I haven't figured it out. Suddenly we have $$$ to pay employees for as many hours as employees are willing to work. I was offered the opportunity today to work another hour. I will have the same opportunity tomorrow. Today I didn't accept the opportunity. Tomorrow I will go in with a 6-hour shift mindset. As you know, I can stand any extra pay I get!
What makes this strange is that this is the time of year when everyone's hours get cut. This is the exact opposite of "business as usual". I've decided I'm going to try to work the extra hour every other day. I don't necessarily want to do every day. On the other hand, I can't walk away from the offer of some extra $$$. But, I do have other things that I need to tend to around here.
Here's a funny story: We have one cashier, a young man. I like this kid. He is pretty responsible and of a somewhat serious mindset. We have two other young men and I don't think either of them is quite the employee the first guy is. Anyway, once I enter the store, I have to go into the break room to my locker to get my uniform. I walked in there this morning and as I rounded the corner, there sat young man #1. He was in a chair. He was somewhat slouched down in the chair. He had his jacket on and the collar was turned up til it almost covered his chin. He had a baseball cap and it was over his face. And he appeared, for all the world, to be asleep. About that time the head cashier walked in. He told me the kid had gone out last night with a bunch of his friends and had gotten VERY drunk. He came to work that way this morning! He was still so far gone he was puking in the toilet in the men's room shortly after he arrived. There were two head cashiers on duty. They made him go sit in the break room and kept him there for a good two hours til his system had had some time to deal with the alcohol. Just as I was being told where they wanted me to work today, the kid headed out the door. They had finally decided he was sober enough to drive home. He was so pasty-faced it was hard to believe. Hopefully, he'll remember this morning before he opts to drink like that again. Remember I said "pretty responsible"? Yeah, even though he was in a bad way, he came to work anyway.......... I guess that's responsible????
So tomorrow is the 7th day of 7. I'm tired. Tonight my feet hurt. I was told years ago by a doctor that wearing heels as I had for years had pushed the bones in the ball of my foot out of place. So, the ball of the foot has some pretty decent muscles which would ordinarily cushion the ball of the foot. However, not so with my right foot. And I'm feelin' it tonight..........
I was in Lumber again today. ALL day! I have to admit, I did get bored. I don't usually get bored, but I did today. Maybe because this is my 3rd sting down there this week..........I don't know what the rest of the store was like, but down there I was NOT busy.
I continue to be amazed and amused by customers. I have to say our employees are VERY patient sometimes. We do have people who are "experts". Guys who have made their livings for years doing plumbing or electrical, or working with wood or with landscaping. And then there's me. I'm a cashier. I run a register. I honestly do my best to stay in the front of the store. This is an old house and it needs work. I could easily find beneficial, even necessary, things to buy on every aisle. But, I couldn't afford to buy them. Therefore, as far as I'm concerned it's just better if I don't even know about them. There is a LOT of signage in the store, BIG signs, EASY TO READ signs. I'm telling you folks don't read them. It is not unusual at all, when I'm on the register I call "the refrigerator" for folks to ask me where the restroom is. The fun part of that is that over my head is a huge red and white banner that says "restrooms" and points to the restrooms. Behind me, as I stand there, there are smaller signs that say "restroom" and indicate if it's the men's room or the lady's room. And still they ask...........
Today, I had a customer come in with some fittings in his hands which he said were for the gas line to his house. Well, my first question would be "what the heck are you doing messing with that?". He wants to know where he can find more fittings. I don't think I know much about the inner workings of a hardware store, but even I know that's "plumbing" stuff. If I were stumbling around looking for something like that, I'd be starting in the Plumbing department, not asking a cashier in Lumber. But, maybe that's just me.
I also had a customer today who wanted "shaved wood". Is that even a thing anymore? Years ago my grandfather had a plane, and he would use it as a precursor to sanding. Or he might use a chisel to remove bits of wood. But these days, folks have power sanders and scazillion varieties of power saws. Does anyone even use a plane anymore? I have to tell you, I don't honestly know what the guy was looking for. I tried directing him to "sawdust". He didn't even seem to know what that was. Then I tried directing him to "mulch". He didn't seem to know what that was either. What amuses me is that he would think I would have some clue about "shaved wood". I run a cash register..........
Today would have been my husband's birthday. He would have been 68............
I have one more emotional day to get through, January 5. That will be the 7th anniversary of his death.......
So that's the bulk of my day at work. What a day! I hope you had a blessed day!