Tuesday, September 27, 2011

All good things...



They say all good things must come to an end...well, I don't know how many of you think this blog is any good...but I think it has been a good thing for me and it is at the end.  I would say that my goal when I started doing this a year ago was to write about the good, the bad and the ugly of being a cashier--but mostly it was for my amusement, a creative outlet and a way to stop myself from going crazy with boredom while I was at work.  For those of you who have followed along with me and maybe even sympathized a little, I can't say thanks enough for helping to play a part in keeping my sanity!  I hope you enjoyed it or found it helpful or funny or something...

So, now all that's left is to leave you with the "wrap-up":  I finally, finally, finally got a "real" full-time legal job.  I'm a paralegal again!  I'm nervous and excited and grateful--I really don't know what to expect or if I'm even going to like the job but I think everyone goes through that when you are about to start a new job.  Bill collectors rejoice because the check is coming in the mail--Really, I mean it!

For those of you out there looking for your dream job (or any job) hang in there, don't give up and keep chasing the dream because it's out there!  For those of you stuck in a job you hate...just remember your job is what you do...it's not who you are.  If you really hate your job try to use that as motivation to try to find something better.  And most importantly...always be nice to your cashier at the grocery store.

Thanks again, guys! 

Monday, September 26, 2011

Dear Grocery Store,

After the incident I felt a little helpless.  I really felt like what had happened was wrong but I couldn't figure out what to do to make the situation any better or improve working conditions for other people.  I thought about what I wanted to do so that she wouldn't get away with behavior like this in the future.  After a while a thought to myself...well you want to be a writer so use your words and write.  I definitely knew I was going to write about it here but I also wrote a letter to people in the corporate office.  I don't know that it will have any impact or make any difference at all but it made me feel better that I had taken some sort of action.  Maybe eventually I will decide that writing a letter just isn't enough and I will go all Norma Rae but for now it's enough.  So here is a draft of the letter that I sent to the corporate office. 
 
Dear Grocery Store,

I began working at Grocery Store part time as a cashier and I recently left when I received a full-time job offer.  However, even with another full time job I might have continued to work at Grocery Store part time (maybe a few evenings a week or a weekend morning) because I need the extra money--instead I quit and I am writing to make you aware of the event that actually led to my giving 2 weeks notice. 

One evening when I came into work one of the relief managers was actually scheduled to work behind the desk as a customer service associate.  She was not scheduled as a supervisor or manager.  I came in to relieve her as the next customer service associate scheduled behind the desk.  She noticed that my shirt was not tucked in properly so she asked me to tuck it in.  As she was getting ready to leave for the day she told another employee that she "wanted to slap me in fucking face" because my shirt wasn't tucked in.  I would hope you would agree that this in NEVER an appropriate response to a disagreement or conflict between two co-workers but this came from someone that your company has chosen to place in a management position in one of your stores.  As a manager profanity and thinly veiled threats made against an employee should never be acceptable or tolerated.  Perhaps she was merely venting her anger.  Perhaps she was frustrated but a necessary part of acting in a supervisory position is the ability to communicate in a constructive and productive way even if you are frustrated by a situation.  Certainly indicating that you want to "slap someone in the fucking face" is not an effective way to resolve a problem with another employee.  After that incident I decided that I did not want to work in that type of environment anymore and I gave my two weeks notice to the store manager about a week later.

You will notice that I did not mention which store I worked at or the name of the relief manager who was involved in this incident.  The reason for that is that in spite of her inappropriate behavior my goal is not for there to be any sort of disciplinary action or to rehash the event.  Rather, my ultimate goal is to have you read this letter and seriously evaluate your process for how you select mangers of your grocery store and how you train them to interact with employees.  How your managers treat and interact with the employees in their department is important because the managers and supervisors are the face of your stores.  They set the tone for the store and they need to treat all fellow employees with respect.  I believe that when employees are treated fairly and with respect then customer service is better and I know providing good customer service is your ultimate goal. 

I hope this letter will have you begin to consider how to make Grocery Store a better place to work for all of your employees. Thank you for your time and I hope you find a way to address this situation, perhaps through training or evaluation practices so that incidents like this will not happen to any employees in the future. 

Sincerely,

Concerned Cashier

Friday, September 23, 2011

Denouement and the beginning of the end


I have a friend who is an English professor and denouement is one of his favorite literary terms.  Its official definition is "the final part of a play, movie or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved."  Synonyms are finale, ending, finish or close.  I think that each of these blog entries stands on its own but I also hope that there has been a sort of progression that has made sense or a thread that sort of somehow ties this whole thing together--maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.  This is the story of the beginning of the end of my time working at the grocery store. 

This doesn't come entirely out of the blue...over the past few weeks or month I have felt that my time at the grocery store has reached its denouement, it's natural ending point and here's why:

In addition to my job at the grocery store I also began working another job.  9:00-5:00 as an administrative assistant in a really nice office but the pay wasn't quiet enough to pay all the bills that keep rolling in so I decided I would hang onto the grocery store job.  I explained to them that I had gotten another job but that I would still be able to work 2 or 3 nights a week there.  So a few nights a week I would finish work at my "day job", duck into the bathroom to change into my grocery store clothes and hop into the car and head over to the grocery store.  Leaving the office I would almost always hit rush hour traffic so it took me a little longer to get there.  I would pull into the grocery store parking lot, dig my sneakers out of the back seat of the car, throw them on and run into the store.  I'm not really complaining about this (well maybe I am just a little bit) but I'll just say those were looonnngg days and leave it at that.  I went right from one job to the other grabbing a sandwich to eat in the car on the way and my priority was really just getting to the second job on time.

The uniform policy of the grocery store is that front end employees are supposed to wear sneakers or rubber soled shoes, black pants and the grocery store shirt, tucked in with a name tag--and I fully admit when running from one job to the other, no, I did not tuck in my shirt and I forgot my name tag about 50% of the time.  So no I didn't tuck my shirt in but I showed up on time and I did my damn job.

So on this particular day I was getting into work and I was working at the customer service desk and came face-to-face with the uniform Nazi.  The Uniform Nazi is a relief manager at the grocery store and training supervisor which means she conducts the interviews and does training with all the new employees.  There is also one or two days a week where she works behind the customer service desk as a customer service associate--which is exactly the same thing I do.  On those days we have the same job title and she is not a manager or supervisor.  Even if she is not actually working when she is just there grocery shopping she will find something wrong with the uniform you're wearing (shoes aren't right, pants are the wrong color, blah blah blah). Normally I tune her out and most of the time it wasn't a problem because I never really saw her and we never worked together.  Recently though it had been a problem because I would come in to relieve her from behind the service desk.  Here is one of my biggest problems with uniform Nazi--she is one of the fake people who smiles to your face and has a voice as sweet as pie and is chipper and cheery but when you turn your back she is a mean and spiteful old bitch.  And that is exactly what she did to me. 

First, she asked me to tuck my shirt in.  I didn't even want to engage her at all and she said it pretty quietly so initially I pretended I didn't hear her (ok, I admit that wasn't the most mature thing to do--but what the hell does she care if my shirt was tucked in since she was off the clock and she was leaving).  She asked me again to tuck it in and to avoid having to have any further conversation with her I sort of half way tucked it in (again maybe not my most mature moment but...) and she walked away.  As I was moving around my shirt came untucked and I just left it that way.  Uniform Nazi came back again and said something about it again and I told her that I had tucked it.  And at this point she is off the clock.  She was not working so what is she telling me to tuck my shirt in for?  She sort of looked at me at walked away.  She started talking to Carrie and told Carrie she wanted to "slap me in the fucking face" for not tucking in my shirt. 

Now I have a few problems with this:  First, I fully admit that I wasn't following the company uniform policy but does saying that you want to slap someone in the fucking face because their shirt isn't tucked in seem a bit excessive to anyone else?  I think maybe she needs to ask herself why an untucked shirt at a fucking grocery store upsets her so much that is threatening to slap someone?  I just don't think something that minor should set you off like that.  Am I wrong?  Second, this chick is in a supervisor/management position and this is how you handle a conflict with a co-worker?  It is never appropriate to talk that way to a co-worker but when you are a manage isn't it your job to resolve conflict in a professional and rational way.  You say you want to slap me in the fucking face?  What do you expect that to accomplish?  I will tell you that this accomplishes NOTHING!!  Does it make me tuck my shirt in?  NO it does not!  And my final thought on this is that you have to give respect to earn respect in return.  You talk like that and you have not earned my respect.  As a matter of fact now my shirt will never be tucked in again just to piss you off.  Finally, I think/ know the store has bigger problems to worry about then whether or not my shirt is tucked in.  Like off the top of my head...just as an example...employees showing up to work high.  I'm not making this up.  There are quiet a few other things too...that was just the one that came to me right away.  So I feel like in the grand scheme of things my shirt is the least of your problems.  When everything else in that store is operating exactly the way it is supposed to, then feel free to come back and talk to me about my shirt.

