Hurry, Please Hurry...

I am "so ready" for the two people who are immediately above us in management to get their promotions. They are driving us crazy!

They are determined that we are going to be absolutely perfect in every way-- and stay within payroll to do it. No more hours. Do everything you are already doing and, oh, by the way, every day we want this store to LOOK ABSOLUTELY perfect.

The latest craze is-- "You are NOT pulling everything out to the very end of the peg hook EVERY DAY. Or, you are NOT pulling every item to the VERY EDGE of the shelf." "How many times have you been told this is a MUST!! Are you going to do it or or you not?" "There's dust under your waterfalls."

I understand the theory. I like going into a store that really looks kept up. I remember when Big Lot's changed managers one time and there was such a significant different in the way the store was straightened that I sought out the manager and commended him on the work. However-- to me, there is a point that it gets ridiculous to demand perfection. Neat and straight is NOT expecting too much. But....

(Submit...submit... submit....submit)

So last night I started "recovery" at 4:30 because there were just two of us to do all of the orderable departments from art all the way through candles and party.

Out to the edge. Out to the edge. Out to the edge.
Pull to the end. Pull to the end. Whoops-- off it came.
Pick it up. Put it back.
Pull to the end.
Pull. Pull. Pull.
Whoops.
Pull.

And then AFTER we close the doors and the final announcement has been made , the co says, "Listen up. ____ will be here probably even before we open in the morning and if this store is not perfect it will reflect on ME. We aren't leaving here until it's perfect.

So, until nine o'clock we were all still straightening, dusting, cleaning.

I really didn't mind BECAUSE I'm feeling so much better lately. I actually wasn't that tired, even by the end of a long, long day. We'd had our stock test in the afternoon and so I didn't have to be concerned that I didn't have sufficient time to do my order. I always like to do a good order but especially when we're getting tested. ( I did fine in scrapbooking on the stock test, but the store as a whole "failed" with a 92. )

When I got home, I was greeted by grandkids. That was a nice way to end the day, but since Autumn had already been put down for the night in the area where my computer resides, I didn't get a chance to get on it for long at all before bed.

Things will really be hectic from now until Christmas. People are rushed. They 'strow' stuff every where. My stickers and paper and ribbon and everything I carry will be stashed all over the store. And my department will be filled up with stuff from other areas that people just "drop off" there because they've "don't want it after all" or because "junior" wanted it and drug it along with them for a long while until they were able to sneak it out of his clutches and hide it under something so he wouldn't see it. They moved on leaving the mess.

Oh, and while we're talking about junior, he loves to play in the ribbon racks too. And with the rubber stamps. (You can't imagine how quickly hours of work are destroyed-- out to the edge, out to the edge... out to the edge.... out to the edge) because some mother is thankful her child has found a way to entertain himself while she shops.

Thankfully for me, it has been awhile since I've been blasted with an I-want-it child. However, I was in another retail place recently and found out that these children are not exclusive to our store.

Tonight we'll have more than two people to recover and no threat of a district manager coming in on Monday morning to check on us... that is, unless he doesn't show up this morning. Hopefully, I'll get my order done.... and then I'll come home with the pleasant thought that tomorrow I get to be with the saints.

By the way, I like my job.