Maybe I shouldn't get so frustrated over this, but it's been slowly building up the past 10 years or so. I'd just like to slap the first person that made a variation of Rachel. Oh, and I'm not talking about Rachelle or Rochelle. Those are perfectly fine. I'm merely talking about the unnecessary desire to add an 'a' where there doesn't need to be one in the first place.
I understand there are some of you out there with the names Rachael or Racheal, and you can't really do anything to help that, but why is it so God-awful hard for people to spell my name? It's just gotten considerably worse over the last few years. You would think mine would be easier. Hey, it has one less letter than its competition, and it's been around much longer. I would think those two factors alone would work in my favor, but...no.
What annoys me the most is that this happens to me all the time with people who know me and have seen my name spelled out numerous times. They still have that itch to add another letter. Don't scratch it. Even if you can't remember if it has an extra 'a' or not, just write "Rach" to be safe. I'll even accept that. Just don't mangle it up by adding that letter. Yes, I take offense to it, and yes, it annoys me a great deal.
Do any of you have this problem with your names? I'm more than willing to hear empathetic complaints.
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Typical Retail
It's been the week from hell at work this week. Ignore the fact that it's been busier than all get-out, and let's analyze the other background things that are going on. I can even categorize them for you if it makes it easier to read:
Ignorant Manager:
The other day, I was actually really busy doing work all day. I just finished putting out a bunch of stock, and I took a minute to check our mail. We've been getting a lot of e-mails regarding furniture being discontinued and such, so I wanted to keep up on that.
As I was reading over an e-mail, my store manager came up and automatically snapped, "Don't you have something to do?"
I gave it right back to her: "Uh, yeah, I'm checking the mail."
She really needs to lay off. She just automatically assumes I'm slacking off now. You need to find out what I'm doing before you snap at me or question me.
It really was stupid of her to say anything to begin with because I couldn't do anything that wasn't work-related on that computer anyway. All sites are blocked except for our company's. You're just making yourself look like an ignorantjerk (I could insert another word here, but I'll refrain).
Low-Staffed:
People have been quitting left and right [Can you blame them?]. Right now we have three people who have put their two weeks in (one of which is in our department), and they're not hiring anyone to replace any of them. In fact, corporate suggested we don't hire anymore people and just use the staff we have to fill in the empty spots [As if we don't have enough to do already.]. Boy, this is starting to sound like a typical business shortcut to me: "Let's save money for our company by burning out our employees. Let's work them until they're within an inch of insanity."
Right now they've sent the entire ladies' coats department down to Shoes "until further notice." What does that do to us upstairs? Well, let's see: The upstairs includes Baby Depot, Youth, Linens, and Ladies' Coats. They've already gotten rid of the Ladies' Coats manager (last year; she now works in Sportswear and occasionally Linens), sent the youth department manager downstairs to Sportswear, and my department manager is running Youth and Baby Depot. Now that they've sent everyone from Coats downstairs, we run that department, as well. We're already low-staffed in our respective departments, so you wouldn't have wanted to see the situation this weekend.
We always get a lot of buses from Canada every weekend. Last weekend was like Christmas time (our store made $85,000 and we got about 20-25 buses), and this weekend was only slightly less busy. It was still back-to-school time since a handful of schools in this area didn't go back until today. There weren't many of us upstairs to begin with, but they made three of us put in backup drawers (including me). Luckily, I didn't have to ring that day because they pulled me at 1:00, but the others did. I did, however, have to go down and help bag. How many people were left upstairs that day? Two. One in Baby Depot; one in Youth (which was one of our Baby Depot people). On a Saturday. Are they insane?
When my manager had to go to dinner, I came back up to take her place in the department. I was running around like crazy the rest of my shift. I helped one person after the next and almost every one said they were searching for 15-20 minutes, looking for someone to help them. At least they were understanding of my plight, but I am only one person, and this is just ridiculous. I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be the only person running most to all of the upstairs on a busy day.
On Sunday I had to run a backup drawer a few times, so my manager and one other person were left to run the entire upstairs. Yesterday, I was by myself from 7:30 on, but there were only three of us between 1:00 and 5:00. Granted, it wasn't overly busy yesterday (busier than I thought it would be though), but it's still stupid.
I wish a lot of customers would write to corporate complaining about this. They shouldn't have to rely on one person to help them all out. Needless to say, it's not fair for me to be pulled every which way all day and hear the potential whining of someone who had to wait a half hour to get help.
Thankfully, last night, one of the managers noted to a coworker that she thought I was doing a good job and am a good worker. It's nice that someone is noticing and not always assuming I slack off. Makes me feel like my work isn't completely unappreciated and thankless.
Drawer Mishaps:
As I said above, I had ring on Sunday as a backup. Unfortunately, I must have made a mistake somewhere because my drawer was $120 over. I've run a register hundreds of times at Dollar General, and I've never been over that much. In fact, I couldn't think of anything I could have screwed up on, so I was hoping it would be determined to be an electronic mistake.