And that was it...the straw that broke the camel's back.  I put in my two weeks notice about a week later.  Will I ever work in grocery store again?  Well never say never...who knows what will happen in the future but whatever job I end up doing I know that I am willing to work hard but I also know that all employees deserve just a basic level of respect. I remind myself that 98% of the people I have worked with are good, decent people and that the miserable, terrible, horrible people only make up a very small 2%.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Catch 22


As I was searching through countless job postings I noticed that recently many of the jobs I was looking at that I would be really interested in required 5-7 years of experience.  It seems like a classic Catch 22 situation to me.  I didn't have 5-7 years experience because I couldn't find a job.  But how was I supposed to get the experience when I couldn't find a job because no one would hire me because I didn't have enough experience.  It just sort of goes round and round.  I was wondering if recent graduates or people thinking about changing careers are coming across the same roadblock?  Is this happening to you too?  How do you overcome the lack of experience problem? 

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

(Giving) blood, sweat and tears


I was recently reading a book about looking for a job.  It said that doing a "self-assessment" was important when looking for a job.  Doing an honest evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses helps in finding a job that is the best fit for you.  So here goes:

I am not a genius but I am not totally stupid.  I am well-educated and articulate (I hope).  I am friendly and I like to help people.  I am terrible at math.  I have much less tolerance for rude and ignorant people then I used to.  I am willing to work hard.  I am punctual.  So listing these qualities I would think that I would be able to find a fairly decent job out there...somewhere.  As I have mentioned (numerous times) before my hours at the grocery store had become increasingly erratic and I have been looking for another job--either a second part time job or (preferably) a full time job.  I spend time on the Internet sending out job applications and resumes.  I have been on a few job interviews...blah, blah blah.

I recently went on an interview at an office supply store.  The interview actually went really well.  They asked me the pretty standard questions.  I was intereviewed by two store managers and they really seemed to like the answers I gave to their questions.  I told them about my customer service experience and I told them how much I really loved office supplies (which is acutally 100% totally true--I can't explain it).  They asked me what my availability was and I told them.  It all seemed like it would be a pretty good fit.  So then the manager, Sara, says "the next step in the hiring process is the drug screening and then we can have you come in for training."  She said that every person has to take a drug test before they get hired.  Now, first I would just like to state for the record that I don't take drugs.  I don't even take Tylenol when I have a headache.  I don't take medicine when I have a cold.  My point is that I had no reason not to take a drug test--other then the fact that it is incredibly invasive, demeaning and offensive.  What the company is saying (before a potential new employee has even started working there) is that right from the start we are going to assume that you are using drugs and you have to prove to us that you are not.  Well, sorry buddy I'm not going to give you a blood sample or pee in a cup or whatever it is you have to do for a job selling office supplies at $8.15 an hour.  Has everyone lost their fucking minds?!?  I would just be a cashier ringing up paperclips and binders.  I'm not performing brain surgery here people. 

So I sat there for a second wondering what would happen next.  Sara handed me a business card with the name, address and phone number of a lab that was "right up the street" where they did the drug testing.  I took the card and said thank you.  She said, "Great.  After you go just give me a call and I can schedule to come back for training."  I smiled and said it was nice to meet them and walked out to the car.  I got into the drivers seat flipping the card around in my hand.  I was desperate for a job...but how desperate?  I went for a drive and when I got out of the car I threw the business card away.  I decided that there is a lot I am willing to put up with during my job search but I don't have to prove to anyone before I have even started working there that I don't use drugs.  Any palce that wants a blood sample is just not a place that I want to work.

Since the interview I have been asking myself 'Am I being too picky?'  'As I am looking for a new job are my standards and expectations too high?'  Well, the answers still aren't 100% clear to me but I guess I just have to go with my gut.  I didn't go back to the office supply store.  Maybe I'm willing to give sweat and tears to a job but not my blood.  It's just too degrading. 

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

When it rains its pours...



My sister had visited for the weekend.  She was taking the train back into the city on Monday and I took her to the train station.  The train station is up the road from the house (like a 5 minute drive).  I figured I would run her up to the train station and turn right back around.  I was so confident that I would be right back that I threw on jeans, an oversized t-shirt (aka my pajamas) and flip flops and left the house with just my car keys--no purse, no cell phone, nada.  The sky was an ominous gray--if you don't know where I'm going with this yet, don't worry--I'll get there.  While we were waiting at the station for the train I turned the car engine off but had the radio on.  Before you start with the lectures--I know, I know this uses up the battery!  But I figured we would just be waiting there for a few minutes and that it would be ok.  After we were waiting there for a while I turned the car off completely.  We sat in the car talking for a few minutes and finally the train pulled up into the station.  My sister got out of the car and got onto the train.  As the train was pulling away I turned the key in the ignition and heard the dreaded click, click, click of a dead car battery.  Right on cue it started pouring down rain.  Now just to refresh your memory--I didn't have my purse or cell phone (see above about how I thought I would just run my sister right to the train station and turn around and go right back home) so my only option was to walk back to the house in the rain.  Cursing myself and mother nature I took (or more like angrily snatched) the umbrella from the back of the car and started to trek in the rain, back home.  (As a side note I normally wouldn't even mind having to walk back home except as I had mentioned earlier I was practically in pajamas and didn't exactly have walking shoes on).  I had only been walking a minute or two and I and was wondering what I had done in a past life for my luck to be so bad when a car pulled up next to me with the driver calling my name.  I glanced up and saw it was a neighbor.  He asked if I needed a ride back to the house and I very gratefully said sure.  As he was driving back to the house I explained the whole, sad story to him.  He dropped me off at the house.  I was wet and stressed and worried about how the hell I would be able to come up with the extra money to pay for a new car battery.  I took a deep breath grabbed my cell phone--lying right where I had a left it on the bed by my purse--to call AAA.  I saw that I had a voicemail.  I impatiently grabbed the phone.  It was an attorney calling about a resume I had submitted.  So here I was dripping, cranky, with a dead car battery but I had to put on a happy face and call this attorney back.  So I set the wheels in motion (pun slightly intended) to have AAA get my car moving again and then called Mr. Attorney back.  Before I called him back I pulled up the cover letter and resume I sent him--I had sent it 2 weeks ago--which I think is like 10 years in dog years in calling back after you've submitted a resume!  I had forgotten what the job was even for.  So there I was trying to sound happy, professional and juggle that with AAA and the car battery.

Everything happens all at once...or when it rains, it pours (sometimes literally).  But I have an interview scheduled for tomorrow and we'll see what happens.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Show and tell...

So I have a job interview scheduled...yaa hoo!  I had had a few other interviews but this one seemed to be the most promising.  The job was for a full-time paralegal and the position was posted on Craigslist--since it was on Craigslist I didn't know the name of the firm ahead of time.  The other interviews I had were for part-time legal assistant work and I was really looking for a full-time gig.  The office manager called to schedule an interview and to gave me the details I would need.  After I got off the phone I quickly went online to research the firm.  It was a firm with a very good reputation in the city.  I decided to get to the interview, rather then trying to fight the traffic and one-way streets and circling the block trying to find parking I would take the train--good old, reliable public transportation.  I took the train and got there with no problems.  Much to my surprise the train didn't break down on the way there and I didn't get lost--actually having worked in the city before I found the office pretty easily.  OK...so far, so good.

I went into the lobby, smiled at the receptionist and told her I was there for a meeting with the attorneys.  I sat in the lobby for a few minutes making small talk with the receptionist/office manager and trying not to fidget.  I won't bore you with the details of the interview (unless you ask later).  I met with one of the partners first and I liked him right away.  We did the standard interview...tell me a little bit about yourself and this is what the job would be...blah, blah, blah.  Overall the interview was pretty short and sweet.

