers because they want to get there early so they can get the 'great' Christmas deals the hellhole offers. On Thanksgiving night (black Friday morning) the customers started coming in at 2AM. They were literally down EVERY aisle. We couldn't take two steps without being stopped by one of them. It was so bad that the night manager told us to get the stock off the floor and just straighten/help customers. I mentioned this to the manager at our little pow-wow. She seemed to be a bit wary about the idea but said, "Let's hope that doesn't happen this year."

I also made the mistake of bringing up the fact that since June, instead of 4 stockers, we now only have 3. She immediately became angry and said..."That's not true. I always make sure there are 4 people here to stock."

My jaw fell to the floor because that is either a bald-faced lie or she is smoking something that is messing with her head. There are only 3 of us except on some Sundays when she will schedule a fourth. Heck, when one of the other stockers was on vacation last month she never replaced her...leaving only 2 of us to stock 7 depts.

Of course, my co-workers didn't back me up, later telling me that you can't argue with her because she's always right...even when she's dead wrong. The rest of the day I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.

Do-do-do-do! Do-do-do-do!

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate that place?

Exhaustion and Complete Frustration

Since my co-worker Jenny retired, I took over her shifts and have been stocking for the last three months. It's hard work but I like it for the most part. About a month ago our shoe dept diva left and she was never replaced. So, for the last several weeks the shoe dept has suffered. There's no one to put out the stock so it piles up in our back room until there's no more room for it. Sometimes they will put the skids up in the storage room upstairs, just to get them out of the way. Just the other day they found one up there that had been there since March. Many of the shoes in that load was already on clearance...but I digress.

There are only 3 stockers and 4 main areas that need to be stocked. I usually start in Infants/Kids, then move on to Womens and from there to Mens if there's time. But lately I've had to go to Shoes after putting out kids stuff because the other 2 stockers work in their own areas exclusively. I don't have time to get all this stock out, cover jewelry, run a lane, help customers and answer the phones which ring non-stop. It's not humanly possible.

This past Friday and Saturday we had a huge sale in Shoes. Buy one pair, get another pair for $1.00. The sale excluded 'clearance' and 'everyday best price' shoes...which should be clearly marked with either signs or orange clearance stickers. Only problem is, no one has been working in Shoes for over a month to keep up with these things. You want to see heads explode? Come to the store on a crazy sale weekend and watch angry customers demand their shoes for $1.00!

NOT FUN!!!

The Manager had the day off on Friday but Saturday she was there bright and early. Her first priority was to get the Shoe stock out on the shelves. There were two skids (stacked full of boxes, full of shoes...taller than I am) plus 4 L-carts at least. I went to the back and grabbed an L-cart to bring out to the floor. I took one box off it, got the shoes from that box put away and then the Manager comes to me.

She pointed out an end cap that needed to be changed. There were mens running shoes on it. They had to be moved and replaced with some new womens shoes we'd gotten in days before. I grabbed my flat-top and took the mens shoes off the end cap then went to put them in their spot. I got two or three pair put away when the Manager comes to me again.

It seems the Store Director had done a 'walk-through' of the dept and pointed out some areas that needed work. So now I was to go through the entire Shoe Dept and make it look pretty. (On a crazy sale weekend...you've got to be kidding me!) And then, every half hour I was to do it again.

Now, it would take me an entire 8 hour shift, if not more, to make that disaster area look pretty...especially during a sale when slobs are opening every box, throwing the papers on the floor, leaving shoes everywhere.

Not gonna happen!

Let's recap: At this point I've got an L-cart of stock minus one box sitting on the floor. An empty end-cap and a flat-top of mens running shoes waiting to be put away. But am I allowed to finish either one of these projects? NO...I've got to straighten.

In the meantime, all that shoe stock is sitting in the back room WHERE IT DOESN'T SELL, on a big sale weekend and her top priority is for me to go behind these pigs and pick up after them.

OK!

I grab a trash bag and start picking up trash (there was plenty), start putting a million shoes back in their boxes, then putting the boxes on the shelf where they belong. I had one aisle straightened and took a break. I was gone 10 minutes and when I got back, that aisle was trashed again!!!

Futility, thy name is retail.

But that didn't matter because it seems another crisis had arisen while I was on break. Customers were losing their cool because the shoes they thought they would be getting for $1.00 weren't ringing up that way. The sale didn't include 'clearance' shoes or 'everyday best price' shoes. No one had time to mark the shoes down to clearance nor put up the 'best price' signs. There was no way for the customers to know which shoes would be included until they got up to the check lane. This made most of them very angry...and I don't blame them.

