Where have I been ? ? ? ? ! ! ! ! !

Wow, I sure took a long time off. What up with that?

Its now coming into the time of year where we get our huge influx of students. Should be at its worst this weekend. Thank goodness I'm not working. I would rather work three Christmases back to back than work the week prior to the 'RETURN OF THE STUDENTS'.


But to be fair I'd rather work student return time than work Easter. Now THAT is some holiday. The orders are always over $300.00, sometimes over $400.00. And so many people. And stressed???!!!. It is such an important time of the year and so many people get together. More so, than at Thanksgiving and Christmas.


I just realized SO busy because of being closed on Good Friday AND Easter Sunday. So everyone has to cram their shopping into those few days. And, because a lot of what they want has to be fresh, they are left with Saturday!!!

Wow it only took me four years to figure that out.

* * * * *

We have a few new cashiers in. One has worked at a grocery store before and has five years experience. So she just has to learn the finer points of our 'system'. She's good with customers which is important to me.  Bagging...??? not so sure on. I'll have to watch a little longer.

* * * * *

Okay now to the part where I bitch. (might as well. I get told this is more of a complaint forum than anything).


We had this bus that we apparently rented to bring elderly people to the store to shop. I think it was once a month, but I don't know. (I'll check and add the info later).


Anyway, I had an early shift yesterday so was there for these people to come in. I was told to remind them that this was the last day for the bus.

?????


Turns out, we can't afford it anymore. It doesn't bring in enough money. Okay, I understand that. One of the patrons asked how they could keep the bus going and was told "fill the bus". Its a friggin big city transit bus! ! ! ! ! !


How about looking into renting a smaller one? We have a rest home near us that has a bus supplied by a local business owner. Could we maybe rent that? How about a DARTS bus? They are small buses that will deliver people door to door for the same price as the regular bus. What about even approaching a car dealer and asking them if they would want to volunteer their services once a month?


Granted, there are maybe only ten or twelve people using this service, but at least they were using it. SO now we gain the money we were spending on the bus, but lose the money the customers spent in our store. Not to mention the bad publicity of them losing this service. Which do you think will cause more of an image issue????


Oh, by the way, we had coffee and cake out for them. Sorry, but to me you might as well have thrown a pie in their faces.

* * * * *

And last, but not least, there is still no sign that they will put one of our stores in the place I suggested. I KNOW they can make money there. There is N O T H I N G else along that length of roadway.

Do they seriously think customers will stay?????? (or, WTF)

Today was another pleasant day at the grocery store.

I had a customer before I even had my tray set up. That's okay. Things were quiet for a little while then the students came in for lunch. Well, they must have brought their friends with them!!

There must have been a hundred of them. Only about 75% spent money, but apparently, when you're a teenager you MUST shop with an entourage. They are quite talkative as well. It gets pretty loud, I'll tell you.

Now, when the students are in we also tend to have some adult customers who have chosen lunch time to get their grocery shopping done. Its usually people that work in the area and run over on the lunch hour. That's fine. I like to be busy.

Notice I said busy!! Not run off my friggin' feet! At one point I looked up and the line up was halfway down the aisle!

I called for another cashier. No one came. Now, we had one on express and two that were on regular cash, plus one person in the office. The Express girl had to take a lunch so, the girl on 4 moves to one and I stay where I am.

Great. Now all the people that have more than 8 items are stuck in my big line. This is NOT the first time that I have not had support while I was being rushed off my feet. I HATE to have customers waiting. I still did not get another cashier. So I called again. Well, now I get a page pick up the white phone. I am very busy and don't really have the time to answer the freakin' phone, but I do. As I grab it, I end up pushing the speaker button. Unfortunately the words that came over the whole store intercom were "what you see is what you get."

OUCH!

I knew that it was meant as 'the hours have been cut so much that we don't HAVE anyone else', but that is NOT the way it sounded to the customers. I was not aware it went over the speaker until my next customer mentioned what a good job I was doing and that 'what you see is what you get' seemed rather harsh.

I agree.

I know people have to take their breaks and lunches, but why in heaven's name would you have 50% of the available cashiers on lunch  ? ? ? ? ? ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! NO ONE available for back up.

I kept apologizing to my customers and explained to them that they should fill out a customer comment card. I told them it would be appreciated. The management does NOT appear to want to listen to us, but they sure as hell better start listening to customers.

