A message appeared in the break room at work the other day. No blogging or using Facebook or any other kind of social media mentioning anything at all negative about Tractor Supply Company. How interesting.
Just for the Corporate Nazis in Power:
Most of these sound just about right
Some of the complaints are completely grounded in folly...such as the 10% button on the register "doesn't work" or that anyone from TSC would ever approve a school selling a discount card with the TSC logo on it (they are very very wildly protective of the corporate logo as if it is some Holy Baby Jesus or something). There is no 10% button on the register. It's a computer keyboard and the register consists of an IBM mainframe with monitors. Also, TSC is very, very clear on the fact that employees are NOT to discount items unless they have clear instructions from a manager. There is no such thing as senior discounts, military discounts or discounts of any kind other than coupons which are sent directly from the corporate office in TN or manufacturer's coupons. Period. Other than employee discounts, and even the employees get shit for it. Spend more than $50? A manager has to ring up the order to make sure you are not hiding/stealing any items other than the ones for which you have paid. Yep.
So read with a grain of salt.
And some more
Sorry TSC, you do NOT have the right to implement a gag order against bad press from ME. I am not saying anything that is not the truth. Want to change the truth? Great! Become a progressive, caring company. The ball is really in your court here.
We often work shifts with only two people. Truth. I complained about this to my Asst Manager. I hope she can convince the Manager that this is unacceptable considering those two people bore the brunt of the busiest hour of the day with over $1000 in sales, meaning customer service, loading product, handling cash and phone calls. This, is nearly impossible. I think corporate would benefit hearing it and that we shouldn't "beef up" staff whenever the District Manager is around. Guess what, we do! It's all complete and total lies and a fascade that the store is always running just this way. Nope...the store never is run that way.
Last time I checked, I still live in America where free speech is supposed to be king. If I have to piss off some Corporate Nazis because they reserve the right to tell me what I can and cannot say, then I hope they are livid. Fuck you.
I have no problem taking your money, but you can't make me keep my mouth shut.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Going on Back Home...and Elsewhere
Amish on Amish Violence Goes to Federal Court
For probably all of three people who were wondering whatever came of this bizarre story from last fall...including me.
For various reasons, the Amish believe their religion exempts them from many things that affect public safety as well, including using reflective orange triangles on their buggies so the buggies are more visible to drivers. The entirely black buggies containing occupants wearing dark, mostly black clothing (even in summer) and pulled by dark colored (brown or black) horses are nearly impossible to see in any kind of setting that is not ideal. Rain, snow, fog, or any kind of darkness makes them nearly impossible to see. Any driver that makes a mistake and hits a buggy is instantly at fault...but, shouldn't the Amish be somewhat at fault for fighting all the laws that are meant to keep them safer?
Amish Fight Buggy Laws
As someone who lived among many thousands of Amish for thirty years, I think even the orange triangle is outdated and, that at night, some sort of light source visible by vehicles traveling 55 mph should also be mandated. I often had to slam on my brakes and pray that I stopped once I realized that weird "alien spaceship" in the road was closer than I thought since the swinging kerosene lanterns the Amish use (if any light at all) render the judgement of distance an impossibility. Kerosene lanterns are NOT bright enough to be seen by a car traveling a lawful speed from any distance. They just aren't. Sorry. Shove some LEDs on there, or....anything...would be better, even duct taping some Mag Lights to the buggy would be better.
I no longer live amongst the Amish, but prefer them to ghetto trash. I say we fill the empty, burnt out dregs of Detroit with Amish and see if they don't improve the mix. I bet they would. Amish pay property tax, they fix their property, they farm the land, the grow their own food, they do all kinds of things that benefit the community. I'm not trying to run them down. For their own safety, they just need to modernize a bit on points of public safety.
There are lots of things about them I didn't like. I didn't like their shady care of animals. I don't like their treatment and attitude towards women. That said, not all Amish are shady toward their animals, and I doubt all of them expect their women to be baby factories, its just the majority of the low order Amish that do. Lots of other people in the world are the same way....including some rednecks.
I'd sure prefer some reasonably quiet Amish neighbors to the guy who likes to rev his Harley Davidson nightly for no reason and people who think its their right to break into empty houses to steal copper.
For probably all of three people who were wondering whatever came of this bizarre story from last fall...including me.
