Our New Co-Manager Starts Today

Yesterday I had a larger order of freight to get out than "normal".... maybe not a whole lot above normal but it was a whole lot considering I got NO HELP WHATSOEVER. The old co- took it upon himself to be the expediter of getting the freight out and he would go around checking to see where we all stood as far as what was left and whether we would need help. He would "assign" certain people to help others.

But he's gone.

When I have just a normal amount of freight, it's the person who does Cards & Party who comes over and helps me for a couple hours after she gets her freight out. Yesterday that didn't happen because yesterday was her last day to work before starting a vacation and she had a set on the Wilton aisle that needed to be finished before she left.

Also, from time to time when I've had HUGE orders, I have even been given the help of our Assistant Manager. (Co passed him around to the place most needed.) But he is the one who is in charge of Seasonal and yesterday we got TWO TRUCKS. The second one was ALL seasonal stuff and our stock room was already running over with seasonal that needs to get out. (As a matter of fact every employee with any extra time at all is going to seasonal right now to help get all that stuff out because upper management is on us because we're "behind" in getting Christmas and Fall set.)

One thing that has dramatically slowed down the getting out process in seasonal in the last couple of years is that corporate has now doing DETAILED layouts for seasonal. Whereas, in the past we'd have a whole section in, for example, Christmas Crafts that was designated "Foam Crafts" and all we had to do was separate out all the foam and put it in that area, they have now decided they want particular foam items--which they have given item numbers to--in A PARTICULAR SPOT. BEFORE, when you'd pick up a foam package which obviously needed to go on a shelf, you just put it on a shelf; if it was a bag with a hole, you pegged it. Now you have to look at the diagram for the counter and find the exact place on the shelf or the exact peg location in the section of the counter. Since there is only one diagram, if two people are working the aisle, you're passing it back and forth.

All that to say, NO WAY would the Assistant be helping anyone else get out freight. And we lost our co, who went from place to place putting out freight also. The new one doesn't come until today--the day AFTER our freight came in.

Another source of help to me sometimes was from one of the three people who were working in crafts, when they finished getting all their freight out. But upper(interim) management took a look at the three-in-crafts situation and decided that wasn't going to keep on happening and broke up the threesome. (Besides that one of the three is on vacation this week.)

For all those reasons, I got absolutely NO HELP in getting my freight out.

Additionally, the Supervisor (who was our "interim" management during the two weeks we were without a manager) decided our freight day was just the time to come in and take the new Manager off to the office and tutor him on all the spreadsheets his new District Manager would be requiring him to keep up with. That took another working force off the floor.

Considering all the circumstances, and realizing that I really did not need to be giving a new manager (who seems like he is going to be a really good one), a hard time, I decided to not "make waves" over my fate. After all, I told myself, where else would I find a job that I wouldn't have to work on Sundays and that closed by 8PM at night? I also considered another sister in the congregation who is working at Wal-mart. She doesn't have it nearly as good as I do when it comes to being able to be in church. So, I just "sucked it up" and stayed until I got all my freight out.

The very first day this new manager was on the job, I had a chance to talk to him a little while, a very amiable conversation. In it, I told him my "only issue" with my job was the change our DM had made in how long he wanted us to take to get the freight out. Whereas, before we were given 24 hours from the time the freight was on the floor to get it out, he now wanted it out the same day. And, I said, I'd have no problem with that at all if our freight day was NOT on a Wednesday because I didn't mind working long hours. What I minded was missing church on Wednesday night. The new manager told me, "I like to go to church on Wednesdays too. Get back with me in a couple weeks and we'll work this out."

So considering all the details, I was NOT going to give him grief his first week when he was so short handed anyway.

It was 7:15 or after when I left work.


I went straight to church and got there just before 8. Got in on an exhortation that was prompted by the testimonies I hadn't heard, the prayer requests, prayer and the lesson. I felt like I'd been to church.

Today I don't go in until one, but-- how, oh how did this happen-- I got a card in the mail telling me that my drivers' license was expired. (I don't write checks to anyone who looks at my license, so I don't notice my expiration date.) So this morning, I shall be going to renew my license.