Nope. It was apparently something I did. Now I'm getting written up for it. One more time, and I'm out the door. Quite frankly, I would rather not risk my job for something like this. Ringing on that register is a secondary job that they've required for us now. I'd so much rather be exempt from this. I can just go back to being a permanent Baby Depot associate. I'm also afraid to say anything because I don't want this situation to be misconstrued as purposeful so I could be excused from the registers. It's touchy. I just would feel more comfortable in a safe zone. I'd rather not touch their money at all if I can help it.
...And Styes:
All this stress has apparently caused a nice physical representation on my face now. I don't have one or two styes but three. I have one in the corner of my left eye and two on my right: one in the corner and one in the middle. My eyes have been so sore and puffy. Yesterday, my left eye was starting to bruise up underneath. One of my coworkers said I looked like a druggy. I could barely keep my eyes open, and they were somewhat bloodshot and watery. Like I needed this...
They're not quite as sore today, but they're still a little puffy and watery.
So there's my week/weekend in a nutshell. Can you see why I want to pull my hair out or jump off a cliff?
Ignorant Manager:
The other day, I was actually really busy doing work all day. I just finished putting out a bunch of stock, and I took a minute to check our mail. We've been getting a lot of e-mails regarding furniture being discontinued and such, so I wanted to keep up on that.
As I was reading over an e-mail, my store manager came up and automatically snapped, "Don't you have something to do?"
I gave it right back to her: "Uh, yeah, I'm checking the mail."
She really needs to lay off. She just automatically assumes I'm slacking off now. You need to find out what I'm doing before you snap at me or question me.
It really was stupid of her to say anything to begin with because I couldn't do anything that wasn't work-related on that computer anyway. All sites are blocked except for our company's. You're just making yourself look like an ignorant
Low-Staffed:
People have been quitting left and right [Can you blame them?]. Right now we have three people who have put their two weeks in (one of which is in our department), and they're not hiring anyone to replace any of them. In fact, corporate suggested we don't hire anymore people and just use the staff we have to fill in the empty spots [As if we don't have enough to do already.]. Boy, this is starting to sound like a typical business shortcut to me: "Let's save money for our company by burning out our employees. Let's work them until they're within an inch of insanity."
Right now they've sent the entire ladies' coats department down to Shoes "until further notice." What does that do to us upstairs? Well, let's see: The upstairs includes Baby Depot, Youth, Linens, and Ladies' Coats. They've already gotten rid of the Ladies' Coats manager (last year; she now works in Sportswear and occasionally Linens), sent the youth department manager downstairs to Sportswear, and my department manager is running Youth and Baby Depot. Now that they've sent everyone from Coats downstairs, we run that department, as well. We're already low-staffed in our respective departments, so you wouldn't have wanted to see the situation this weekend.
We always get a lot of buses from Canada every weekend. Last weekend was like Christmas time (our store made $85,000 and we got about 20-25 buses), and this weekend was only slightly less busy. It was still back-to-school time since a handful of schools in this area didn't go back until today. There weren't many of us upstairs to begin with, but they made three of us put in backup drawers (including me). Luckily, I didn't have to ring that day because they pulled me at 1:00, but the others did. I did, however, have to go down and help bag. How many people were left upstairs that day? Two. One in Baby Depot; one in Youth (which was one of our Baby Depot people). On a Saturday. Are they insane?
When my manager had to go to dinner, I came back up to take her place in the department. I was running around like crazy the rest of my shift. I helped one person after the next and almost every one said they were searching for 15-20 minutes, looking for someone to help them. At least they were understanding of my plight, but I am only one person, and this is just ridiculous. I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be the only person running most to all of the upstairs on a busy day.
On Sunday I had to run a backup drawer a few times, so my manager and one other person were left to run the entire upstairs. Yesterday, I was by myself from 7:30 on, but there were only three of us between 1:00 and 5:00. Granted, it wasn't overly busy yesterday (busier than I thought it would be though), but it's still stupid.
I wish a lot of customers would write to corporate complaining about this. They shouldn't have to rely on one person to help them all out. Needless to say, it's not fair for me to be pulled every which way all day and hear the potential whining of someone who had to wait a half hour to get help.
Thankfully, last night, one of the managers noted to a coworker that she thought I was doing a good job and am a good worker. It's nice that someone is noticing and not always assuming I slack off. Makes me feel like my work isn't completely unappreciated and thankless.
Drawer Mishaps:
As I said above, I had ring on Sunday as a backup. Unfortunately, I must have made a mistake somewhere because my drawer was $120 over. I've run a register hundreds of times at Dollar General, and I've never been over that much. In fact, I couldn't think of anything I could have screwed up on, so I was hoping it would be determined to be an electronic mistake.
Nope. It was apparently something I did. Now I'm getting written up for it. One more time, and I'm out the door. Quite frankly, I would rather not risk my job for something like this. Ringing on that register is a secondary job that they've required for us now. I'd so much rather be exempt from this. I can just go back to being a permanent Baby Depot associate. I'm also afraid to say anything because I don't want this situation to be misconstrued as purposeful so I could be excused from the registers. It's touchy. I just would feel more comfortable in a safe zone. I'd rather not touch their money at all if I can help it.