For various reasons, the Amish believe their religion exempts them from many things that affect public safety as well, including using reflective orange triangles on their buggies so the buggies are more visible to drivers. The entirely black buggies containing occupants wearing dark, mostly black clothing (even in summer) and pulled by dark colored (brown or black) horses are nearly impossible to see in any kind of setting that is not ideal. Rain, snow, fog, or any kind of darkness makes them nearly impossible to see. Any driver that makes a mistake and hits a buggy is instantly at fault...but, shouldn't the Amish be somewhat at fault for fighting all the laws that are meant to keep them safer?
Amish Fight Buggy Laws
As someone who lived among many thousands of Amish for thirty years, I think even the orange triangle is outdated and, that at night, some sort of light source visible by vehicles traveling 55 mph should also be mandated. I often had to slam on my brakes and pray that I stopped once I realized that weird "alien spaceship" in the road was closer than I thought since the swinging kerosene lanterns the Amish use (if any light at all) render the judgement of distance an impossibility. Kerosene lanterns are NOT bright enough to be seen by a car traveling a lawful speed from any distance. They just aren't. Sorry. Shove some LEDs on there, or....anything...would be better, even duct taping some Mag Lights to the buggy would be better.
I no longer live amongst the Amish, but prefer them to ghetto trash. I say we fill the empty, burnt out dregs of Detroit with Amish and see if they don't improve the mix. I bet they would. Amish pay property tax, they fix their property, they farm the land, the grow their own food, they do all kinds of things that benefit the community. I'm not trying to run them down. For their own safety, they just need to modernize a bit on points of public safety.
There are lots of things about them I didn't like. I didn't like their shady care of animals. I don't like their treatment and attitude towards women. That said, not all Amish are shady toward their animals, and I doubt all of them expect their women to be baby factories, its just the majority of the low order Amish that do. Lots of other people in the world are the same way....including some rednecks.
I'd sure prefer some reasonably quiet Amish neighbors to the guy who likes to rev his Harley Davidson nightly for no reason and people who think its their right to break into empty houses to steal copper.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
And the Shit Falls from the Sky
Well this has been a shitty night.
Jon tells me at 8 pm that he is going to a friend's house in Westland.
I finally manage to contact him at 12 am because there is a weird car parked in front of our house. He says he won't be out too much longer.
It is now 7 am. His phone is either turned off or he doesn't want to answer it.
Seriously considered packing up the animals and driving back to Ohio. Could have made it there since I haven't slept anyway. The thing that stopped me was not wanting to explain anything to my parents and being a burden on them.
Jon tells me at 8 pm that he is going to a friend's house in Westland.
I finally manage to contact him at 12 am because there is a weird car parked in front of our house. He says he won't be out too much longer.
It is now 7 am. His phone is either turned off or he doesn't want to answer it.
Seriously considered packing up the animals and driving back to Ohio. Could have made it there since I haven't slept anyway. The thing that stopped me was not wanting to explain anything to my parents and being a burden on them.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Jeep Quakes and Corporate Fakes
Seismic activity within the rear end of Jon's Jeep finally required help. Many things led to this. Firstly, Jon's giggling whilst hitting bumps on Michigan's pot-hole infested paved roads. He knows I'd yell at him for doing this in my car which has a much stiffer suspension, and does not handle bumps nearly as well. Also the age of the Jeep and the shocks and allllllll those many 200,000 plus miles. Basically once the seismograph graduated from funny small action shaking to---Holy Shit--What WAS That?--he had to try to avoid as many pot holes as possible. He was nearing a 10 on the Richter Scale, because when it got to shaking as though the entire rear end was going to give, he couldn't really control the Jeep...and this would happen, most of the time, where there was no visible pothole.
Funnily enough, I diagnosed bad shocks while it was still in the baby earthquake stage because I could think of nothing else that would make it behave this way. The mechanic agreed. Hmmm...maybe I am in the wrong profession? But, I do NOT however, have enough patience or aptitude with tools to become a mechanic. I get agitated and annoyed and tend to throw things around.
Ruth's Jeep is suffering from the same condition. I told her what to have fixed while riding with her the other day. I noticed the rear end shaking, asked if the road right in that area normally did that, and noticed she applied the brake. She said, no, its a Jeep Thing....lol. She thinks cars are magic...and to a large degree, I believe she is correct. Her Jeep is still in baby earthquake stage; but it will only get worse from there.
TSC Corporate decided our store needs to move freight day to Thursday/Friday and feed day to Tuesday. I have no idea why. So this week has been plenty screwed up at work. Oh, yay, a backroom full of freight on a weekend. Well, corporate knows best, or so they think. To compensate for the movement of the freight truck, we got dual trucks this week...a day apart. I moved 5 pallets of dog food on Tuesday and 5 pallets of dog food on Thursday. Then I had to help fill feeds on Thursday because the backroom had been so filled with freight for three days that no one had been able to replenish livestock feeds.