So, now I have to stop feverishly trying to make the dept look good to do clearance. We have to scan EVERY shoe style. If it comes up on clearance we then have to put a little orange sticker with the new price on the tag attached to the shoes (every pair), the tag attached to the display shoe and on the outside of every box of that particular shoe brand/style. Very time consuming.

Let's re-cap: I have already started three projects...none of which I have been allowed to finsh...and now I have to scan every freaking shoe in the dept to see if it's on clearance.

OK!

(Breathe Hope...just breathe!)

The Manager knew this was an impossible task so she got two other people to help and she herself started scanning, too. Four of us amongst all the slobs, feverishly trying to mark the shoes with the proper price so no more heads would explode at the check lanes.

I had been scanning for about a half hour when the phone rang. It was the service coordinator...she needs me on a lane.

(In....Out....In....Out) I'm hyperventilating just remembering this!

I told her I have to talk to my manager because we have a crisis in shoes. My manager called the store director and they decided they needed me to stay in shoes doing clearance. But about 5 minutes later the store director calls my manager and tells her to send me up there because there's no one else they can call.

It's so nice to be needed...NOT!!!

I go up there. Every lane but 2 are manned so I ask the store director which lane she wants me to go to. She says, "We have someone coming to lane 22 so I guess we don't need you afterall." (She didn't realize another lane was unmanned...and I wasn't going to point it out to her.)

Great, I thought and I start to walk away.

"Wait a minute," she says, "we do need you...go to lane 13."

(In through the nose...out through the mouth!)

To lane 13 I go. The first couple in my line were nice. We chatted a bit, laughed a bit about how crazy it was in there and I was actually a bit relieved to be away from the complete and utter chaos that was the Shoe Dept.

But it didn't last long. I was only up there for 30 minutes or so then I had to go back to that black hole. Everyone was feverishly scanning while all the shoe-crazed customers tore the place apart and my Manager had even pulled the other two stockers to come and help get things off the floor (my projects that I had started and wasn't allowed to finish.) Even the store director was over there helping!

Unbelievable!

I left at 2:30 and they still weren't done with the clearance.

A large portion of the stock in the rest of Fashions didn't get done and the only shoe stock that got put out was one, lowly box. There was trash every where, shoes every where and I was glad I didn't own a gun.

Does anyone have any questions why I call that place the hellhole?

I didn't think so.

How to piss off a customer 101

This has been eating away at me so I thought I'd get it out now.

Last Sunday I was working stock in Infants & Kids when the jewelry diva brought me her phone so she could take her lunch. I hate covering the jewelry counter with every fiber of my being. There were 2 other co-workers there but she always brings me the phone when it's time for her breaks. Grrrrrr!

Anyhow, almost immediately I get a call that someone needs help up there. This did not make me happy because I only had 1½ hrs left on my shift to finish the stock in Infants/Kids and I had already been pulled away from it to run a lane and to put a skid of shoes out earlier. It was a short 6 hour shift to begin with and being constantly pulled away to do other things makes it impossible to get your work done. But up to the jewelry counter I went.

Before I could even get to the counter this woman, who was dressed in dirty, nasty clothes, was saying something. I'm pretty much deaf so I had no idea what she was saying. I figured she'd repeat it once I had gotten within speaking distance of her. When I did, I asked, "Did you need some help?"

She was immediately pissed and gave me this catbutt-face look. "I would rather be served by the other woman!!!!!"

Me: "What?"

She starts looking around for 'the other woman' and is ranting about something but because she's not facing me, I can't hear what she's saying.

Me: "What on earth did I do? I just asked if you needed help?"

She finally stops turning back and forth and says, "I asked if I had pulled you away from something and you completely ignored me."

*sigh* (Note to self: asking if someone needs helps = ignoring) "Sorry. I didn't hear you."

The wench finally settles down then wastes the next 40 minutes looking at diamond engagement rings for a friend who plans on asking his girl to marry him.

(Note to self: when needing an engagement ring, send a stinky old woman to find one for you.)

She looked at every ring we had. She wanted to know if the prices were going to go up and if so, when. (I have no way of knowing that.) She wrote down the UPC number for each ring, the original price, the sale price, the weight of the diamond, whether it was 10k gold or sterling silver...then left without making a single purchase.

Forty minutes wasted!

Did I mention I hate the jewelry counter? Don't like people much, either.

I hate that place!

Haiku

Depression sets in
The hellhole is calling me
I don't want to go