Monday, April 4, 2011

Update on The Possible Thief

 
This is about the guy from last week that looked suspicious around our salad bar.

Appears he wandered around the store for quite a while collecting items. But, then he went through a register and paid for every single thing!

Head Cashier told me he still made everyone nervous and  that they were very surprised when he paid. The feeling is he may have been checking the store out and decided to be honest. This time.

* * * * *

When I go to work, I get in a zone. I sit in my car for a few minutes to get my mind in the game and then I head in for my shift. I get into customer/performing mode. I am especially like that when I actually have a customer. I ease off a little between customers but when there is one at my register they are my priority. I try to tune out everything else.

We have a few new people, again, and I was lucky enough to have one next to me the other day. I was to sort of keep an eye on him and help when needed. Problem was that he was at the next register to my left, which meant that when we were working his back was to me. I have difficulty hearing when I can't see a person's face. Its probably from all those years working under a huge fan. Anyway, every once in a while he'd ask me to help him with a code or a procedure.

Now, I tend to get involved in my job and am not really good at trying to do my work and someone else's at the same time. Add in the hearing disability, the background muzac, the ambient sounds and noises, and its no wonder I forgot to give someone their cash back.

CRAP ! ! ! ! ! !

This means, I am once again, green boxed.

Side note: If you make a mistake of under $10.00 on your tray you are red boxed. That means you are audited, whether scheduled to be or not, the next day you come in to work .

If you make a mistake of over $10.00 then you are green boxed. That means you are on audit for the next two weeks, starting the day after the mistake.

Don't you think that the red box should be the longer sentence?

Anyway, what I don't like is that now I have to be 'counseled.' That means I get called into the office by the boss and told I have to be more careful, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.

I can beat myself up pretty darn good without being told that I should. I HATE to make a mistake. I have very high standards for my work and accidentally cheating a customer out of money is a BIG one.

I also don't like the fact that the reason this happened was because I couldn't seem to handle the kid asking me question after question and for me allowing it to disrupt my work.

To be fair he had some pretty odd things to ask me, but I find that when I get into my work I can't just switch to the other person's problem. I have to stop for a second, think of what I am being asked, answer or explain, then get back to where I was with my own customer.

I think with all the back and forth and the fact that I had to have him repeat himself, plus he would turn his back to look at his own computer and I couldn't hear him clearly, I just plain forgot to give the money.

This happened last Wednesday. I was in Saturday and the boss was walking around behind me with his clipboard. Way to make me nervous guy!!

I am not sure what he was doing but I was half way expecting the old "So and So" wants to see you.  I hate walking over to that office.

You already feel bad enough about making a mistake, and letting yourself down. Why do I have to be reprimanded about it? That is why it is called a mistake!! If I'd known I was doing it then it would be called an "on purpose".

I am going in this afternoon, and will probably be 'counseled' today. I would prefer to just say "Look, I know I made a mistake. I was being yapped at by another cashier and it distracted me. I had a little trouble getting back to my own mind set. Can I go back to work now?"

We'll see.