I also took a stupid "Town Hall" survey for TSC so they can, I don't know, clean up their act or something. The questions were dumb, multiple choice questions with simplistic answers. I would have preferred multiple choice with a line to explain my answer. None of the answers seemed to apply.
"Do you feel valued by your employer?" A. Very B. Somewhat C. No Opinion D. No
What do these kinds of questions really solve? There were no lines for suggestions. I know I would feel more valued if I were paid a liveable wage for the amount of work I do. I moved 10 dog food pallets and probably two full pallets of livestock feed, plus answering questions, cleaning, and using the cash register. A pallet of livestock feed weights 2,000 lbs. A pallet of dog food can weigh more or less than 2,0000 lbs depending on the size and number of bags present. At least 3 of the dog food pallets I worked were double pallets...meaning I should count them as 2 instead of 1 but I never do. I do 2 to 3 times MORE work than most of the people I work with, yet I earn only about 25 cents more an hour. (Which is classified information and I am not to know the wages of my co-workers on the grounds that I could be fired.) A company that is really striving for excellence, and is unafraid of investigations based on paying fair wages without discrimination based on race, gender, or age, would not have such a policy since there would be nothing to hide. TSC is NOT such a company.
I believe this survey is Corporate's stupid, passive-aggressive way of trying to fool their employees into believing that they care while gathering no real information on how to improve their company.
One day soon, customers will avoid TSC the same way they avoid WAL MART. People shop at TSC to avoid Wal Mart, believe it or not. I wonder if Corporate is aware of that fact? Doubt they even care.
Funnily enough, I diagnosed bad shocks while it was still in the baby earthquake stage because I could think of nothing else that would make it behave this way. The mechanic agreed. Hmmm...maybe I am in the wrong profession? But, I do NOT however, have enough patience or aptitude with tools to become a mechanic. I get agitated and annoyed and tend to throw things around.
Ruth's Jeep is suffering from the same condition. I told her what to have fixed while riding with her the other day. I noticed the rear end shaking, asked if the road right in that area normally did that, and noticed she applied the brake. She said, no, its a Jeep Thing....lol. She thinks cars are magic...and to a large degree, I believe she is correct. Her Jeep is still in baby earthquake stage; but it will only get worse from there.
TSC Corporate decided our store needs to move freight day to Thursday/Friday and feed day to Tuesday. I have no idea why. So this week has been plenty screwed up at work. Oh, yay, a backroom full of freight on a weekend. Well, corporate knows best, or so they think. To compensate for the movement of the freight truck, we got dual trucks this week...a day apart. I moved 5 pallets of dog food on Tuesday and 5 pallets of dog food on Thursday. Then I had to help fill feeds on Thursday because the backroom had been so filled with freight for three days that no one had been able to replenish livestock feeds.
I also took a stupid "Town Hall" survey for TSC so they can, I don't know, clean up their act or something. The questions were dumb, multiple choice questions with simplistic answers. I would have preferred multiple choice with a line to explain my answer. None of the answers seemed to apply.
"Do you feel valued by your employer?" A. Very B. Somewhat C. No Opinion D. No
What do these kinds of questions really solve? There were no lines for suggestions. I know I would feel more valued if I were paid a liveable wage for the amount of work I do. I moved 10 dog food pallets and probably two full pallets of livestock feed, plus answering questions, cleaning, and using the cash register. A pallet of livestock feed weights 2,000 lbs. A pallet of dog food can weigh more or less than 2,0000 lbs depending on the size and number of bags present. At least 3 of the dog food pallets I worked were double pallets...meaning I should count them as 2 instead of 1 but I never do. I do 2 to 3 times MORE work than most of the people I work with, yet I earn only about 25 cents more an hour. (Which is classified information and I am not to know the wages of my co-workers on the grounds that I could be fired.) A company that is really striving for excellence, and is unafraid of investigations based on paying fair wages without discrimination based on race, gender, or age, would not have such a policy since there would be nothing to hide. TSC is NOT such a company.
I believe this survey is Corporate's stupid, passive-aggressive way of trying to fool their employees into believing that they care while gathering no real information on how to improve their company.
