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Bad traffic, Busy Work, Picnic tomorrow
Aug. 2nd, 2003 01:16 amI knew work was off to a good start when traffic was backed up on the parkway north, and when I got to 66W, it was so slow that I and several others never left the entrance/exit lane, but instead just looped on back to Parkway South to find another route. Braddock west was decent, but I still got to work half an hour late--I didn't call in, I figured they'd know from all the other afternoons I've called in late, I was right. :P (I don't understand people who consistently drive several miles per hour -below- the speed limit, for several miles, on a clear day with clear roads. :P)
Work was insanely busy, and for some crack-addled reason, they only scheduled me and Ross for the afternoon/evening/closing. Thus, whenever one of us was away from the department, the other was swamped--at one point, I had at least five people waiting for my assistance with Ross nowhere to be found. (As it turns out, he was on his break, which ran longer than intended because his insurance wouldn't renew his blood pressures meds one day early, and he's leaving for his vacation tomorrow, so things went slowly.) These facts combined meant that I didn't get to take my 6pm break until after 8.
Also while at work, during a brief (2-minute) respite, I paged Ross to see if I could go on break, and Michelle (the only other manager on) answered with a "Ross is on break--come on back and I'll give you a couple soda cards to get some chips and a soda." She also gave me a few cards for some other employees via Jessica (the cashier), and was told to pass on a message that there was a group of Scary People with a "sharpei in therapy" (read: violent and not well-trained) who needed a pinch collar. They'd selected one, and Michelle suggested they might try to leave without paying for it--they often bring in returns, but not too many purchases, and are overall white-trash-sketchy. (I was also charged with passing a few soda cards (for good service) to Jessica for herself and some other associates, plus two for me A bit later, I was fetching a gerbil for a girl, and the first one they wanted was vicious, chomped my finger--a gerbil! gerbils don't bite! At least, I'd never been bitten by one. I called him a "fucker!", tossed him back in, and went to sanitize and band-aid myself before helping further, tossing the habitat keys on the counter as I walked off (and mentioning that I'd be back in a minute.)
When I got back, the mother berated me for something or other--I thought it was for swearing in front of her daughter, so I i offered a "Sorry." and proceeded to be my regular good customer servant and get them a different gerbil who was as nice as usual. Much later, Michelle explained that this woman had complained to her that I'd "thrown the keys at her daughter", which we both agreed was ridiculous--there's no way tossing them on the counter, no harder than usual, could be interpreted that way. (This is the same family who was telling their kids that they were going to get a "fucking beating" when they got home, for whatever reason.) :P :P
After we closed it was fine--still understaffed (two cashiers, one stocker, one specialty, two managers)--but much more tolerable than "crazy busy." Of course, the cashier that left early neglected to put away one of the adoptable cats, and didn't lock up any of the cages. Fortunately, the cat to be retrieved was very good-tempered, just played an immobile lump very well.
Tomorrow, I work 8-4 on my modified schedule, then head out to Broad Run--preferably by motorcycle, weather-permitting, but by truck otherwise--for Bill Ryerson's 6th Annual Seal & Serpent Picnic, which officially starts at 3. I've had to miss it every other year, due to a) not being in Seal yet, or b) not being in the NoVA area over the summer, so I'm pleased to be getting to go this year. :)
(And now I've been on the phone with Melody for over an hour--she's at a friend's place for the night, not online, and into her cell's "free minutes" period. :D)
Also, Cox has been sucking today--keeps dropping the connection, which means my computer takes a minute to renew its IP address even if it regains the connection immediately. Otherwise it might take five or ten minutes, and a modem power-cycle doesn't help. Grrr.
Work was insanely busy, and for some crack-addled reason, they only scheduled me and Ross for the afternoon/evening/closing. Thus, whenever one of us was away from the department, the other was swamped--at one point, I had at least five people waiting for my assistance with Ross nowhere to be found. (As it turns out, he was on his break, which ran longer than intended because his insurance wouldn't renew his blood pressures meds one day early, and he's leaving for his vacation tomorrow, so things went slowly.) These facts combined meant that I didn't get to take my 6pm break until after 8.
Also while at work, during a brief (2-minute) respite, I paged Ross to see if I could go on break, and Michelle (the only other manager on) answered with a "Ross is on break--come on back and I'll give you a couple soda cards to get some chips and a soda." She also gave me a few cards for some other employees via Jessica (the cashier), and was told to pass on a message that there was a group of Scary People with a "sharpei in therapy" (read: violent and not well-trained) who needed a pinch collar. They'd selected one, and Michelle suggested they might try to leave without paying for it--they often bring in returns, but not too many purchases, and are overall white-trash-sketchy. (I was also charged with passing a few soda cards (for good service) to Jessica for herself and some other associates, plus two for me A bit later, I was fetching a gerbil for a girl, and the first one they wanted was vicious, chomped my finger--a gerbil! gerbils don't bite! At least, I'd never been bitten by one. I called him a "fucker!", tossed him back in, and went to sanitize and band-aid myself before helping further, tossing the habitat keys on the counter as I walked off (and mentioning that I'd be back in a minute.)
When I got back, the mother berated me for something or other--I thought it was for swearing in front of her daughter, so I i offered a "Sorry." and proceeded to be my regular good customer servant and get them a different gerbil who was as nice as usual. Much later, Michelle explained that this woman had complained to her that I'd "thrown the keys at her daughter", which we both agreed was ridiculous--there's no way tossing them on the counter, no harder than usual, could be interpreted that way. (This is the same family who was telling their kids that they were going to get a "fucking beating" when they got home, for whatever reason.) :P :P
After we closed it was fine--still understaffed (two cashiers, one stocker, one specialty, two managers)--but much more tolerable than "crazy busy." Of course, the cashier that left early neglected to put away one of the adoptable cats, and didn't lock up any of the cages. Fortunately, the cat to be retrieved was very good-tempered, just played an immobile lump very well.
Tomorrow, I work 8-4 on my modified schedule, then head out to Broad Run--preferably by motorcycle, weather-permitting, but by truck otherwise--for Bill Ryerson's 6th Annual Seal & Serpent Picnic, which officially starts at 3. I've had to miss it every other year, due to a) not being in Seal yet, or b) not being in the NoVA area over the summer, so I'm pleased to be getting to go this year. :)
(And now I've been on the phone with Melody for over an hour--she's at a friend's place for the night, not online, and into her cell's "free minutes" period. :D)
Also, Cox has been sucking today--keeps dropping the connection, which means my computer takes a minute to renew its IP address even if it regains the connection immediately. Otherwise it might take five or ten minutes, and a modem power-cycle doesn't help. Grrr.
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