I HATE IT When...

at the end of a work day, I'm saying to myself:


"I'M GLAD THIS DAY IS OVER!"


Even when I have tough days, I don't OFTEN think that.   


But I was so glad when yesterday was done.


First off, I knew I had tons of freight to get out.... BY MYSELF, of course.   It irked me when I looked at the day's schedule that the notation had been made, "When you're done, help in crafts, floral, or cards and party." 


Duh.  


It's the principle of the thing.   It's not like a whole lot of people are wandering around free to help.  But to not even acknowledge that I too might need some help, why would it have hurt?


I guess I didn't say why it was so important.


We were going to have stock test.   And, on the stock test, it does no good if the freight is still in the totes.   You could show them it is ordered and your invoice shows that it is here, but if it's not on the peg or on the shelf, they won't count it.


And missing on stock tests has caused people to get written up and bosses to be threatened with termination.   The boss has to call the REGIONAL Manager to explain what happened if we miss more than five items in the whole store!   (They check 100.  This is their method of making sure we stock what they want us to, since they don't want to computerize their stores.)  


So, I was mildly irritated as soon as I looked at the schedule.  Mildly.  I mean, it wasn't unexpected.  For whatever reason, I'm not one they think needs help.  I have tried to figure that one out and the only thing I can come up with is that I get my merchandise out in such a way that it seems that I don't have a whole lot left.   In other words, I try to "work clean".  From the onset of putting out my freight, my objective is to get as much off the floor as I can.   That means I get rid of all boxed stuff first, and take my broken down boxes to the back.  Then I get out all of my bulky freight-- albums, paper packs, and larger items.  


I go through my totes and pull out all the prepriced stuff and put it in carts by aisle, so when I'm done I can push one cart to an aisle and everything in it goes on that aisle.  (I have six aisles, 12 endcaps, a side counter, three tables, two 4-ways, 3 power panels to keep up.)






The SECOND thing that irritated me was a sign posted on the time clock that said: Meeting at 2PM for Department heads.  I knew there'd be no way I could finish my freight before 2PM and the one who scheduled this meeting is the one who keeps saying over and over, "WE CAN'T MISS on this stock test".  So, then why would you schedule a meeting when I need to be getting out freight?   


Go figure.




And, as I suspected, in the middle of the meeting the supervisor comes to do the test.    Our manager continues on nonchalantly rambling about the very important things that we need to know today-- investing in 401-K and putting clips on our pegs so our merchandise will stay fronted.  Actually handing out pages that show pictures of how to do it and not do it.


FINALLY... it's over and I hurry back to my freight.  Since I can't get it out before I'm tested, I start looking for holes and digging in my totes to find the merchandise to put ONE out so that it won't be empty.  Putting one out WITHOUT pricing it.   Of course, I didn't have time to finish that before the time of reckoning arrived.


However, in spite of my frustrations, all went well.


Not really.


I absolutely could not get it in my head what one of the items was.   It was a sticker.  Wedding icons.   And I was told the price was 2.99.    After looking where I thought it should be and finally giving up and going to my book and looking for the number in the areas where my stickers are 2.99, I just couldn't find it.   The manager went to the office and put it the master list and came back telling me, "It's a sticker."    I threw that in just so you'd see what kind of stuff this guy does.   (Like duh, we already knew that.)    Finally, the co-manager went back to office and put it in the master list again and she came back with much more specific information.  She also managed to look at the list the supervisor was holding and said, "It's $1.49."   Okay, so no wonder I couldn't find it in the area where $2.99 are.  


With that information, we did find the sticker. I had six.


The supervisor immediately begin to put me down-- which she is wont to do-- saying I should have known my merchandise, and that I "looked at the list too" --which means I should have seen it was $1.49 and not $2.99.   My reply was, "For ten years, you've been trying to prove that I'm stupid."   But everyone was happy because that was the last thing we needed to find, so they started on their merry way thinking the store had made 100, until the supervisor looked again, and realized she'd missed a whole section of stuff she had not yet checked.  


I left before I knew the final outcome.... and I was go glad to get out of there.


***************


I went to Kroger and bought myself some Marie Callender's dinners.  They were on sale.   And this time I got some of her pot pies too.  I had a chicken pot pie for supper and it was very good.   


Ummmm.


For $2.   I wouldn't even want to go to the trouble of rounding up all the ingredients to make one myself if I can get such a good one for that price.


**************


I knew that it was unlikely I'd  escape catching what Felisia and Lexia were dealing with bug-wise when I kept them while Daxton was in the hospital.   They were coughing so much, there would  have been no way I could have kept myself from being in contact with the "bug".


Sure enough I've developed a cough.  It's a deep cough.  However, I have a good immune sytem and, aside from the cough, I seem to have no other symptoms.  


I did have a strange thing happen to me on the way up the mountain last evening though.  I coughed a couple times.  And, yes, it was that deep chest cough...not just an irritated throat cough... but momentarily, I started blacking out.   I didn't black out.  But the sensation was there and the edges of darkness.   It was only seconds.  But still it was scary because it seemed like it was happening.    I've never had anything like that happen to me before when I've coughed.


****
After my  pot pie, I relaxed.   I was "so ready" to do that.   I put quotes around "so ready" because it's a quote.   Years ago when I worked at the other store, when our assistant manager--who was a very hard worker-- closed the store, she often ended the day by saying, "I'm so ready."    I know she was.   That woman worked like a man.   And what I mean by that is, she did what the other women in the store would call a stockman to do.   (The assistant manager we have now WON'T do what she did.  HE calls a stockman to do anything that is heavy work or requires climbing a ladder.)
*******
In case you're wondering, I worked over two hours on Monday and one on Wednesday, so I'm going in later today to take some of that time off. 


******


I found out when I got to work that we did NOT make 100 on the stock test because a piece of furniture that was checked for was not out on the floor; it was still in the stock room.   

Getting that furniture out is not the same as getting freight out is for the rest of us.    Much of that furniture has to be put together after it comes in, so just because a box arrives saying it's there, doesn't mean the furniture man can just open a box and take it straight to the floor.   He doesn't have a whole lot to order but he does more than furniture.   Like the rest of us, he  has multiple jobs to do besides HIS OWN.   He's often called for carryouts or has to fill in for stockmen that don't show up or when one wasn't even scheduled to come in.  


I'm glad the pressure of the stock test is over for at least a couple weeks... maybe.   Hopefully, they won't give March's test in February. 


*******


I'm ready for a vacation.  I put in for one the week of our revival.   I am "so ready" to be away from that place for awhile.   


I come home so thankful that I am NOT a man who has a family to support  working a stressful job with NO END IN SIGHT.   I mean.  You can't just walk away because you don't like what's happening.   I can't even do that.  But if it gets too bad, or something doesn't change, next year when I reach full retirement age, I may decide to leave completely instead of trying to go part time like I've always planned to do.