...And Styes:
All this stress has apparently caused a nice physical representation on my face now. I don't have one or two styes but three. I have one in the corner of my left eye and two on my right: one in the corner and one in the middle. My eyes have been so sore and puffy. Yesterday, my left eye was starting to bruise up underneath. One of my coworkers said I looked like a druggy. I could barely keep my eyes open, and they were somewhat bloodshot and watery. Like I needed this...
They're not quite as sore today, but they're still a little puffy and watery.
So there's my week/weekend in a nutshell. Can you see why I want to pull my hair out or jump off a cliff?
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Stupidity Leaks
Working with the public makes you realize just how many idiots there are out there. It's amazing how many people won't use their heads for more than hat racks, but I suppose that's just what you have to deal with in this line of work. I was inspired by a certain customer last night to write this blog. This is an ode to you, Mr. Stupidity Leak #1:
Before asking an associate how to open the bathroom door at Burlington, make sure you've actually tried it. No, I mean, if you can't figure it out while you're there, you need only to read the sign that says either "Push" or "Pull" on your respective room. If you have to ask me after you've done this, go back to elementary school and learn to read, and ask for a bonus lesson in common sense.
Example: Last night I was on the phone with one of my associates trying to give him information for a piece of clothing someone was buying that didn't have a tag, and a rather large, dopey-looking gentleman interrupted me.
"Excuse me," he said.
You guys know how much I loathe being interrupted on the phone when I'm doing my job. I told my coworker to hang on a minute while I helped this guy. "What do you need help with?"
"I can't open the bathroom door," he said.
"Did you try pushing it?"
He just stared at me with a blank look and said nothing.
Ok, I guess I need to say something here. "Just push the door open."
He still stood there, staring at me, and he didn't budge.
Hello, in there? Anybody home? "Just go over and push the door."
Nothing.
Am I making absolutely no sense here? "Just push the door open." How many times do I need to repeat myself before you get it?
Finally, he said something: "It doesn't open."
"The door doesn't lock," I replied. "Don't touch the handle. Just push the door."
And yes, he's still standing there, staring at me.
I attempted to get back on the phone with my coworker, but the guy was still standing there. I finished my piece about a hundred times already. You can go now. "Just go push the door."
He finally left, and I didn't see him come back, so I'm assuming that my idea worked. Go figure. I suppose I do know what I'm talking about sometimes.
If you're going to steal something, it's a good idea that you don't inform an associate before doing so. Hey, if you do, that's great for us because you're just making it easier to get caught, but I'm guessing you want to be successful at the five-finger discount, so being busted isn't part of your game plan; I would assume, that is...
Example:We have a new girl in the shoe department, and yesterday was her second day. A woman walked up to her, and they had the following conversation¹:
"You got any floor walkers tonight," the customer asked. In other words, she's asking if we have any security.
"I don't know," my coworker replied.
"Well, can you find out for me? If you hook me up, I'll hook you up."
Needless to say, she told another associate or manager about this, so they were all over her like flies on crap.
We don't run a free daycare at Burlington. If you're opting to shop with your kids, you need to watch them. We certainly don't get paid enough to do our jobs and babysit your children. Not to mention, we have quite a few dangerous spots in and around our department. A hot spot for kids to play at is the escalator. I'm certainly not cleaning up your kids' blood if they fall and crack their heads open. Pay attention.
Example: I watched as a kid ran up and down our escalators (of course, running up the down), and I yelled at him numerous times. He was probably about twelve, so he was certainly old enough to know better. His mother was nearby while I was yelling, and she'd occasionally look over when I hollered, but she'd never say a word and continued shopping. Typical.
Finally, he did his last pass up the down escalator, and I yelled at him. As soon as he made it to the top step, he tripped and fell. He landed face first at the top of the escalator. He was ok, of course, but it just goes to show that you should listen. I shouldn't have to yell at your kids anyway. That's not my job.
Just bear these things in mind when you go shopping. I'm sick of picking up the missing pieces of your brain.
¹Mind you, this was all hearsay, so I don't know the exact conversation they had, but it's something similar to this.
- SL #1: The Bathrooms
Before asking an associate how to open the bathroom door at Burlington, make sure you've actually tried it. No, I mean, if you can't figure it out while you're there, you need only to read the sign that says either "Push" or "Pull" on your respective room. If you have to ask me after you've done this, go back to elementary school and learn to read, and ask for a bonus lesson in common sense.
Example: Last night I was on the phone with one of my associates trying to give him information for a piece of clothing someone was buying that didn't have a tag, and a rather large, dopey-looking gentleman interrupted me.
"Excuse me," he said.
You guys know how much I loathe being interrupted on the phone when I'm doing my job. I told my coworker to hang on a minute while I helped this guy. "What do you need help with?"
"I can't open the bathroom door," he said.
"Did you try pushing it?"
He just stared at me with a blank look and said nothing.
Ok, I guess I need to say something here. "Just push the door open."