When the interview was over, I smiled, thanked them...you all know the drill.  When I left the office building I grabbed my cell to check the time and I realized the next train back home was leaving in 15 minutes.  the office building was a little bit of a hike from the train station so I got moving as fast as my short little legs in heels would carry me.  When I got to the train station I glanced at the board that showed the departing trains and saw that my train was leaving...now!  I raced through the train station and down the stairs to the platform.  As I hauled ass down the stairs I saw the train sitting there.  
 
I literally hopped on to the train.  Whew!  Just made it.  But you know it couldn't be that easy, right?  I found a seat, took a deep breath.  As the train pulled out the station I glanced down and noticed that one of the buttons on my blouse was undone--showing my sensible cotton bra.  All I could do the whole train ride back home was hope that the button had come undone as I was rushing to the train station and that it hadn't been undone for any part of the interview--because talk about a bad time to have a wardrobe malfunction...

Friday, September 16, 2011

Can you hear me now and other frustrating parts of applying for a job out of state?

I guess you just have to be prepared for this because it is an inevitable part of the job application process--but that doesn't make it any less frustrating!

I had been searching for paralegal jobs in Pennsylvania (specifically in the Philadelphia area) but to say that I have been unsuccessful would be putting it mildly.  It got me thinking that there was really nothing tying me down here so why not be open to job opportunities in other states?  I have dreamed of living and working in Washington, D.C for a loooonngg time so I started applying for jobs in Washington, D.C and Virginia.  I assumed that most employers would be curious about someone from Pennsylvania applying for a job in D.C so I decided that I would address that concern right up front.  I stated as clearly as possible in the first few sentences of my cover letter that I currently resided in the suburbs of Philadelphia but that I had responded to the job posting because I was specifically interested in the job.  I also mentioned that I had  researched the area and planned on relocating to Washington, D.C.--which was the truth (as long as I could find a job). 

Well, I admit it--I didn't hear back from like 98% of the places that I submitted my resume to--se la vie!  So when I submitted my resume responding to a job posting for a paralegal in Washington, D.C I really wasn't expecting too much.  Imagine how excited I was when I checked my e-mail a few hours later and I had an e-mail from someone at the law firm!  It was an e-mail from the Director of Operations.  My excitement deflated and quickly turned to frustration as I skimmed the e-mail.  It said. "We received your resume.  I noticed you were from out of state.  Were you planning to relocate here?"  The e-mail went on to inform me that the company did not reimburse for relocation expenses.

There was a part of me that was trying to be understanding.  The Director of Operations must be shifting through stacks and stacks of cover letters and resumes.  In sorting through all the applicants it could be easy to overlook what I had said in the cover letter about wanting to relocate to the area.  The other part of me was extremely frustrated.  It made me feel like she had obviously not read my cover letter AT ALL.  Apparently it had been a huge waste of time when I had taken the time to draft a cover letter that clearly states in the first few sentences that I was planning to relocate to the area.  It wasn't like the information was buried somewhere in the cover letter--it was one of the first sentences in the first paragraph of my cover letter.  So I was sort of frustrated when she asked if I was planning on relocating.  It left me wondering--had I been unclear in some way about my intentions to move or had she just not read my cover letter at all. 

I also recently had a telephone interview.  I figured I would write about it because in today's job market some times people looking for jobs aren't finding anything in the "local" job market and are considering other, out-of-state opportunities--so it makes perfect sense to do a phone interview before having someone take all the time and expense of traveling from another state.  I have had a few telephone interviews before but this is the first phone interview with such a large, nationally-recognized firm with offices across the country.  I got the interview using "my trusty" send resume and do follow up phone call method.  It had worked and I got an e-mail response from the office manager scheduling a preliminary phone interview with 2 attorneys in the office.  I was nervous, especially since I really didn't know what to expect.

Well, let me tell you when they say preliminary, they mean preliminary!  The whole interview took about 15 minutes--just a basic introduction to the office and a few questions about my background and experience.  There were two attorneys who conducted the interview but one of them really did all of talking.  At the end of the conversation the attorney told me that the hiring process takes about two weeks and I would be hearing from someone in the office.  I couldn't really tell if that was just a polite brush off--the law firm equivalent of, "don't call us, we'll call you."  Or if I really will hear back from someone in the office in a week or two.  That's one of the drawbacks of the telephone interview--you can't read people's body language or make eye contact with the person conducting the interview.  But the next day I sent a follow-up thank you e-mail and crossed my fingers, hoping for the best.

But at the very least it was a good experience and good practice.  It reminded me that I willing to put myself out there and be open to a variety of different job opportunities.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Maybe there's a reason...


Yesterday I talked a bit about the benefits of following up after submitting a resume by having a face-face or a phone conversation with someone in the office.  However, there was a time when I was a bit overzealous and I think my plan for a face-to-face backfired.

I had seen a job posting on Craigslist for a receptionist at a local law firm.  The posting gave a fax number to send cover letter and resumes.  There was also a note on the bottom of the ad that said, "No phone calls please."  I had an idea that if I looked up the fax phone number on Google I would be able to get the name of the firm.  I found the name and address of the law firm and it happened to be right up the street from where I volunteered at the legal clinic.  I thought to myself, "Well it says no phone calls but it doesn't say anything about stopping into the office in person."  I thought I was being all clever and resourceful.  So one day after I finished volunteering at the legal clinic I went over to the law firm.  I walked over to the reception area and the girl at the reception desk asked if she could help me.  I thought of just asking if I could speak with the attorney but then I figured the receptionist would just ask me what I wanted to speak to the attorney about anyway.  So I thought I would skip that step in the middle by telling her why I was there.  I gave her my name and told her that I had submitted my resume in response to a posting for a receptionist position (of course I have to say I felt incredibly awkward talking to the receptionist about the receptionist job).  She was really snotty about it (which made me think there might be some hard feelings about the fact that I was there asking about her job).  She just said that the attorney was reviewing all of the resumes.  I didn't want it to be a wasted trip so I asked if there was any way to see if the attorney had received my fax.  She said, "I have no idea if she got your resume and she's on the phone right now so I can't ask her.  I didn't want to keep pushing it.  I didn't know if the current receptionist was leaving on bad terms or what the situation was so I decided just to thank her and I left.  As I was leaving the office and going down the walk the office door slammed behind me.  I turned around and saw the receptionist I had just been talking to storming out of the office.  I watched her get into her car and tires screeching (literally) she raced out of the parking lot.

As I walked back to my car and watching her burn rubber, screeching tires down the street, I hoped I didn't cause any office drama, I thought to myself, "Sometimes, maybe there's a reason they say no phone calls please."

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

There's a (job) app. for that...

After weeks (actually more like months and months and months) of applying for countless positions that were posted on Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, USAjobs.com, Indeed.com...(the list goes on and on) and hearing absolutely nothing back I was getting frustrated and discouraged.  Every time I sat down in front of the computer to send out my resume my stomach would be tied up in knots.  Then I had a conversation with an attorney who was once on a hiring committee at a law firm.  There was a small group of us standing around talking about getting a job in the legal field and he said, "Almost everyone looks the same on paper so some times having a face-to-face conversation with someone can make a big difference."  This made a little light bulb go off in my head.  When I was applying for these jobs I was qualified and I had experience--I just had to make myself stand out from all the other applicants so that my resume didn't end up at the bottom of the pile.  I decided I needed to make sure that the people doing the hiring at least knew my name and I had to do this by being more proactive.  So here's what I started doing--when I responded to a job posting I would print out the job description.  On the paper with the job description I would jot down the date I submitted the resume and jot down any information about the office I thought would be useful, like the name and e-mail address of the office manager.  Then I wrote down the date (in about a week) when I would plan a follow up phone call to make sure that my cover letter/resume had been received and see if there was any other information they might like me to submit.  I hope a personal phone call would help me stand out (in a positive way) from a stack of other applicants and resumes.

Now I have to be honest--this approach certainly doesn't always work (because if it did I would have a full time, legal job right now).  And sometimes a job posting specifically says, "No phone calls please."  And then of course, I wouldn't call and I just had to assume that someone had gotten and read the resume I sent.  And sometimes I would call and just get put straight though to voice mail, I would leave a message and never hear back from anyone in the office ever again.  I know--it's disappointing (and I think sort of rude)!  But most of the time when I called the people I spoke to were actually really helpful.  Most often I would start by talking to the receptionist and I would ask to speak to the hiring attorney in the firm, someone in the human resource department or the office manager.

