I am still sick.
It is boring, very boring.
That is all.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
My Job, it Blows Goats
Somehow I've managed to avoid our District Manager for the last month or so. I don't know whether I have luck, or my pal John (ASM, borrowed, since we are still manager-less) to thank for this.
(We are not, in fact manager-less, he is just hiding at some other store for the time being...like a parasite...and I'm sure he is one or the Plastic Man wouldn't have chosen him. I have a few choice words for the Parasite if he ever surfaces over the two weeks out schedule. Such as: You've never met me, why are you DEMANDING I work at 6 am inventory day? I could be a lousy employee. You're relying on word of mouth that could be substantially mistaken. But, then, I forget, parasites are notably unintelligent, they just take what they want. And so, that ENTIRE week except for ONE day I am getting up at the ass crack and, on some days, dealing with rush hour. I hate you already, Parasite. At least I got Lorien to make all the early days sequential because, yes, I was being difficult.)
I have, however, been thinking up things I would like to ask the Plastic Man if I do have the unfortunate luck to run into him in the near future. He likes to march up to me, shake my hand, (every time I see him...he shakes my hand like we've never met before), and ask mildly retarded questions, such as "What's new?"
As if I'd tell him anything about my personal life. I always reply with an uninterested, "Nothing." And try to get the hell away from him as fast as possible. Mostly because I can almost feel the slime oozing from him and I don't want to taint myself with it.
I'm thinking that for every idiotic question he asks me, I'll ask him one without replying to his original question.
Foremost on my list is:
How does it feel to be peacefully assimilated into the Borg?
The company has made it quite clear that we, underlings are not allowed to have an opinion. I'm pretty certain that even DMs are not allowed to have an opinion...they are drones who carry out orders.
Are the clothing buyers crack addicts?
There is not one item of clothing on the ladies' clothing racks I would buy. Even on clearance, we are swamped with ugliness. The quality is terrible, the fit is awful, and the colors/prints are fit only for the elderly and eight year old girls.
Are you aware that all the stores are lying to you about the amount of time it takes to work the freight?
The new freight handling policy is a time consuming mess. No one likes it. It takes an extra day for merchandise to hit the floor. This is not a better system. Go back to night freight. Workers will be happier, customers will be happier.
If store personnel is required to expend so much energy on becoming more efficient, why does this not apply to the Distribution Center?
Gee, I don't know, packing things by department would be a much more efficient process than having us dig through the freight, sort it, then put it on the shelf. There are 8 year olds who could figure out that whips, halters, and fly spray go on a pallet headed for the equine department instead of packed away and mixed in a pallet with mower belts, trailer axles, and bearings.
Why do our adverts suck?
Clearly, they do. No one is buying what we are selling unless they need it.
Why are 1 in 3 of my current co-workers, including me, trying to find a feasible way to quit?
Long term hires. Not college or high school kids. Me, 5 years, Jason, 4 years, Courtney, 2 years, the Princess, 5 years, Lorien, 5 years, Amber K, 2 years. Because we are expendable and expected to put up with a great deal of bullshit for no money, that's why. Of course we don't care if we can't sell the stupid replacement or service plans. NONE of us buy them because we don't have the extra "x" dollars to spend either. Way, way back in the long, long ago before the company became so full of itself, we'd get an occasional "Good Job Meal." Which is where the store would buy everyone food for doing a lot of hard work on an especially brutal freight night or some such. No longer.
And, if I do feel like answering the Plastic Man's smarmy, "What's new?" I may answer like this, "Employee number 00317816 has nothing to report." And I may, if I still have this horrible flu/cold bug, sneeze into my hand and offer it up for him to shake.
(We are not, in fact manager-less, he is just hiding at some other store for the time being...like a parasite...and I'm sure he is one or the Plastic Man wouldn't have chosen him. I have a few choice words for the Parasite if he ever surfaces over the two weeks out schedule. Such as: You've never met me, why are you DEMANDING I work at 6 am inventory day? I could be a lousy employee. You're relying on word of mouth that could be substantially mistaken. But, then, I forget, parasites are notably unintelligent, they just take what they want. And so, that ENTIRE week except for ONE day I am getting up at the ass crack and, on some days, dealing with rush hour. I hate you already, Parasite. At least I got Lorien to make all the early days sequential because, yes, I was being difficult.)