He still stood there, staring at me, and he didn't budge.
Hello, in there? Anybody home? "Just go over and push the door."
Nothing.
Am I making absolutely no sense here? "Just push the door open." How many times do I need to repeat myself before you get it?
Finally, he said something: "It doesn't open."
"The door doesn't lock," I replied. "Don't touch the handle. Just push the door."
And yes, he's still standing there, staring at me.
I attempted to get back on the phone with my coworker, but the guy was still standing there. I finished my piece about a hundred times already. You can go now. "Just go push the door."
He finally left, and I didn't see him come back, so I'm assuming that my idea worked. Go figure. I suppose I do know what I'm talking about sometimes.
- SL #2: Amateur Theft
If you're going to steal something, it's a good idea that you don't inform an associate before doing so. Hey, if you do, that's great for us because you're just making it easier to get caught, but I'm guessing you want to be successful at the five-finger discount, so being busted isn't part of your game plan; I would assume, that is...
Example:We have a new girl in the shoe department, and yesterday was her second day. A woman walked up to her, and they had the following conversation¹:
"You got any floor walkers tonight," the customer asked. In other words, she's asking if we have any security.
"I don't know," my coworker replied.
"Well, can you find out for me? If you hook me up, I'll hook you up."
Needless to say, she told another associate or manager about this, so they were all over her like flies on crap.
- SL #3: Watch Your Kids
We don't run a free daycare at Burlington. If you're opting to shop with your kids, you need to watch them. We certainly don't get paid enough to do our jobs and babysit your children. Not to mention, we have quite a few dangerous spots in and around our department. A hot spot for kids to play at is the escalator. I'm certainly not cleaning up your kids' blood if they fall and crack their heads open. Pay attention.
Example: I watched as a kid ran up and down our escalators (of course, running up the down), and I yelled at him numerous times. He was probably about twelve, so he was certainly old enough to know better. His mother was nearby while I was yelling, and she'd occasionally look over when I hollered, but she'd never say a word and continued shopping. Typical.
Finally, he did his last pass up the down escalator, and I yelled at him. As soon as he made it to the top step, he tripped and fell. He landed face first at the top of the escalator. He was ok, of course, but it just goes to show that you should listen. I shouldn't have to yell at your kids anyway. That's not my job.
Just bear these things in mind when you go shopping. I'm sick of picking up the missing pieces of your brain.
¹Mind you, this was all hearsay, so I don't know the exact conversation they had, but it's something similar to this.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Cheating?
My husband and I found we have slightly differing opinions on what is considered
cheating, which was brought to the table courtesy of a certain episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that we watched last night. The episode found Kira living with O'Brien and his wife while Kira carries the couple's child. They end up discovering they have feelings for each other and even consider acting on those. They never do, but it brought up a good discussion anyway. Is that considered cheating if he has feelings for another woman but never acts on them?
I still consider it cheating if they have those thoughts and feelings to the point of being within inches of acting upon it. I think it's possibly inevitable for some people to feel that way at some point during their relationship/marriage. While I think acting on it is far worse than just having the feelings, I still think the extent of the feelings dictates whether or not it's cheating. ¹My husband feels the opposite though expresses he'd never get to that point himself and doesn't feel it's right to feel for another person even though he doesn't consider it cheating.
Ironically enough, there was an article on AOL this evening asking if it's considered cheating if a spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend has an online "marriage". They used one person as an example: He's a married man whose marriage is on the rocks because he spends at least 14 hours a day with his online "wife" through the game, Second Life. She's currently attending "gaming widow" support groups as a result [Isn't the fact that we have such a group in existence a sad thought?]. So is this cheating, as well?
You guys can probably guess what my answer is to this. My husband is on-board with me on this particular issue. I personally wouldn't have allowed it to get to the point where he would do something like that. Even if they claim that it's safe because it's only online, I don't see it that way. Being online doesn't automatically put you in a fantasy world. You're still spending your real-life time and emotions on another person who is not your husband/wife/etc., and believe it or not, the person on the other end is a real, living, breathing human being, as well. Who's to say that you won't end up meeting in person? Rarely do online relationships stay just that; especially if they span over a long period of time. And you can't tell me that if you met this "husband" or "wife" in person that you would "only be friends." You'd better just shoot yourself in the foot now.
Instead of spending all this time on the computer with someone hundreds to thousands of miles away, spend it with that person who is ten feet away. I'm assuming you either started dating them or married them for a reason, and if you're at least a halfway decent person, then it was for a good reason. Why not go out with them? Go to a movie or dinner or something. Anything. The thrill of an online relationship is no different than the thrill of someone going to a bar and hooking up with another person. It's the same idea. It's all sexually and emotionally based. It's cheating, and if you don't think it is, see how much it hurts the person you do it to.