This follow up process has led to a few promising leads.  There was one job I applied for where I submitted a cover letter and resume online to the companies human resources department.  I waited a week and called the office and explained to the receptionist that I had responded to a job posting and would like to speak with someone to follow up on my application.  The receptionist was really helpful and she transferred me to the office manager.  When I spoke to the office manager she told me she had started reviewing job resumes but that my name didn't sound familiar.  She asked me how I had applied for the job and when I told her I applied on the company web site she suggested that it would be better if I just sent my resume to her directly.  Now I had an actual personal contact in the office and I sent her my resume directly.  The next day she sent me an e-mail that she had reviewed my resume and had forwarded it to the hiring attorneys at the law firm.  A few days later she contacted me to schedule a telephone interview.  Without that follow up it is very likely that my resume would have gotten lost in cyberspace forever and I never would have gotten an interview scheduled.

In another case I applied for a posted job and again made a follow up phone call to the office.  I spoke to Rhonda, the office manager of the law firm and she told me she had been out of the office when I submitted my resume but that she had gotten what I sent and she would make sure to forward it onto the attorney.  When I signed onto LinkedIn a few days later I noticed that one of the attorneys in Rhonda's office had viewed my LinkedIn profile.  So, it seemed like at least Rhonda had made sure that she passed on my resume to one of the attorneys in the office.

I really believe taking the extra step of personally contacting the office and speaking with someone after submitting a resume is important because it can keep your name fresh in the minds of the people who are looking at a whole bunch of applicants and might get them to take a second look at your resume or at least make sure it gets directed to the right person in the office...so far I haven't gotten a job but I have had a few interviews. 

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Time flies (whether you're having fun or not)

It had absolutely been one of those days.  I had checked my bank account balance and had something like 17 cents left in my checking account to last until the next pay day.  Then I checked the mail and I had a stack of bills that I sorted through knowing that I couldn't possibly pay all of them.  I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry or scream or tear my hair out but I couldn't do any of those things because I had to go to work.  So I put on a "brave face" and went into work.

(As usual) I got there pretty early and I was sitting in the break room and there were some other cashiers sitting upstairs talking about when they started working at the grocery store and how long we had been there.  I quickly noticed a common theme in all of our cashier stories--everyone thought they would just take the job at the grocery store for just a little while but they had ended up working there for years.  Rich had started working at the grocery store at the very beginning of his senior year in high school...now 5 years later he was a senior in college and he was still there.  Maria started working at the grocery store when she was a sophomore in high school.  It was her first job and she had just sort of stayed.  Now, a little over two years later she had graduated high school and still working at the grocery store.  Ben said he had been there for six years.  He had been going to college for criminal justice but for a variety of reasons he wasn't able to finish school and has been a cashier working nights ever since.  He said, 'You better be careful because you don't want to end up being here for six years like me."  I think he felt a real sense of sadness or surprise at the passage of time.  I myself was amazed at how quickly the time had gone.  Like all the others, I assumed the grocery store was a temporary measure for me--it was supposed to be a financial bandaid while I looked ofr a full time job...but it had been a year and counting.  I had been there long enough to have an anniversary and an annual review.  It got me thinking about how easy it was to become comfortable or complacent in a routine--you just stay where you are and end up in a rut.  But I decided that this talk we were having was just the thing I needed to motivate me.  Right then and there I decided to put all of my energy into finding a job that would be more like a career!

After sitting there and listening to everyone talk I knew I needed to get off my ass...it was time for me to stop whining about how hard it was to find a job, it was for time for me stop feeling sorry for myself, and it was time for me to stand on my own two feet and find a career.  And of course I have been looking for jobs but I had just sort of been submitting my resume into cyberspace without having any idea about where it was ending up.  I hadn't really been following up after I submitted my resume and I have been e-mailing a very general resume that wasn't getting responses so I knew I needed to put time in to revising it.  

So over the next week or two I decided I would document the ups and downs, the laughter and tears of searching for a job.  And I would love to hear from you guys too (if you're out there and reading this).  If you have any job search ideas or interview tips pass them on!  Or are you already working at your dream job?  How did you land it?  To those of you out there who are currently hunting for a job (and there are lots of us out there) share your story too!

Wish me good luck on the job hunt--because I know I'm gonna need it!

Monday, September 12, 2011

10 Years Later

One of the things I like about working in the grocery store is getting to work with so many different types of people. Talking with people who are so much older or younger than I am gives me a chance to see things from a variety of different perspectives. Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and I was talking to Billy about what he remembers about the events of that day. He is 17 years old now and was only in first grade in September, 2001. That just seems unbelieveable to me. In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday. I still remember vividly that my college roommate called to me from the living room. She said something like, "Come here quick." I was awake (but just barely) and I was about to get up and get ready to go to my astronomy class (which I found interesting but was really bad at). I was sort of startled by the tone in her voice and I got up pretty quickly and went into the living room where she was watching t.v. We were watching the plane crashing into the first tower. In other ways it seems like a hazy day that happened a long time ago. I asked Billy if he had fully understood what had happened when he heard the news. He sounded slightly offended and said, "Yeah, of course." "Because I was a college student when it happened and I could barely process it." I told him. I remember watching the images and news coverage and I was kind of numb and in denial for the first 1/2 hour or so. I kept thinking there had been some sort of mistake or I had seen a clip from a new action movie. I still don't understand how there could be that much pure hatred in the world--such hatred that the death of thousands of innocent people and mass destruction is planned and carried out. How could Billy or any other 7 year old understand that? It occurred to me that Billy and kids his age all across the country grew up in a different reality. I couldn't help but wondering if they were robbed of a sense of security. I feel like things were much simplier when I was in first grade. I grew up feeling safe and secure--swimming with the neighborhood kids and playing tag. Maybe feeling that way is a natural consequence of getting older--you think times were simplier or things were better and safer when you were a kid.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Finding your voice

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.

-Martin Niemoller

Friday, September 9, 2011

Walkin' After Midnight


In the category of, 'this could only happen to me. . ." So it was a usual Friday night.  I worked until midnight.  It was only a four hour shift but it felt like a lot lonnnnggeer then that.  Finally, finally, finally it was midnight and I was out of there--the moment I had waited for all week.  I went (more like bolted) upstairs to the breakroom, punched out, put my coat on and grabbed my purse.  (As I think many of you girls out there can relate to) I have a bottomless pit for a purse.  I put stuff in there and it seems to get sucked into a black hole.

At first when I couldn't find my keys I wasn't too worried.  As I kept digging some more around at the bottom of my purse I got a little annoyed.  Hmmm...I couldn't find my keys in purse.  So I checked my jacket pockets--nope my keys weren't there.  I looked through my purse again and I still couldn't find my damn keys.  Now I was starting to get worried.  They definitely weren't in my purse and they weren't in my jacket pockets so where the hell could they be?  Then, (unfortunately) it dawned on me where they were...they were in my car.  Crossing my fingers that I hadn't locked the car door, I put on my jacket, grabbed my stuff and went out to the car.  I peered in the window and sure enough there were my car keys--sitting right where I had left them, on the driver's seat.  I pulled the door handle...locked (but you figured that out already, right?)

So, here I was...standing in the parking lot of the grocery store locked out of the car.  The night crew guys were standing outside smoking--so I walked back to the store and sheepishly told them I had locked myself out of my car.  I laughed a little about how stupid I was and asked any of them if they had any ideas about breaking into the car.  Nope.  I tried calling a few people but it was after midnight and noone was answering their phones--either because it was Friday night and they were out or because they were asleep.  I left a few voicemails and waited for a few minutes in case anyone called back.  Keith, the night manager, asked what was going on and I explained that I was locked out of my car and waiting to see if anyone I had called would call back.  "Oh."  he said.  He took a quick look at the car and said he wouldn't be able to break in for me.  He also said he would have offered to drive me home but he couldn't leave the store.  At that point I was still sort of holding out hope that one of the people I had called would get my message and call back.  I said, "No, that's ok.  Don't worry about it."  I stood around for a few minutes staring at my cell phone and trying to figure out what to do.  