I have, however, been thinking up things I would like to ask the Plastic Man if I do have the unfortunate luck to run into him in the near future. He likes to march up to me, shake my hand, (every time I see him...he shakes my hand like we've never met before), and ask mildly retarded questions, such as "What's new?"
As if I'd tell him anything about my personal life. I always reply with an uninterested, "Nothing." And try to get the hell away from him as fast as possible. Mostly because I can almost feel the slime oozing from him and I don't want to taint myself with it.
I'm thinking that for every idiotic question he asks me, I'll ask him one without replying to his original question.
Foremost on my list is:
How does it feel to be peacefully assimilated into the Borg?
The company has made it quite clear that we, underlings are not allowed to have an opinion. I'm pretty certain that even DMs are not allowed to have an opinion...they are drones who carry out orders.
Are the clothing buyers crack addicts?
There is not one item of clothing on the ladies' clothing racks I would buy. Even on clearance, we are swamped with ugliness. The quality is terrible, the fit is awful, and the colors/prints are fit only for the elderly and eight year old girls.
Are you aware that all the stores are lying to you about the amount of time it takes to work the freight?
The new freight handling policy is a time consuming mess. No one likes it. It takes an extra day for merchandise to hit the floor. This is not a better system. Go back to night freight. Workers will be happier, customers will be happier.
If store personnel is required to expend so much energy on becoming more efficient, why does this not apply to the Distribution Center?
Gee, I don't know, packing things by department would be a much more efficient process than having us dig through the freight, sort it, then put it on the shelf. There are 8 year olds who could figure out that whips, halters, and fly spray go on a pallet headed for the equine department instead of packed away and mixed in a pallet with mower belts, trailer axles, and bearings.
Why do our adverts suck?
Clearly, they do. No one is buying what we are selling unless they need it.
Why are 1 in 3 of my current co-workers, including me, trying to find a feasible way to quit?
Long term hires. Not college or high school kids. Me, 5 years, Jason, 4 years, Courtney, 2 years, the Princess, 5 years, Lorien, 5 years, Amber K, 2 years. Because we are expendable and expected to put up with a great deal of bullshit for no money, that's why. Of course we don't care if we can't sell the stupid replacement or service plans. NONE of us buy them because we don't have the extra "x" dollars to spend either. Way, way back in the long, long ago before the company became so full of itself, we'd get an occasional "Good Job Meal." Which is where the store would buy everyone food for doing a lot of hard work on an especially brutal freight night or some such. No longer.
And, if I do feel like answering the Plastic Man's smarmy, "What's new?" I may answer like this, "Employee number 00317816 has nothing to report." And I may, if I still have this horrible flu/cold bug, sneeze into my hand and offer it up for him to shake.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Breast Cancer and Corporations
I am currently watching a Canadian documentary on breast cancer called Pink Ribbons, Inc. It is making me fairly angry considering I recognize most of the "good works" by corporations as public relations stunts to earn money. Yep. Sounds like a corporation. Get the name of the company out there in the public, slap something like 10 percent of every purchase on the label and people will buy it because lots of us have known someone struggling with chemo because they have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
On the flip side, insult women who have died from breast cancer because they no longer have a voice by referring to other sufferers as "survivors" as though the struggle of those who died was worth nothing, or they didn't try hard enough.
One myth is that if you catch breast cancer early enough you will survive.
False. Sometimes it just doesn't matter. That is life.
If you or anyone you know has had breast cancer or has bought anything pink because the company donates a portion of the proceeds to a cancer charity, I recommend tracking this down via Netflix or other media.
What exactly are these charities researching? Has any of them published any valid results?