¹I realize my husband probably thinks I'm making him look bad here, but I don't mean to. He's a faithful, respectable guy, which is why I married him.
cheating, which was brought to the table courtesy of a certain episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that we watched last night. The episode found Kira living with O'Brien and his wife while Kira carries the couple's child. They end up discovering they have feelings for each other and even consider acting on those. They never do, but it brought up a good discussion anyway. Is that considered cheating if he has feelings for another woman but never acts on them?I still consider it cheating if they have those thoughts and feelings to the point of being within inches of acting upon it. I think it's possibly inevitable for some people to feel that way at some point during their relationship/marriage. While I think acting on it is far worse than just having the feelings, I still think the extent of the feelings dictates whether or not it's cheating. ¹My husband feels the opposite though expresses he'd never get to that point himself and doesn't feel it's right to feel for another person even though he doesn't consider it cheating.
Ironically enough, there was an article on AOL this evening asking if it's considered cheating if a spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend has an online "marriage". They used one person as an example: He's a married man whose marriage is on the rocks because he spends at least 14 hours a day with his online "wife" through the game, Second Life. She's currently attending "gaming widow" support groups as a result [Isn't the fact that we have such a group in existence a sad thought?]. So is this cheating, as well?
You guys can probably guess what my answer is to this. My husband is on-board with me on this particular issue. I personally wouldn't have allowed it to get to the point where he would do something like that. Even if they claim that it's safe because it's only online, I don't see it that way. Being online doesn't automatically put you in a fantasy world. You're still spending your real-life time and emotions on another person who is not your husband/wife/etc., and believe it or not, the person on the other end is a real, living, breathing human being, as well. Who's to say that you won't end up meeting in person? Rarely do online relationships stay just that; especially if they span over a long period of time. And you can't tell me that if you met this "husband" or "wife" in person that you would "only be friends." You'd better just shoot yourself in the foot now.
Instead of spending all this time on the computer with someone hundreds to thousands of miles away, spend it with that person who is ten feet away. I'm assuming you either started dating them or married them for a reason, and if you're at least a halfway decent person, then it was for a good reason. Why not go out with them? Go to a movie or dinner or something. Anything. The thrill of an online relationship is no different than the thrill of someone going to a bar and hooking up with another person. It's the same idea. It's all sexually and emotionally based. It's cheating, and if you don't think it is, see how much it hurts the person you do it to.
¹I realize my husband probably thinks I'm making him look bad here, but I don't mean to. He's a faithful, respectable guy, which is why I married him.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Sellout
I was really excited when one of the temp agencies I'm with called this morning. I missed the call initially because I had my phone on silent from work last night, and I forgot to switch over to normal mode. I thought maybe they were calling to inform me that I got the job I interviewed for. Boy, was I wrong...
She explained that they had a little bit of an emergency and needed me to work somewhere until about 5:00 to fill in for a woman who called off. She explained that everyone else she had called that was a temp said they were busy and couldn't make it. I wasn't too thrilled as today was my last day I had off from work this week, and I wanted to relax, but for the sake of getting some extra cash and making myself sound like a good worker, I took the opportunity. I was responsible for answering the phone (two lines) and filing. How bad could it be?
I finally arrived at the company after missing it on the drive down and having to turn around. The woman (I'll call her "Jan") who greeted me was very friendly and cordial. "Jan" briefly explained what I needed to do, which was just as I was explained on the phone. I needed to answer phone calls, and she gave me a stack of papers she needed alphabetized. She apologized for the "busy work," but I was more than happy to have something to do to keep from biting my nails and pulling my hair out. She needed to run out for what she said would be an hour (it was actually four), so I was left alone in that building for my entire shift without a trace of another human being other than a coworker every one to two hours.
Everything was going as well as could be expected. I was bored out of my mind because it only took me a half hour to alphabetize that paperwork. The customers that called were cordial, and I had no problems with them. Taking messages was an absolute breeze. Why wouldn't it be? You don't have to deal with all the specifics. You just pass along the message to someone more knowledgeable. Well, that part was just fine.
What wasn't good were some of the coworkers that called every so often to check on things. They were asking me questions I didn't have answers to and were frustrated that "Jan" wasn't there to help them out. Ok, I can understand being frustrated, but I'm just filling in and have no clue what goes on around here. Every time they called, they made it a point to be rude, disrespectful, and degrading in regards to my mental capacity (insinuating I was an idiot at points by certain comments). On top of that, the two that gave me the problems were the owner and his son. Hey, I dropped everything to help you guys out on my day off. The least you could do is be respectful to me.
One instance was when the son of the owner asked if a fax he was waiting for had come in. I told him I didn't know anything about it but was just filling in for the day. He wanted me to check in the other office to see if it had come up. I said I didn't know if his was in there because he didn't give me any indication as to what it looks like. He told me to look and describe what was there because "I can't see it over the phone." No crap.
We determined that his fax hadn't come through, so he rudely asked me to call the company whose fax he was waiting for and ask what the holdup was and call him back. Ok, that'd be great if I had the number. I didn't bother to ask. I just wanted to get off the phone. I looked through their paperwork and was able to find the number for the company. I called there, and asked the guy the information I needed. He informed me that my "coworker" was bothering him all day and calling "every three minutes," and he basically wanted him to hold his horses. I'm thinking the same thing right now. I'll gladly pass along the message.