By this time it was close to 12:30 and faced with limited options I decided I wasn't just going to stand around all night and that I was going to have to just suck it up and walk home.  Keith saw me getting ready to leave and he asked what I was going to do.  "I'm going to walk home."  I responded, much in the same tone I would have used if I had burned myself and he asked my why I was putting ice on it.  "You are not seriously going to walk home."  he said.  "Well, there's really nothing else I can do."  I responded tartly, because it had become readily apparent to me that Keith was not going to do anything to help me.  And I'm as much of a feminist as the next chick but a whole night crew full of guys and not one of them offered to help?  "Well, I guess I could take you home."  he said hesitantly, but he stood rooted to the spot where he was standing and it was obvious from the tone of his voice that he wasn't really willing to leave the store.  Maybe I was just being stubborn because I do think that he would have driven me home at that point if I had pressed the issue but I just knew it wasn't a sincere offer to help.  "No, don't worry about it--I'll just walk", I told him quickly.  And with that I marched away from the store and out of the parking lot with as much pride and determination as I could muster under the circumstances.  "Call the store when you get home and let me know you got there ok."  Keith called after me.  I shook my head, kept walking and resisted the urge to give him the finger.

I walked the approximately three miles back to my house at 12:30 in the morning and with each step I took I became more and more angry with myself for being so stupid and frustrated with Keith for being such an asshole.  I understand he is the manager of the store and he can't just leave the store unattended--that is corporate policy.  But it seems to me that sometimes there are extenuating circumstances.  I also understand that it wasn't his fault that I was a dumbass and I locked my car keys in the car.  But I just don't understand what kind of person lets someone walk home by themselves in the middle of the night.  It took my over an hour and half to walk home--it would have taken him about 15 minutes to drive me there and get back to the store.  If you have the ability to help someone why would you not do it?  Am I being unreasonable here?  Or was Keith an asshole?  Or a little bit of both?  Maybe it was Karmic payback for times in the past when I could have helped someone but I didn't--like the time I could have/should have offered Miguel a ride to work but didn't.

But all's well that ends well...I walked home (good exercise), crawled into bed, slept like a baby and we went with the spare key and unlocked the car door the next day.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

On the other side...


I was out runnning errands the other day.  It got to be around 5:30 or 6:00 and I was on my way home but I figured on the way back home I would swing by the grocery store and pick up a few things for dinner.  As someone who has both worked at grocery stores and been a customer at grocery stores I can tell you that from around 5:00 until maybe 6:30 or 7:00 there is a pretty steady rush of people.  People on their home from work are picking up things for dinner or they are running in to get stuff for kids lunches for the next day or they have realized they are out of something at home and swing by the pick it up while they are out.  I'm sure most of you have experienced this first hand when you have driven past your local grocery store on the way home from work and thought "Oh, I'll just run in and grab a loaf of bread or I'll just grab some milk."  You run in for two things and get stuck waiting in line of 3 or 4 people. 

So I went in and grabbed my spaghetti and pasta sauce.  I was expecting it be busy (which is was) but what I was not expecting was that there would only be 2 registers open and 1 of them was the express lane.  That meant that for everyone shopping who had over 15 items there was only one register. 

First, let me tell you that this is just as frustrating for us as cashiers as it is for you as customers.  We don't like to look up and see tons of people waiting in line (some waiting patiently...others not so patiently).  So on this particular day I was a customer--standing in line with 2 items and wondering why there were only 2 registers open when practically everyday around this time there is a rush of customers.  It seems like poor customer service to me--when you know that it is going to be busy at a certain to not schedule enough people to work. 

It is the cusotmer service manager who generally does the scheduling for the front end and I will say in his defense that poor scheduling is not always the manager's fault.  Each department is given a certain number of hours for the week

Monday, September 5, 2011

Workin' 9:00-5:00



After lots (and lots...and lots...and lots) of searching I finally found a full time job at a really nice office!  Yay!  Now here's the part that surprised me the most--even after I got a full time job I still plan on staying at the grocery store.  You may be wondering why, after all the bitching, I didn't quit the grocery store when I got a full-time job.  Here's the major reason--my car is a 1996...and it is exhausted.  Get it?  Car?  Exhausted?  Ha!  Yeah the car is really falling apart (those of you who have read some of my earlier posts know that my car problems are well documented) and it is going to the big highway in the sky any day now.  So I got to thinking that if I stayed at the grocery store for a while longer I could save up money for a new car--or at least a car that would be new to me.  So I am going to work 2 or 3 nights a week and those paychecks can be my 'New Car Fund'.  Also, you never know what is going to happen--just as quickly as you get a full time job things could change.  I'm so excited to have a full time job with a steady paycheck but I guess being at the grocery store will remind me not to take anything for granted. 

I always sort of assumed that the second I got a full-time job I would leave the grocery store faster then but I haven't quit.  Well, at least not yet.  I don't know how long I'm going to do both but at least for now I'm gonna give it a shot and be grateful for 2 paychecks. 

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Pass the Purell, please



As we are heading into cold and flu season I have gotten to thinking about sickness and germs.

Working with the public = germs.  Generally I am not a germophobe at all but even I have my limits.

First of all dealing with paper money is a germapoloza.  Think about how many different hands money goes through 

Monday, August 15, 2011

Free food


As I am writing this I think my cheeks are turning a little pink with embarrassment.  This has to be one of the stupidest things I've ever done since working as a cashier...

Not that any of this really excuses what happened but there were a few things that sort of set me up for disaster.

First, it was Sunday.  Sunday always seems to be the busiest shopping day at our store and that day was no exception.  It had been steady all day and I was just trying to get all of the customers out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Second, when this happened I only had about 15 minutes left in my shift so at that point in the day I was sort of on autopilot.

Third and finally I was working next to a new cashier and just as I was the at the end of the an order she asked me a question and I went over to help her.

So it was sort of a perfect storm of events and here's what happened...

So the lady in my line put her groceries on the belt and I rang up her order and gave her total.  Just as I was giving her the total and she had her credit card in her hand the cashier next to me asked me a question about how to do something.  The customer swiped her card through the machine to pay and I finished up with her order and went over to help the cashier next to me.  There was (finally) a lull for a few minutes and I was bagging groceries for about 5 minutes until I got a customer at my register.  I was about to begin ringing up his groceries when I realized something unusual--my cash register screen said, 'Not Authorized'.  For a minute I stood there wondering to myself, "What hasn't been authorized?  I haven't even done anything yet.'  Then it dawned on me.  The last order, the lady from about 5 minutes ago, hadn't gone through.  When the lady put her card through it had been declined and I hadn't even noticed--(D'oh!)  And (of course) the lady was lonnngg gone by now.  There was nothing else to do but cancel out the order.

What made things worse was that this had just happened to another cashier the week before.  The other cashier's had an order that was about $120.  The customer had ran her card through but it was declined.  The cashier was texting someone and didn't notice that the card had been declined until after the customer had already left.  The cashier was taken off the schedule for the rest of the week.  So after that, needless to say, the managers were already kind of pissed about someone walking out with free groceries.

When some of the other cashiers head that she let the customer walk off with $120 worth of groceries most of them were sort of like, 'How could you let something like that happen?'  But honestly, I was never smug about it (smug about some other things maybe--but not that) because that sort of mistake could easily happen to anyone.  I learned the hard way that when you're at work if something like that happens to one of your coworkers try to be sympathetic and don't get cocky because it could just as easily happen to you next time.

Luckily for me I didn't get into too much trouble--my situation was a little different then the other cashier because my order wasn't that much--it was about $39.00 and in my case there wasn't an element of 'fault" (meaning it didn't happen because I was doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing--like texting).  It was just pure stupidity.  I felt bad and what was so frustrating for me was that it was such a dumb thing to do and how easily it would have been to prevent if I had just taken an extra second to check my register screen.


Thursday, August 11, 2011

Money for Nothing



There are lots of signs that the end of summer was rapidly approaching...the college kids were getting ready to go back, there is back-to-school stuff all over the store, the halloween candy is out (In August--I'm serious about this). 

I love fall and the crisp air and the leaves changing colors but I have to admit I was feeling slightly grumpy because while everyone else seemed to be talking about fun trips, concerts and summer vacations my summer had been uneventful (maybe a more accurate word would be boring). 

Then one day I got a pleasant surprise--I had unused, paid vacation time!  Please don't get me wrong--I certainly couldn't afford to go anywhere but I was excited that I had 12 hours of getting paid, without having to actually go into work!  I had until the end of the year to use it.  I thought this was really good timing because there were a few weeks of warm, summer weather left and I maybe I could take a day trip or do something fun.  So, I picked a few days to use up my vacation time and headed to the shore for sun and sand.  Yay! 

So in the end I ended up with a check for around $120 and I didn't have to go into work at all!  Money for nothing--sign me up for that!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Up in smoke...