We are not just chasing them away but are going after them with a big burning club. Also we are pissing a lot of people off with this buggy crap. First off they sprung the 25 cent deposit on them overnight. No warning that we were switching or anything. No signs outside, just suddenly a gadget that you have to stick  a quarter in to unlock your buggy. THEN, we have three different SIZES of buggies. They are a bugger to put away as they will only nest with another buggy of equal size.

* * * * *

And I know prices are going up, but seriously, a 15% increase overnight?? They are starting to sound like the oil companies. A lot of items that are on sale are coming off the sale with a higher price tag on them. Do they really think people won't notice? I hear it at the counter all the time.

Now, I have heard from my customers that the cashiers at the 'enemy' have pretty much a rude lot of cashiers. BUT the difference is, that they have enough cashiers.

Most people want to get home after work. So where do you think they will go? They actually spend more for lots of items at the other store but they do NOT wait in long line-ups.

They had better turn this around pretty soon.  And they are going to miss out on the opportunity to open a store where I suggested.

Apparently they prefer to sit on their butts and wait for the world to revolve around them.

Good Night ! ! ! ! ? ? ? ? ? ?

Why is management so STUPID ?

Remember a couple of weeks ago that there was a late afternoon shift I worked where they had the girl on express and myself working? No other 'regular' cashiers. Sure there were the head cashier and the customer service girl but they have lots of other stuff to do besides help us out.

What had happened is that a girl who was supposed to come in called in sick and the powers that be decided not to replace her. It being summer and all, hours are being cut.

Okay, but how stupid do you have to be to cut them over the supper rush????

Anyway, I get a phone call yesterday afternoon, could I come in ASAP? I told them the earliest I could make it and that was okay. I show up and it was just like the last time. They had, only two cashiers, a snobby girl on express, and a newbie on regular cash. So I was called in for backup. When I get there and am talking to head cashier, come to find out that they will probably be in trouble for even calling me in.

One customer was smart enough to see me heading for the register so he was already there, waiting. So I get to my register, open up, and .... it starts. In no time the customers caught on and from then until three hours later it was nuts. Customer after customer.

I had said at the beginning of the shift that I would prefer to only stay until I wasn't 'needed' any more. That was fine as long as it was my choice. Legally they have to offer me 4 hours minimum. But I was okay with just staying as long as needed. After two hours or so, even though I am only staying three I was 'supposed' to take a break. I looked up and there were so many customers lined up, I asked if I could stay. I didn't need a break for that short of a time and I really, really can't leave with all those people waiting. It is part of my work ethic I guess.

So, in spite of me staying, we actually had two people leave. Two lost customers ! ! ! ? ?  They only have to do the 'tell two people, who'll tell two people' thing before management kills off our customer base. Its freaking summer time. We need every customer we can get. The university and high schools and college near us have pretty much closed down for the summer. That represents a huge amount of customers.

I am not there many hours anymore but I have actually in the past two shifts talked to three people who were in our store for the first time, two of them last night ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

So what kind of an impression do they get if they have to wait a lllloooonnnngggg time to be served?
What kind of impression do they get if the cashiers are so overworked that they are rude, frustrated, and slow?
What kind of impression do they get if there are mistakes at the register and we call to have a price check and no one answers?
What kind of impression do they get when they want to find something, or ask a question or, for that matter, just get customer service and they can't because she is on a register with a huge line up?

A bad one, that's what.

I was able to talk to several people and explained that they need to fill out customer comment cards in order for the management to listen. We can tell them all we want but they don't put any value to our input. Bottom line is the big thing. That is what they care about and apparently all they care about. No wonder more and more people are going to the store over the highway and paying more for the same products and having to deal with rude cashiers as well.

I really wish I could get somewhere there to listen to me. And this stupid place has still not made a move to build a store in the area I told them would be a sure winner. (a vacant lot and no grocery stores for a long stretch of road)

 * * * * *
And the answer to the question is: I just don't know.
* * * * *
After all, I am ONLY an employee. What could I know? 

Karma's a BITCH ! ! ! ! !

So there I am, minding my own business, checking through groceries and talking to the customer. Things are pretty good until . . . . .

 An older lady comes through and, as is typical, had her purse in the spot you'd put a child in. Down below her purse is an envelope, just sitting there. We are asked to clean out flyers etc, from the buggies as they go through our lanes, in order that the papers don't blow all over the parking lot. I picked up the envelope and asked the lady if it was hers. She said no, double checked her purse and again said no. I am about to throw the envelope out when I think maybe I should look inside. WOW ! ! !  $100.00 bill.