I called the coworker back and delivered the message. He told me to call back when the fax came in. I did.
"Yeah?"
"It's Rachel. Your fax came in."
>insert deafening silence here<
"Ok..."
"Yeah, it came in."
"Ok...I can't read it through the phone. You need to tell me what it says," he rudely replied.
Well, you didn't tell me you needed the info off it. Don't sit on the phone expecting me to read your mind.
I began trying to read the fax until he interrupted me because I was apparently telling him useless information off it.
"No! I don't need to know all that! Just read me the parts, ok? I don't need the model numbers, alright?"
Apparently, I read too much of the part names too because he interrupted me once again.
"No, not that! I don't care about that! Just read me the part."
Well, as far as I could tell, what I was reading was part of the name of the part. How am I supposed to differentiate?
If I'm ever asked to go back there to help them out, they can forget it. Even though "Jan" was very pleasant, some of her coworkers were just rude and disrespectful. No wonder everyone was "busy" today. They've probably had to fill in there before and don't even bother anymore. I couldn't blame them either.
Ah, the sacrifices you make to prove you're reliable. I feel like I'm selling out.
She explained that they had a little bit of an emergency and needed me to work somewhere until about 5:00 to fill in for a woman who called off. She explained that everyone else she had called that was a temp said they were busy and couldn't make it. I wasn't too thrilled as today was my last day I had off from work this week, and I wanted to relax, but for the sake of getting some extra cash and making myself sound like a good worker, I took the opportunity. I was responsible for answering the phone (two lines) and filing. How bad could it be?
I finally arrived at the company after missing it on the drive down and having to turn around. The woman (I'll call her "Jan") who greeted me was very friendly and cordial. "Jan" briefly explained what I needed to do, which was just as I was explained on the phone. I needed to answer phone calls, and she gave me a stack of papers she needed alphabetized. She apologized for the "busy work," but I was more than happy to have something to do to keep from biting my nails and pulling my hair out. She needed to run out for what she said would be an hour (it was actually four), so I was left alone in that building for my entire shift without a trace of another human being other than a coworker every one to two hours.
Everything was going as well as could be expected. I was bored out of my mind because it only took me a half hour to alphabetize that paperwork. The customers that called were cordial, and I had no problems with them. Taking messages was an absolute breeze. Why wouldn't it be? You don't have to deal with all the specifics. You just pass along the message to someone more knowledgeable. Well, that part was just fine.
What wasn't good were some of the coworkers that called every so often to check on things. They were asking me questions I didn't have answers to and were frustrated that "Jan" wasn't there to help them out. Ok, I can understand being frustrated, but I'm just filling in and have no clue what goes on around here. Every time they called, they made it a point to be rude, disrespectful, and degrading in regards to my mental capacity (insinuating I was an idiot at points by certain comments). On top of that, the two that gave me the problems were the owner and his son. Hey, I dropped everything to help you guys out on my day off. The least you could do is be respectful to me.
One instance was when the son of the owner asked if a fax he was waiting for had come in. I told him I didn't know anything about it but was just filling in for the day. He wanted me to check in the other office to see if it had come up. I said I didn't know if his was in there because he didn't give me any indication as to what it looks like. He told me to look and describe what was there because "I can't see it over the phone." No crap.
We determined that his fax hadn't come through, so he rudely asked me to call the company whose fax he was waiting for and ask what the holdup was and call him back. Ok, that'd be great if I had the number. I didn't bother to ask. I just wanted to get off the phone. I looked through their paperwork and was able to find the number for the company. I called there, and asked the guy the information I needed. He informed me that my "coworker" was bothering him all day and calling "every three minutes," and he basically wanted him to hold his horses. I'm thinking the same thing right now. I'll gladly pass along the message.
I called the coworker back and delivered the message. He told me to call back when the fax came in. I did.
"Yeah?"
"It's Rachel. Your fax came in."
>insert deafening silence here<
"Ok..."
"Yeah, it came in."
"Ok...I can't read it through the phone. You need to tell me what it says," he rudely replied.
Well, you didn't tell me you needed the info off it. Don't sit on the phone expecting me to read your mind.
I began trying to read the fax until he interrupted me because I was apparently telling him useless information off it.
"No! I don't need to know all that! Just read me the parts, ok? I don't need the model numbers, alright?"
Apparently, I read too much of the part names too because he interrupted me once again.
"No, not that! I don't care about that! Just read me the part."
Well, as far as I could tell, what I was reading was part of the name of the part. How am I supposed to differentiate?
If I'm ever asked to go back there to help them out, they can forget it. Even though "Jan" was very pleasant, some of her coworkers were just rude and disrespectful. No wonder everyone was "busy" today. They've probably had to fill in there before and don't even bother anymore. I couldn't blame them either.
Ah, the sacrifices you make to prove you're reliable. I feel like I'm selling out.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Yet Another Reason I Can't Stand Drunks
Sometimes I just really loathe my job. It's mostly when I get ignorant, drunk people
harassing me. This is the clientele that my place of work attracts, unfortunately, and I have to put up with it on occasion. I'm just lucky I'm not drop-dead gorgeous or I'd have some real problems on my hands.