So here is the deal...when you work you for four hours or more you get one paid 15 minute break.  If you work 7 hours you get a half an hour 'meal' break.  That's seems pretty straight forward and simple, right?

But what if you smoke?  If you smoke not only do you get your paid 15 minute break but you can also go outside for a cigarette (or two) during your shift.

To be fair most of the time they will only go outside for a cigarette if it is really, really slow so I have never really minded this until the other night when I was working as a cashier.  Here's what happened...when I first got into work I talked to the manager and he told me there was a mistake on the schedule and that there were two cashiers scheduled until midnight.  It was me and one other kid, Luke.  The manager told me that since I was the 'extra' cashier I could stay until 10:00.  So I said sure, no problem and was pretty happy to get out of there before midnight.  Luke and I both started at 7:00.  Around 8:00 Carrie and Luke were talking and they asked me if  I wanted to stay until midnight and Luke would leave at 10:00.  I told him it didn't really matter to me either way (especially since I had originally planned on being there until midnight anyway) and Luke sort of hinted that he had plans and he wanted to leave early.  I was a little disappointed that I was stuck there until midnight. but I did need the hours and figured it wasn't that big of a deal.  So Luke came in at 7:00 p.m and was leaving at 10:00.  That's just three hours.  At around 9:00 or 9:30 he went outside for a cigarette break.  Which I normally would not have minded at all except that meant I was the only register open.  It was a pretty warm summer night and during the summer it seems that people tend to put off their grocery shopping until later at night.  So it got really busy and I'm there all by myself while Luke gets to chill outside having a cigarette.  I'm not saying that Luke's isn't entitled to a break while he's working but it shouldn't be while it's busy and I think if you only work for three hours you should be able to suck it up without a break.  I work 5 or six hour shifts without getting a break pretty often.  So I was thinking you have less then an hour left of work--you couldn't make it? 

So that got me to thinking that the whole thing really isn't fair--certain people get to duck outside in addition to the break they already get while the rest of us are stuck inside, you know, actually working.  So (and I know I am not the first person to say this) it seems like I am basically being punished for not smoking? 


Saturday, July 2, 2011

Political Science

No one likes us,
I don't know why.
We may not be perfect
But heaven knows we try.
And all around,
even our old friends put us down.
Let's drop the big one,
See what happens.

We give them money,
but are they are grateful?
No! They're spiteful and they're hateful.
They don't respect us,
so let's surprise 'em.
We'll drop the big one,
And pulverize 'em.

Asia's crowded,
Europe's too old.
Africa is far too hot,
And Canada's too cold.
South America stole our name.
Let's drop the big one,
They'll be no one left to blame us.

We'll save Australia,
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroos.
We'll build an all-American amusement park there,
They got surfin', too.

Boom goes London,
Boom Paree' (Paris).
More room for you,
More room for me.
And every city the whole world 'round,
Will just be another American town.
Oh, how peaceful it will be,
We'll set everybody free.
You'll wear a Japanese kimono babe,
There'll be Italian shoes for me.

They all hate us anyhow,
So let's drop the big one now.

Let's drop the big one now.

Lyrics and music by: Randy Newman

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Hitchin' a Ride (Part II)

It was a nice day in the summer and I had made plans to hang out with my sister.  She lives in the city and we planned for me to meet her at the train station in the city and from there were gonna head to A.C to sit on the beach for a bit, soak up some sun and cruise along the boardwalk.  Whenever I go into the city I take the train for a few reasons.

1) I don't want to fight traffic and pay for parking.  (and I figure by the time I pay for gas and parking a train ticket is cheaper)
2) It's green!  I feel like I'm being more environmentally friendly when I use public transportation
3) As you read yesterday my car is not in the best shape right now.

By the time we got back from A.C I caught the 10:30 (something) train in the city and was headed back home.  The train ride lasts about an hour.  It had been a fun but long day so as the train rolled along I found I could barely keep my eyes open--they felt superglued shut.

After a while the train came to a stop and I managed to open my eyes just enough to squint out the window and I saw that I am almost at my stop.  The station where I parked my car is close to my house and close to the grocery store, too.  As I tried to wake my self up I glanced across the isle and saw someone looking at me.  I realized it was Miguel, one of the guys from the night crew at the grocery store.  He is from Mexico and barely speaks English.  He smiled, pointed at me and "Philadelphia."  I nodded.  I glanced at my watch--by now it was close to 11:30--I'm pretty sure he should have been an work about an hour and half ago (but I'm not really sure).  The train was quickly coming up to my stop and my mind started racing.  I know that his train stop is a few stops after mine and there is a side of me that knows the decent, "right" thing to do is to offer this guy a ride to the grocery store so that he won't have to walk from the train station to work.  It's what I have been taught by my dad and grandparents to do--help people out when they need help.  They have shown me, by example, the importance of doing whatever you can to help people.  So it should have been a no-brainer--but it wasn't.

All I kept thinking about was having to get in through the passenger's side door and climb over to the driver's side.  My logic told him he probably wouldn't have cared--he would have just been grateful for the ride, but it was really, really embarrassing.  I pictured him laughing as I climbed into the drivers seat.  (This is really shallow of me--because it is really funny and if he was laughing I should have been laughing my ass off right along with him!)  I'm really fortunate to have a car and the bottom line is it's a pretty funny situation to have a car that you have to climb in and out of (it could have been worse, I guess--it could have been 'Dukes of Hazzard' style).  My other (very flimsy) excuse is that I was just so tired--I felt like I could barely stay awake long enough to drive myself home let alone drive Miguel to the grocery store.

Like I said, it should have a been a no-brainer, but it wasn't.  The train came to my stop.  I gave Miguel a small smile, waved and got off the train.  I have felt really bad about it ever since.  In my defense he is a slightly creepy and definitely annoying guy but I should have helped him out.  It was a situation that had a simple solution but I made it awkward by not doing the right thing.  Miguel sometimes still points at me, smiles and says, 'Philadelphia'.   Which I'm pretty sure translates to something like, "You are the bitch that wouldn't give me a ride to work when we were both on the same train."

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Hitchin' a Ride (Part I)


I love driving.  The freedom of the open road.  Cruising along the highway at 80 miles per hour with a good song playing on the radio.  The wind in my hair.  Actually, scratch the wind in my hair because the driver's side window of the car is broken--it goes down but it won't go back up again.

Ahhh--but the freedom of the open road comes with a hefty price tag.  Gas money.  Car insurance.  Vehicle Registration.  And once a year the state inspection and emissions test.  So when it was time for my annual car inspection I decided the cheapest option was Pep Boys.  But apparently my car was so old (it's a 1995) that they didn't have the equipment in their shop to do the emissions test there.  The guy at the shop told me they could do the state inspection but I would have to get the emissions test done somewhere else.  So I found a small local auto mechanic that had the right machine to do the emissions test on my "ancient" car.  I dropped the car off off, came back about 1/2 an hour later, paid for the emissions test, picked up the car and drove away.

As I was driving down the street I noticed the drivers side window was down (see note above about broken driver's side window).  When I got home I tried to put the window back up but it was off the track and I could only get it 3/4 of the way back up.

Well the window had been broken before and my dad had fixed it so I asked him if he would mind taking a look at it again.  He said sure.  Well, to make a long story short (I know--too late) my dad got the window to go back up but in order to fix it he had to take the car door off the track--I'm not really sure why but that's what happened.  When he was done working on it the door didn't line up with the track so it wouldn't close properly.  So now every time I get into the car I have to get in front passenger side and climb over to the driver's seat.  If anyone ever sees me climbing across the front of the car they must wonder what the hell I'm doing.

Now what does this have to do with work?  Stay tuned.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

It's a mystery to me



We have started having mystery shopping come into the store.  I'm sure 99% of you are familiar with the concept of the mystery shopper--they basically walk through the entire store with a sort of checklist they are given.  They give the store a total number of points out of 100 based on how many things on the checklist that were done while they were shopping.


Monday, June 27, 2011

Why is my boss a douchebag?



Does anyone else every ask themselves, 'Why is my boss such a tremendous douchebag?'  It's not just me is it?  I have talked a little about the customer service manager Scott--he's a cool, chill, funny guy and we generally get along pretty well.

Then, on the other end of the spectrum is the store manager--Arnold.  And he is a jerk--not to mention that I think he looks like Chief Wigum from the Simpsons.  I'm sorry I typed that before I could stop myself--it was like writers touretts.