One day soon, customers will avoid TSC the same way they avoid WAL MART. People shop at TSC to avoid Wal Mart, believe it or not. I wonder if Corporate is aware of that fact? Doubt they even care.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Blah, and I finally work toward...a day off
Things that happened to me today:
1. I got hit on by a married man WHILE his wife AND daughter were present. I told Jason I thought I was going to have to bash this joker with a stick. Jason just said he thought the guy knew me. I said, no, that he's a regular customer, I don't know his name and I used to think he was just a pleasant customer. Um....no....he's a douche bag who trolls with a kid and a wife in tow.
2. I managed to convince a man on the phone that I did, in fact know what a solenoid is, what it does, and then proceeded to look up the part number he needed, and no, we don't carry it...but he didn't yell at me in exasperation or anger that he couldn't get it instantaneously...he merely....thanked me. Nice, for a change.
3. I helped an old man find the correct battery, then got yelled at for not wielding a magic wand that instantly makes items tax exempt since it was for a farm tractor. The guy then decided he'd try his luck at Wal Mart. I told the new Amber (I now work with two Ambers, a Crystal and a Christa...man, how, confusing) that he would be back as Wal Mart does not stock those sort of batteries...and laughed when he came back in to buy the battery---with tax.
4. I was yelled at by a nasty old man named Bob who somehow believes that I can give large discounts willy-nilly because so and so gets a discount. Um...no. I told him he'd have to speak with Tim, because HE is the boss and it would be between him and Tim. I also explained that the 10 percent coupon is NOT stackable with the 5 percent discount for buying a pallet, which further enraged him. Jason told him the same thing. He does not like Jason. He then said to cancel his order and that he would be taking his business to the Howell location. I said, sure, cancelled the order, and THEN he bought dog food and ect from me....what the hell? I thought he was taking his business to the Howell location?!?!!!! If I never have to see him again, I'll be thrilled. The manager at Howell is less flexible than Tim or Jason or Lorien....good luck, you wrinkled old asshole. Do you NOT understand that we could ALL be FIRED for doing what you want? It's against policy and ethics. Yeah, I WANT a 50% off get out of jail free card for all my groceries for the rest of my life...pretty damn sure that's never going to happen, but I WANT ITTTT!!!!!!
5. A pit bull rescue came to the store, unannounced (they usually cancel so we never expect them) so I had to listen to Day 2 of dogs barking from the backroom...the beagles were yesterday. Jason had to tell the guy to keep the back door closed (it's an audit and shrink issue and we could, again, be fired for leaving it hang open) and he was none too pleased that Jason said to keep it shut or the rescue will be setting up in the parking lot the next time. Sorry, you are allowed to be at our location, but you have to follow our rules...just the same as if you were staying at someone's house.
And so ends my six day straight work week. So thankful it is at an end. I really thought about just wandering off during my shift, never to return. In a perfect world, I would be able to afford the luxury.
1. I got hit on by a married man WHILE his wife AND daughter were present. I told Jason I thought I was going to have to bash this joker with a stick. Jason just said he thought the guy knew me. I said, no, that he's a regular customer, I don't know his name and I used to think he was just a pleasant customer. Um....no....he's a douche bag who trolls with a kid and a wife in tow.
2. I managed to convince a man on the phone that I did, in fact know what a solenoid is, what it does, and then proceeded to look up the part number he needed, and no, we don't carry it...but he didn't yell at me in exasperation or anger that he couldn't get it instantaneously...he merely....thanked me. Nice, for a change.
3. I helped an old man find the correct battery, then got yelled at for not wielding a magic wand that instantly makes items tax exempt since it was for a farm tractor. The guy then decided he'd try his luck at Wal Mart. I told the new Amber (I now work with two Ambers, a Crystal and a Christa...man, how, confusing) that he would be back as Wal Mart does not stock those sort of batteries...and laughed when he came back in to buy the battery---with tax.
4. I was yelled at by a nasty old man named Bob who somehow believes that I can give large discounts willy-nilly because so and so gets a discount. Um...no. I told him he'd have to speak with Tim, because HE is the boss and it would be between him and Tim. I also explained that the 10 percent coupon is NOT stackable with the 5 percent discount for buying a pallet, which further enraged him. Jason told him the same thing. He does not like Jason. He then said to cancel his order and that he would be taking his business to the Howell location. I said, sure, cancelled the order, and THEN he bought dog food and ect from me....what the hell? I thought he was taking his business to the Howell location?!?!!!! If I never have to see him again, I'll be thrilled. The manager at Howell is less flexible than Tim or Jason or Lorien....good luck, you wrinkled old asshole. Do you NOT understand that we could ALL be FIRED for doing what you want? It's against policy and ethics. Yeah, I WANT a 50% off get out of jail free card for all my groceries for the rest of my life...pretty damn sure that's never going to happen, but I WANT ITTTT!!!!!!