Last week, I decided to go outside for my lunch as I tend to do when it's nice out. I sat in my car eating and basking in the sunlight shining through my open sunroof in hopes of getting a tan by the end of August. About five minutes into my lunch, a white car pulls in diagonal to mine in the parking lot. Not that race really matters, but for the sake of being descriptive, I'll mention it. They were either Hispanic or Indian (couldn't really tell) men in their 50s or 60s, and they were being extremely obnoxious. They let one of their passengers out of the car to go inside the store while the rest waited behind.
I heard them saying things fairly loudly in their car, but I couldn't understand what they were saying because I had my music on. I was trying to focus on the peacefulness of that and ignore the background noise. I didn't fare too well on that one, but it was worth the effort.
A couple minutes before my lunch was ending, the guy who had gone into the store stumbled back into the car, and they just sat there. I was wishing they would just drive off and go away, so I could at least enjoy the last 30 seconds of my lunch. That didn't happen. My time was up, so I needed to head back to clock in.
I got out of my car, and as I started heading towards the store, one of the guys stuck his head out the window and yelled, "Hey, honey!! Hey, honey!!" I just ignored him. I fought off the urge to flip him off for fear I'd get the crap beaten out of me right in the parking lot. There's no telling what they'd do.
Since I didn't respond, I elicited a strange noise in return. It reminded me of those who are mentally disabled who have trouble speaking and can only make various grunts and groans as their mouths try to make out words. I continued onward anyway.
I clocked back in, and I began thinking, What if they do something to my car since I didn't acknowledge them? I went to our LP right away to tell him what had happened, and he started telling me how they were watching a guy for a while in there because he was so drunk he was falling over. He even got a box of shoes, and he could barely carry it to the registers without dropping it about 5 times. He even asked our LP if he could help him carry it to the registers since it was "so heavy."
After talking to him for a while, we both figured out that this guy was part of the group that was harassing me outside. By this time, the men had driven away. They were going to call the police if the guy that was stumbling all over the store had been the driver. I still think the actual driver was drunk, as well. They were all acting like it.
I can't wait to get away from this for a while. Two more days...
harassing me. This is the clientele that my place of work attracts, unfortunately, and I have to put up with it on occasion. I'm just lucky I'm not drop-dead gorgeous or I'd have some real problems on my hands.Last week, I decided to go outside for my lunch as I tend to do when it's nice out. I sat in my car eating and basking in the sunlight shining through my open sunroof in hopes of getting a tan by the end of August. About five minutes into my lunch, a white car pulls in diagonal to mine in the parking lot. Not that race really matters, but for the sake of being descriptive, I'll mention it. They were either Hispanic or Indian (couldn't really tell) men in their 50s or 60s, and they were being extremely obnoxious. They let one of their passengers out of the car to go inside the store while the rest waited behind.
I heard them saying things fairly loudly in their car, but I couldn't understand what they were saying because I had my music on. I was trying to focus on the peacefulness of that and ignore the background noise. I didn't fare too well on that one, but it was worth the effort.
A couple minutes before my lunch was ending, the guy who had gone into the store stumbled back into the car, and they just sat there. I was wishing they would just drive off and go away, so I could at least enjoy the last 30 seconds of my lunch. That didn't happen. My time was up, so I needed to head back to clock in.
I got out of my car, and as I started heading towards the store, one of the guys stuck his head out the window and yelled, "Hey, honey!! Hey, honey!!" I just ignored him. I fought off the urge to flip him off for fear I'd get the crap beaten out of me right in the parking lot. There's no telling what they'd do.
Since I didn't respond, I elicited a strange noise in return. It reminded me of those who are mentally disabled who have trouble speaking and can only make various grunts and groans as their mouths try to make out words. I continued onward anyway.
I clocked back in, and I began thinking, What if they do something to my car since I didn't acknowledge them? I went to our LP right away to tell him what had happened, and he started telling me how they were watching a guy for a while in there because he was so drunk he was falling over. He even got a box of shoes, and he could barely carry it to the registers without dropping it about 5 times. He even asked our LP if he could help him carry it to the registers since it was "so heavy."
After talking to him for a while, we both figured out that this guy was part of the group that was harassing me outside. By this time, the men had driven away. They were going to call the police if the guy that was stumbling all over the store had been the driver. I still think the actual driver was drunk, as well. They were all acting like it.
I can't wait to get away from this for a while. Two more days...
Monday, June 4, 2007
Monogamy: That's So 1950s
Maybe it's just the times we're living in, but I thought there was one point in time
where marriage was regarded as something important and was taken seriously. These days I'm not so sure. Where the mold was the happy, monogamous, married couple some amount of years ago, a new mold has taken its place: The couple with various partners and children by different fathers. What's sad is that this is socially acceptable today; so much so that I have to constantly fight off people who expect my marriage to fail just because it either didn't work for them, I'm "too young", or whatever other reasons they want to throw out there. Frankly, I'm sick of it.