Anyway,  luckily I don't have to work with him much because he works during the day and I work nights so by the time I get there Arnold is long gone.  So I really haven't had too much interaction with him but the few times I have worked with him on the weekends it hasn't been pleasant.

Like one Sunday I was coming into work and I went to the time clock to punch in for work--you know like every employee is supposed to before they start working (duh).  Hank, another cashier, was right in front of me punching in and I was standing right behind him waiting for him to finish (just to give you an idea this whole process of punching in or punching out when you're leaving takes like 2 seconds).  When Arnold walks up to me and goes (while I am standing right in front of the time clock), "Can you punch in, like right now, because the front end is really busy."  in a kind of tone like he is exasperated that he has to explain such a simple concept to me.

In my head I went on rant.  I was having a whole conversation in my head about what I would say to Arnold if he wasn't me boss.  It went something like this--"Ohhhhh is that what you do you when you are standing in front of the time clock?  You punch in for work?  No effing way!  I mean really asshole--when I'm standing right in front of the time clock at the beginning of my shift--what the hell else would I be doing if I wasn't getting ready to punch in for work?  I was simply waiting those 2 whole seconds until Hank was finished punching in."  Not to mention the fact that I started work at 12:00 and was punching in at 11:55.  I was punching in early anyway you douchebag.  And in my imagination he just stood there staring at my--his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish but no real words coming out.

But I just took a deep breath, and said, "sure." and went downstairs and went to work.  Sigh.  

Thursday, June 23, 2011

It's not a purse


This may be a slightly dated reference but are there any Seinfeld fans out there?

There was a man who came through my line the other day.  It was a normal order and at the end of his order I gave him the total and I watched as he picked up a bag and took his wallet out it.  I don't know what else I can call it but a man purse--it wasn't a shoulder bag, it wasn't a manly satchel bag, it wasn't even a fanny pack--it was a legitimate purse.  I sort of glanced around to see if there was a woman with him to see if maybe he was holding the purse for a wife or girlfriend.  Nope, he was solo.

I thought of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry gets tired or carrying his wallet and all sorts of other stuff in his pockets so Elaine gets him a "man bag" from J-Peterman.  Elaine insists it's not a purse, it's a 'European carry-all'.  Jerry starts carrying this bag around which looks like a purse.  His girlfriend even convinces him to carry around her lipstick in the bag because she doesn't have any pockets.

Don't get me wrong--I don't mind the whole metrosexual thing and I like guys who are comfortable in their masculinity but I really think there's no need for guys to carry a purse.  Do you agree?

Anyway, so as he put his wallet back into his man purse, I thought to myself, I not a purse it's a European carry-all.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The high cost of higher education


Now I don't want to beat a dead horse but for those of you who have been following my blog for a while you might remember that I have mentioned (or bitterly dwelled on all the money I owe) that I went to law school.  Right now I am (very close to six figures) in student loan debt and working a job that pays $8.55 an hour so if you do the math you will see that my life is obviously right on track!   I will call my law school the Lautener School of Law (in an attempt to protect the innocent) but I will mention that the school has a campus in Delaware and a campus in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania so if you are curious you should be able to use superior detective skills to figure it out what school I'm talking about.  On my way out to work a few weeks ago I noticed the Lautener School of  Law magazine had arrived in the mail and the issue had a cover story called 'The Many Faces of a J.D"--the basic idea of the story was discussing the many different career options that are available to law school graduates and touting the idea that "a law degree is still worth it."--even if you decide not to be a practicing attorney.  First off--in an effort to be fair and objective--let me just say that the article made some interesting and valid points about the value of a legal education...but as I was walking out the door on my way to work, glancing down at my cashier uniform and dreading having to work another midnight shift I also couldn't help thinking that the article was incredibly one-sided and obviously self-serving.  Of course, the Lautener Law School magazine would want to convince (or assure) its readers that having a J.D would create new and exciting job opportunities.  It basically says to alumni, "Hey guys--even if you aren't working as a lawyer or even if you graduated and you haven't been able to find a job because the job market is flooded with lawyers aren't you glad you gave us all that money?"  And it says to potential students considering law school who are reading the article, "Hey guys--law school is totally worth it!  (even if you're not a lawyer when you're done).  The article was one-sided because it talked about the success stories of Lautener graduates who have never practiced law.  I think it's great that the people featured in this article have achieved such success and it's obvious they have worked really hard for everything they earned...but what the article doesn't talk about is that this path can be difficult and it makes no mention of the financial cost of law school (three years of law school can cost $100,000).  There's a whole class of graduates coming out of school (either college or graduate school) with student loan debt and if they can't find a job in their chosen profession that pays enough to support themselves that debt can be absolutely crippling!  What the hell are they/I supposed to do?  Also, as a read the article I had an incredible sense of way too little, way too late.  I graduated years ago and now you want offer me employment advice?  And now you are concerned about graduates getting job?  Because let me tell you--your Career Development office sure as hell didn't care while I was a student there!  As I was entering my second year of law school I actually went to the career services office.  I scheduled an appointment to meet with Karen, the Director of Career Development because I had been working to draft my first legal resume and was hoping to get feedback about the format and possibly some general advice about ways to improve the content.  When I asked her about my resume she glanced at it for literally a total of 2 seconds handed it right back to me and said, "Oh, it's fine."  That was it!  Wow!  Holy shit!  What a brilliant professional analysis!  Maybe she looked at the resume and thought it was hopeless or that I didn't have nearly enough experience.  And that's fine--just say something so that I can do something about it.  Well I wanted the meeting to be as productive as possible so at that point I thought it might be best to change topics.  I took a deep breath and mentioned that I also wanted to discuss the what types of resources might be best to use when you were looking for a job in the legal field.  I asked her where I might be able to start looking for legal jobs that I might be qualified for.  She said, (and I quote) "Oh well, I don't know.  I mean most law firms don't advertise in the paper."  What?  Seriously?  You get paid for this type of career guidance and advice?  At this point I was trying hard to maintain my composure and hold on to what was left of my patience because I was about to lose it.  I didn't expect this woman to find me a job but at least point me in the right direction...I mean that is what she was there for, isn't it?  So now when Lautener writes articles about its concern for finding students jobs after graduation it all seems very disingenuous to me. 

Of course I don't necessarily mean to single out law school or the legal profession--I just chose to talk about that because that's what I have personal experience with but it's a problem in higher education in general.  Higher education has become big business--a highly lucrative industry and it's done at the expense of the students who have all been told if you want to go be successful going to college is the thing to do.  Also I don't want to sound like a bitter and disgruntled Lautener Alum--whining, "Oh I can't find a job and it's all the schools fault."  There's still a part of me that believes my law school education was a valuable experience.  I just think the system of going into tremendous debt to pay for higher education for kids just starting out seems to be unethical.  Families and students all across the country are facing the consequences of student loan debt and if newly graduated students are unable to find a job after graduating that can seem insurmountable--right from the start these graduates are placed in a hole they can't dig out of.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

A Twist of Fate


Last week I hurt my ankle--(I couldn't tell if I was seriously injured or if I was just being a drama queen--because I have absolutely no tolerance for pain).  I'm not sure if I twisted it or sprained it but no matter what you call it, it definitely hurt.  When I was sitting in bed with my foot elevated and a pack of frozen peas plastered on my ankle I felt fine but actually walking on it or having to go up and down stairs felt like I might as well have been trying to scale Mt. Everest.  I was scheduled to work on Monday night but when I woke up on Monday morning I could barely hobble the few steps from my bed to the bathroom--I thought there was noooo way I would be able to work (I mean I could barely even stand).  Trying to do the responsible thing I texted some of the people I work with to see if they would be able to switch shifts with me for some time later in the week...but no luck.  I decided I needed the money and didn't want to leave them high and dry at work trying to find someone to work until midnight on such short notice.  So I just sucked it up and went to work with my sprained/twisted ankle.  The first hour or so wasn't so bad but as the night went on my foot and ankle were both throbbing and for some reason my foot had swollen up like a grapefruit.  I considered asking if I could go home early but I glanced at the clock and it was already 10:30.  Since I had made it to 10:30 I figured I could make it until 11:00 and once I made it until 11:00 I could make it to 12:00.  So that was how I did it--one small step (or one small limp) at a time.  Finally, finally, finally it was 11:59 and there were no customers left in the store and I was outta there!  My bed (and late night t.v.--like reruns of Fraiser and the Golden Girls) were calling my name.  When I got home I put on my pajamas, put a bag of frozen peas back on my ankle and crawled into bed. 