Why does the FDA not require testing on many of the products we use in day to day life? Deodorants, colognes, shampoos, makeup, ect...none of those things are subject to safety tests and yet there are so many chemicals in any one of those products that we use daily, that most of us have no idea what we are slathering on our skins and therefore into our bloodstreams.
Not to mention the food we eat.
If you want to support someone with breast cancer I suggest you do so on an individual level.
Make dinner.
Pay a bill.
Offer mental support.
Clean their house.
Be creative.
I know when Jon and I heard Sharon M. was undergoing chemo, there wasn't much we could afford to do to help her out. But we did take her flowers and, in general, let her know we were thinking of her. We went to the Detroit Zoo with her and her family. She had a blast.
I consider that something small. But who knows how much she appreciated it. Sharon knows. And that's what matters.
On the flip side, insult women who have died from breast cancer because they no longer have a voice by referring to other sufferers as "survivors" as though the struggle of those who died was worth nothing, or they didn't try hard enough.
One myth is that if you catch breast cancer early enough you will survive.
False. Sometimes it just doesn't matter. That is life.
If you or anyone you know has had breast cancer or has bought anything pink because the company donates a portion of the proceeds to a cancer charity, I recommend tracking this down via Netflix or other media.
What exactly are these charities researching? Has any of them published any valid results?
Why does the FDA not require testing on many of the products we use in day to day life? Deodorants, colognes, shampoos, makeup, ect...none of those things are subject to safety tests and yet there are so many chemicals in any one of those products that we use daily, that most of us have no idea what we are slathering on our skins and therefore into our bloodstreams.
Not to mention the food we eat.
If you want to support someone with breast cancer I suggest you do so on an individual level.
Make dinner.
Pay a bill.
Offer mental support.
Clean their house.
Be creative.
I know when Jon and I heard Sharon M. was undergoing chemo, there wasn't much we could afford to do to help her out. But we did take her flowers and, in general, let her know we were thinking of her. We went to the Detroit Zoo with her and her family. She had a blast.
I consider that something small. But who knows how much she appreciated it. Sharon knows. And that's what matters.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Happy 2013!
I am such a wild child.
My New Year thus far...
Lying around and napping. Yep. I had a tiny glass of wine due to the fact that I am somehow rather sick-ish and feel exhausted even though I am lying around and napping. Jon says I have a fever. Watching some old History Channel series that Leonard Nemoy narrated. I don't know what it is called so I am referring to it as: The World According to Spock.
I am a lucky woman though.
Jon has taken it upon himself to vacuum, do laundry and dishes while I loaf about sick-like. I didn't ask him to do any of these things. I think he's being nice and has probably come to the conclusion that I feel shitty and there will be no clean laundry or dishes until I am a bit better.
Back to work tomorrow. Sick or not. The wonders of paid holidays. I always seem to manage to get sick near those. Have to go in to get paid for the holiday. Oh well, at least I get paid for it. Jon worked a total of one day Christmas week due to the holiday...and gets paid for one day. This week won't be much better for him. Eventually, after he's been there long enough, he'll get paid days. I don't know when that will be.
My New Year thus far...
Lying around and napping. Yep. I had a tiny glass of wine due to the fact that I am somehow rather sick-ish and feel exhausted even though I am lying around and napping. Jon says I have a fever. Watching some old History Channel series that Leonard Nemoy narrated. I don't know what it is called so I am referring to it as: The World According to Spock.
I am a lucky woman though.
Jon has taken it upon himself to vacuum, do laundry and dishes while I loaf about sick-like. I didn't ask him to do any of these things. I think he's being nice and has probably come to the conclusion that I feel shitty and there will be no clean laundry or dishes until I am a bit better.
Back to work tomorrow. Sick or not. The wonders of paid holidays. I always seem to manage to get sick near those. Have to go in to get paid for the holiday. Oh well, at least I get paid for it. Jon worked a total of one day Christmas week due to the holiday...and gets paid for one day. This week won't be much better for him. Eventually, after he's been there long enough, he'll get paid days. I don't know when that will be.
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