Yes, I understand the divorce rate for someone my age (and in general) is not working in my favor, but I don't like to think of our relationship as a statistic. If I did that, I'd think my marriage to failure. I know I made the right decision, and when I stood up there and said my vows over a year ago, I took every one of them seriously, and so did he. We're two people who don't believe divorce will solve problems. Now, I can understand desperate situations for people whose only route is divorce, and it's only as a means to get away from an abusive husband/wife or an extremely destructive husband/wife. I'm not attacking people who have gotten divorced. I'm just saying that's not for me.
If I'm not going to stand here and lecture you about getting a divorce and how wrong it is, can you do me the same respect and not lecture me about how horrible it was for me to get married to begin with? I've watched so many situations with these same people who think they can guarantee my marriage will fail. I've watched them as they do things to perpetuate the problem. I scratch my head in disbelief. Why do you prove over and over again that we have different takes on relationships and monogamy in general but act like we're on the same level?
I watch as these people cheat on their boyfriends/girlfriends, fianceés, or husbands/wives. How can you do that and even begin to dictate how my marriage will fail? Apparently, you don't know me at all. I don't need to cheat on my husband to be happy. I married him because this is the person I want to stick by for the rest of my life. It wasn't so I would have someone to come home to after having escapades with other men behind his back. What kind of sick world do we live in where people can't be faithful to each other?
Another thing that bothers me are people that just jump into marriage at the drop of a hat. Granted, Jon and I had only dated 9 months before we got engaged, but it wasn't too rushed because we spent nearly everyday together. Some people get engaged sooner than that, but I have to question the people that get engaged to someone within a couple weeks or less of dating them and knowing them. How could you possibly know this is a person you want to spend forever with? I didn't have all the information I needed to make that kind of decision about Jon within a week or two of knowing him. I'd just barely known his last name and favorite color by that point. I guess I have no place to judge, but I just don't understand.
My wish would be for everyone to take marriage and relationships as seriously as I do or as seriously as they're intended to be taken. We've gotten so off-course over the years, and it's just getting worse and worse by the minute. I can't stand to watch people I know making the problem in society worse. Where I used to just see celebrities or people from afar committing these acts, I'm now in close contingency with these people, and it saddens me.
I don't need marital advice from individuals who aren't on the right track with their own relationships. Spare me.
where marriage was regarded as something important and was taken seriously. These days I'm not so sure. Where the mold was the happy, monogamous, married couple some amount of years ago, a new mold has taken its place: The couple with various partners and children by different fathers. What's sad is that this is socially acceptable today; so much so that I have to constantly fight off people who expect my marriage to fail just because it either didn't work for them, I'm "too young", or whatever other reasons they want to throw out there. Frankly, I'm sick of it.Yes, I understand the divorce rate for someone my age (and in general) is not working in my favor, but I don't like to think of our relationship as a statistic. If I did that, I'd think my marriage to failure. I know I made the right decision, and when I stood up there and said my vows over a year ago, I took every one of them seriously, and so did he. We're two people who don't believe divorce will solve problems. Now, I can understand desperate situations for people whose only route is divorce, and it's only as a means to get away from an abusive husband/wife or an extremely destructive husband/wife. I'm not attacking people who have gotten divorced. I'm just saying that's not for me.
If I'm not going to stand here and lecture you about getting a divorce and how wrong it is, can you do me the same respect and not lecture me about how horrible it was for me to get married to begin with? I've watched so many situations with these same people who think they can guarantee my marriage will fail. I've watched them as they do things to perpetuate the problem. I scratch my head in disbelief. Why do you prove over and over again that we have different takes on relationships and monogamy in general but act like we're on the same level?
I watch as these people cheat on their boyfriends/girlfriends, fianceés, or husbands/wives. How can you do that and even begin to dictate how my marriage will fail? Apparently, you don't know me at all. I don't need to cheat on my husband to be happy. I married him because this is the person I want to stick by for the rest of my life. It wasn't so I would have someone to come home to after having escapades with other men behind his back. What kind of sick world do we live in where people can't be faithful to each other?
Another thing that bothers me are people that just jump into marriage at the drop of a hat. Granted, Jon and I had only dated 9 months before we got engaged, but it wasn't too rushed because we spent nearly everyday together. Some people get engaged sooner than that, but I have to question the people that get engaged to someone within a couple weeks or less of dating them and knowing them. How could you possibly know this is a person you want to spend forever with? I didn't have all the information I needed to make that kind of decision about Jon within a week or two of knowing him. I'd just barely known his last name and favorite color by that point. I guess I have no place to judge, but I just don't understand.
My wish would be for everyone to take marriage and relationships as seriously as I do or as seriously as they're intended to be taken. We've gotten so off-course over the years, and it's just getting worse and worse by the minute. I can't stand to watch people I know making the problem in society worse. Where I used to just see celebrities or people from afar committing these acts, I'm now in close contingency with these people, and it saddens me.
I don't need marital advice from individuals who aren't on the right track with their own relationships. Spare me.
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