5. A pit bull rescue came to the store, unannounced (they usually cancel so we never expect them) so I had to listen to Day 2 of dogs barking from the backroom...the beagles were yesterday. Jason had to tell the guy to keep the back door closed (it's an audit and shrink issue and we could, again, be fired for leaving it hang open) and he was none too pleased that Jason said to keep it shut or the rescue will be setting up in the parking lot the next time. Sorry, you are allowed to be at our location, but you have to follow our rules...just the same as if you were staying at someone's house.
And so ends my six day straight work week. So thankful it is at an end. I really thought about just wandering off during my shift, never to return. In a perfect world, I would be able to afford the luxury.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Child Hate
I don't like kids. I might even...hate kids.
So why is this such a controversial idea? I assume it has something to do with the fact that I am a female and I don't have mothering instincts. I also believe quite strongly in natural selection. So if your child is an idiot and is stupid enough to wander in front of a moving car, then it deserves to die. So does an adult if the adult is stupid enough to wander in front of a moving car.
I think conservative people feel threatened when challenged with ideas that seem so far "out of the box" to them that they can't even relate to the idea.
I also don't believe in God. Any God. Chew on that. I happen to think that life is what you make it, and then...you die... and that's just it, you're dead. Nothing. This is a LESS controversial issue than my dislike of children. I find this quite puzzling. But, then, I have always been less than traditional.
Families have no more or less rights than anyone else. Oh, you can't work at night because you have kids? Eh, well, do you want a job or don't you? My parents worked various shifts. Why? Because they WANTED a job. Didn't matter if it was night or morning. They wanted to be able to feed their kids.
My parents have always known I don't like kids. This does not surprise them, nor do they care. They have always been fine with it. It's who I am.
I don't discriminate against folks with kids.
I don't torture children.
I don't go out of my way to make people with children miserable.
I just don't enjoy or like or PRETEND to like children.
I am entirely genuine.
Why is that so offensive and I quote "unprofessional?" I only make $8.96 an hour. Want me to be more professional? Pay me what I'm worth. I can run the store. I can work the freight truck nearly single handedly. I believe this is worth at least $17 an hour. I can barely pay my bills. Why should I give a flying fuck about brat children that parents can't or won't control? I am not the only person working retail who believes this. My assistant manager also believes that children should be checked at the door if they can't behave.
I have the following suggestion. Substitute the word "cabbage" for "children."
Would these people be as offended at the statement: "I hate cabbage." Or "People who can't control their cabbage shouldn't have any.."
So why is this such a controversial idea? I assume it has something to do with the fact that I am a female and I don't have mothering instincts. I also believe quite strongly in natural selection. So if your child is an idiot and is stupid enough to wander in front of a moving car, then it deserves to die. So does an adult if the adult is stupid enough to wander in front of a moving car.
I think conservative people feel threatened when challenged with ideas that seem so far "out of the box" to them that they can't even relate to the idea.
I also don't believe in God. Any God. Chew on that. I happen to think that life is what you make it, and then...you die... and that's just it, you're dead. Nothing. This is a LESS controversial issue than my dislike of children. I find this quite puzzling. But, then, I have always been less than traditional.
Families have no more or less rights than anyone else. Oh, you can't work at night because you have kids? Eh, well, do you want a job or don't you? My parents worked various shifts. Why? Because they WANTED a job. Didn't matter if it was night or morning. They wanted to be able to feed their kids.
My parents have always known I don't like kids. This does not surprise them, nor do they care. They have always been fine with it. It's who I am.
I don't discriminate against folks with kids.
I don't torture children.
I don't go out of my way to make people with children miserable.
I just don't enjoy or like or PRETEND to like children.
I am entirely genuine.
Why is that so offensive and I quote "unprofessional?" I only make $8.96 an hour. Want me to be more professional? Pay me what I'm worth. I can run the store. I can work the freight truck nearly single handedly. I believe this is worth at least $17 an hour. I can barely pay my bills. Why should I give a flying fuck about brat children that parents can't or won't control? I am not the only person working retail who believes this. My assistant manager also believes that children should be checked at the door if they can't behave.
I have the following suggestion. Substitute the word "cabbage" for "children."
Would these people be as offended at the statement: "I hate cabbage." Or "People who can't control their cabbage shouldn't have any.."
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