I asked the woman again if she was sure. I even showed her what was in the envelope, Again she said no. Very honest!

So I call over head cashier dujour and tell her what happened. She asked me a couple of times how it "went down" and then said that I should be getting it back if no one claimed it within two weeks. I thought that was good timing as I have been wondering why I even work anymore.

Sidebar: It used to be that what I made paid for the insurance, fuel and groceries for us. Now it is barely enough to pay for fuel only 


I mean where and when the hell does it stop.! ! ! ! ! ! ! Its at the point where, if I quit, we don't really lose anything other than transportation for me. 


So anyway, that happened one evening. The next shift I worked I was told that the money would not come to me. That it was considered 'found' money and belonged to the store.

WTF???????

I don't think that is fair or a very good idea. I think it will just teach people to keep their mouth shut and pocket it. That's what I plan on doing. I STILL get paid minimum wage after over 4 years working there. And now, because I was HONEST, you tell me I don't even get that little reward!!!!!????

If it happens again, in the pocket it goes. If its a large amount like I found this time I will tell someone and then take it to the police station and give it to them along with the story.

* * * * * 

Not two days later on, one of the young cashiers took a P H O N Y  $100.00 bill. I had a chance to touch it and knew right away that it was a fake. Then I did my eye ball test. There is some very finely written words at the very bottom of the swirl that goes across the bill. Now they are very, very tiny but can be read with the naked eye. That is one of the first things to deteriorate when they photo shop it. That line was just a blotch of ink when you looked at it closely. Plus the paper did not feel the way it should. It was too soft, like old, old blue jeans.

So I'm not sure what happened to that cashier. Whether they'll be red-boxed, (audit for next time you work) or green boxed (you are audited every shift you work for two weeks), will be interesting.

Anyway, I think it is really great that the company that made over eighty MILLION last year is losing their $100.00 'gain'. And I still make minimum wage ! ! ! And WE are unionized! ! ! !

Karma IS a BITCH.

By the way, why did I not even receive a thank you from SOMEone???? Not really a nice way to treat your employees. Also, I know for a fact that several customers have told the boss how much they think of me as a cashier, mainly because they tell me they talked to him. So why is it that I have not heard a word about this; but you accidentally forget to give a customer their money for cash back, the powers that be are calling you in to the office for 'counseling'.

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.

Talk about a FULL service grocery store ! ! ! ! !

So.

As is typical, the day I am NOT there something really weird happens.

It was later in the evening and it involved one of our head cashiers. She was busy working away on a register when this sketchy looking guy comes through. He had very intense looking eyes and made her nervous right off the bat. He doesn't have any groceries but he is REALLY looking at her. Now, she is very attractive but he didn't seem to be looking at her in that way.

Then he says:

"I'm homeless."

She says that she's very sorry but at this time of the night there is nothing she can do to help. He can't really stay in the store. Then she says she doesn't have the authority to give him any food and the hot foods counter is closed down already or she would buy him something.

He says:

"You're not listening to me. I'm homeless."

Now she says, well we don't have any money. It is all in the safe and I can't get to it.

He says: "That's not what I meant."

Now she begins to suspect the worst. She is very pretty. She is basically alone in the store as it is down to a skeleton staff for overnight and they are still upstairs getting ready for their shift.

So she says: "Well, I'm not here by myself. There are other people here."

Then he says:

"I want to turn myself in!"

She is not sure at first what he means by this.

As he grabs her around the fore arm, he says, almost right in her face, and very seriously:

"You're not listening to me. I want to turn myself in!"

Taken aback, she sort of stumbles a bit and says "oh, OH!!
Well, you wait here and I'll go take care of that."

She gets the stand-in manager for the evening and tells him. They call the police, go to look for him and at first they think he has left. As they get to the front of the store again, they see he is sitting very patiently on the bags of rock salt at the front window, waiting quietly.

Within minutes, three police cruisers arrive and they take him away. Unfortunately, we don't know what his problem was or whether he was unbalanced, or really wanted, or any number of other things that cross your mind as you regain your composure.

* * * * *

Then not three days later, just as I am signing my audit slip at the front service desk, I spot this guy walking around by our salad bar. INSTANTLY, the 'nutbar' alarm goes off and I start to watch him. He sees me and says 'hi" and has this big goofy grin on his face.

I mention it to my head cashier, who happened to be the same young lady as in the previous incident. We are both watching now and he looks over, again, and walks towards us. He asks if, with the salad bar, can you just pick the things you want to eat?

Yes, she says, it is charged by the weight. With that he starts to walk back towards the salad bar and then makes a left turn towards the back of the store. Then he reverses himself, says he needs something to carry the salad in and goes to get a basket (?) at the front of the store.

We think he is leaving as he gets near the door, but no he comes back and heads towards the back of the store. HC calls for the manager in charge and tells him, and they alert everyone (meaning floor staff) to keep an eye on this guy.

I had to go punch out and when I come back I am walking beside the lady manager of the hot foods counter. Now she tells me that he went by her and said something that she couldn't quite understand and then made some guttural sounds at her. She left because he gave her the creeps, and it was the best thing to do.

Unfortunately, I had to leave for home so I don't know what happened next.

Part of me hopes something happened, even if it is just that he left the store without anything. I'd be disappointed if my 'spidey senses' were OFF. Relieved that nothing happened, but still a little concerned that my radar may have been out of whack.


I should get some news today.

I hope.

HOLY CARP ! ! ! ! !

Walked into the store the other day to get my schedule and a couple of items that were still on sale.

Surprise, surprise!!!

It now costs a quarter to rent one of our buggies. We have had a continuing problem of students (mostly foreign) walking off the lot with our buggies. Great but when you come back the next time you can't bring the damn thing back????!!!!

This has gotten a lot worse since we started charging for bags. The won't give you the 5 cents for a bag, but they feel perfectly fine about walking away with a $100.00 - $200.00 buggy ? ?

You can tell who is going to take off with them, though. For the first few years I never really said or did anything, but now that I am confident, or maybe over confident, about keeping my job I will ask them if they are driving. If they say yes I say "that's good, 'cause I'd hate to see you trying to get this stuff home like that." Now this is assuming that they even answer, because they are notoriously rude about making any conversation. I know you are uncomfortable with the language, but why did you come here to study then? I'm not being rude to you.

If they say no, then I ask them if they are aware that they can't take the buggy off the property. They get this 'deer in the headlights' look and tell me that they weren't going to do that.

Yeah??? Then how come if I am watch you out the front window I see you taking the thing across the road and down to the apartments???

Huh?? Tell me the answer to that one, you buggy thief !

* * * * *

I actually got like this because I really don't like theft. Really, really don't. I stole something as a child because I HAD to have this little, white plastic horse. After I got home, the guilt set in. I didn't enjoy my horse. I couldn't play with him. Whenever I was in that same store I was POSITIVE they were watching me. It scared the bejeebers out of me that they may catch me! ! ! I was sure I would do LIFE ! !

That little horse taught me how bad it is to steal. Probably it was really my conscience, but EVERY single time I looked at my little horse, I felt G U I L T Y.

Anyway, I don't like stealing. It is a horrible thing to do. I once had someone that I thought was a friend, steal a whole collection of miniature collie statues from my house when I wasn't there. It was one of the most impotent moments of my life.

You can't call any one. They're only priceless to me.
You can't confront the thieves, because they have suddenly disappeared from your life.
You can't replace the statues because they were something that is not made any more.
You have lost the enjoyment you had from knowing that you had either bought them all with your own 'little girl' money or your Mom had bought them for you.

And worst of all was the fact that they had all come from an area of my childhood that I hold most dear. It was the spot we went for many summer vacations and stayed in a housekeeping cottage by the Atlantic Ocean.

* * * * *

Back to the buggy story.

Where I think our store made a huge mistake was in not telling the customers, or at the very least putting up a sign, before hand. It was just one day you're getting a buggy for free, the next day you have to have a quarter. The reason this is a big deal is that most of our customers are either parents or grandparents. Parents almost always use a credit or debit card, and grandparents don't have any change because they have taken it out at home for the grandkids ! ! It would have been so much easier to have put up signs saying 'effective such and such we regret that we will have to charge for buggies'.

SSSSSSOOOOOOOO, we have had a fair number of angry customers. We have asked them to fill out a comment card that will go to head office, rather than to tell us. The powers that be will listen to customers before they will ever listen to employees telling them what the customers say.

* * * * *

The problem as I see it, is that 25 cents isn't a lot of money to pay for a buggy to get your groceries home.