A few days later my ankle was feeling better but it got me thinking that I was pretty lucky in was just a minor thing.  My budget is really, really tight and I plan out when I'm going to pay bills based on my pay check each week.  If something serious ever happened were I wasn't able to work for even just a few days that would be like the iceberg hitting the Titanic (or in this case my bank account) and creating financial disaster--let alone if there any medical bills or any other expenses!  There are so many people with serious or chronic health problems who frequently have to miss work--imagine the stress and anxiety and fear of being sick and then on top of that having to worry about the financial difficulties associated with missing work.  I, as a person am fortunate and we, as citizens, are fortunate to live in a country where we have access to excellent medical care and facilities, but many people are just a few paychecks away from being in serious financial trouble if they have to miss work because of illness or family emergency.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Pretty fishy

Recently our manager, Scott, decided to go on a diet.  Scott is very determined and has demonstrated very strong willpower.  He cut out soda, sugar, candy and he started going to the gym--you know all of the things that you're supposed to do when you want to life a healthy lifestyle.  I really admire this because(especially working at a grocery store) the candy aisle and ice cream and doughnuts and chips can all be pretty tempting--I should also note (being totally honest) that I am scarfing down a bowl of ice cream as I write this so I really do wish I could be as committed as Scott is to being healthier. 

So you may be asking why I care about his diet and you may be wondering how his eating habits effect me personally.  Well, here's the thing--there's a George Foreman grill upstairs in the breakroom and Scott has started grilling everything he eats (you know because grilling is the healthier way to eat).  Please don't get me wrong I think it's great that he's doing this but he has started grilling fish on the Foreman grill--treating the upstairs breakroom like it's his own personal kitchen.  And you know that fishy smell that lingers in a room for days and days.  That nauseating and disgusting old fish smell?

So that is how Scott's eating habits are effecting me personally and why every time he grills fish in the breakroom I have to hold me breath. 

Dear Scott,

While I fully support your healthy and active lifestyle--have a little consideration for the people who are inhaling day old fish odor!

Sincerely,

All the employees who have to use the breakroom after you have cooked your grilled fish on the George Foreman grill.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

10 Questions


On Sunday morning when I am too lazy to get my ass out of bed I like to watch reruns of Inside the Actors Studio.  Sometimes it's sort of fun to image I'm one of the actors being interviewed so here's how I would answer the 10 questions.  How about you?

The Bernard Pivot Questionnaire:

The 10 Questions from Inside the Actors Studio

1) What is your favorite word?
  • Ubiquitous.  I just think it's a fun word to say and I don't get to use it often enough in daily conversation.
2) What is your least favorite word?
  • Failure.  "We regret to inform you" is a close second but I know that's a phrase not a word
3) What turns you on?
  • Creativity, intelligence kindness, and a sense of humor.
4) What turns you off?
  • People who are mean for no reason, leopard print and for some reason fuzzy dice hanging on rearview mirrors.
5) What sound or noise to you love?
  • The ocean.
6) What sound or noise do you hate?
  • Fingers nails or squeaky chalk on a chalk board.
7) What is your favorite curse word?
  • I think fuck is always a classic or motherfucker.
8) What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
  • Writer (hence writng a blog) or photographer.
9)What profession would you not like to do?
  • Working at a sweage treatment plant or garbage (wo)man.
10) If heaven exists what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
  • "Nice to meet you.  Your grandfather, your cats and your guinea pig from when you were a kid are all right over there."

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Where has all the money gone? (Part II)

It seems to me that the grocery store has a vested interest in raising money for these charities.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Where has all the money gone? (Part I)

I have sort of talked about this briefly before but I think it's worth talking about it just one more time (in a little bit more detail). About every three months the grocery store collects donations for local organizations or charities. They raise money by making all of the cashiers ask every single customer to donate a dollar. In fact, technically, a cashier can be "written up" if they don't ask each and every single customer who comes through their line if they would like to donate a dollar. They play it up as being a caring, charitable business--a corporation that really cares and is giving back to the community. The organizations they have raised money for are the local food bank, the local children's hospital, they collect money to "support our troops" (I'm still not really sure where the money goes when it "supports our troops")...Now you may say to yourself, "The grocery store is raising money to help support local food banks or to fight cancer--that sounds like wonderful thing! This grocery store must really care about the community! In theory these charitable contributions being made by a corporation sound like a nice thing and you may ask yourself, "who on earth would object to something like that?" As a cashier who is supposed to/forced to ask for money, I object to that. Here's why...

1) In my spare time I have volunteered at a local food bank. I have done walks for charity.  My grandmother has donated both time and money to charities she supports. My sister volunteers in her spare time. I have friends who do volunteer work. My point is that if someone wants to support a charity or an organization that they feel does good work they can certainly support those organizations on their own (whether they want to volunteer their time or make a financial contribution). Many people choose to support a charitable group or volunteer in their community but they certainly don't need a cashier at the grocery store asking them for money.

2). It's basically entrapment. These customers are a captive audience. They are forced to go through the checkout line. It's not like they can avoid the cashier asking them for money by walking away or going somewhere else. And so often there are parents who come through my line with young kids. They have just bought $100 dollars (or often more) worth of groceries. They have kids to clothe and feed, they have bills to pay and after they have just spent a large amount of money on groceries I'm supposed to ask them for more money? That makes me very uncomfortable...

3)It's the economy stupid! Money is tight for so many people right now. The cost of groceries and other basic necessities goes up exponentially every year. Now I know that a dollar isn't a lot of money--most people have an extra dollar or two to spare. But I know the feeling of living paycheck to paycheck and trying to balance a budget and make ends meet--then you have someone asking you to donate to what seems like a really worthy cause and you feel guilty having to say no. I think it puts the cashier and customer in an awkward situation.

4). And the final reason I have such a problem with this is that there's very little accountability in this process. The cashier collects the money for the grocery store to donate but then what? I have no idea where this money is going. Who gets the money? After we collect the donations how is the money being distributed within the organization? Does the organization get 100% of the money collected? Now I'm certainly not suggesting that funds are misappropriated or that the money collected doesn't go to the named charities but there are some unanswered questions that I have. So I decided to do a bit of investigation...stay tuned for what I found out...

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Leaving a mark

Now I just want to start off by saying that I have no problem with tattoos-I actually like many of them I have seen. I would even seriously consider getting one myself if I wasn't absolutely terrified of needles. It's just that they're so...well, permanent (duh). So my (totally unsolicited) advice is that you better make sure if you get one that you love it now and you will still love it when you're 85 years old and your grandkids are coming to visit you at the retirement community. I mean tattoos that kick ass when you're 23 can look ridiculous when you're older. I got to thinking about this a few weeks ago because summer is in full swing and that means everyone is showing some skin (and some ink). There was a lady who came through my line who seemed to be the epitome of a cute, preppy little pregnant lady. She spoke in a soft voice and her hair was tied back in a neat little bun, wearing glasses, dressed in a nice button up shirt and khaki shorts--my first impression was that she was a school teacher or a librarian. Then I glanced down as I was loading the groceries into her cart and saw that she had a barbed-wire tattoo around her ankle. Not that she couldn't have still been a teacher or librarian because she had a tattoo but it sort of changed the image I had of her. Carrie also recently got a tattoo and it's really, really cute! And she was also really smart about it because she got it on her foot so people can see it in the summer when she wears flip flops but she can always cover it up if she wants to and it's also something that has sentimental value to her--so it means something to her and she won't get sick of later on. I guess the moral of the story is think before you ink and make sure you consider all the relevant factors before you get a tattoo.  And don't judge a book by its cover.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Pay day pays off

Friday is pay day at the grocery store! I got paid bi-weekly at the law firm and I can tell you that often by the end of that second week money was streched pretty tight--so it's nice to get paid weekly. And on Friday after many, many years I paid off my credit card--that's right loyal readers, a $0 balance! And I know I have complained a lot about the pay at the grocery store but I do realize that it was partially those pay checks that have allowed me to stay afloat and finally finish making my credit card payments. I have to admit it's a small victory because I know the cell phone bill and the student loan bills are still on their way but for now I am just enjoying the feeling that I am one (small) step closer to being debt free. Yay! I'm sure tomorrow I will go back to hating it again but on Friday for one brief moment--as I made that last credit card payment--I was reminded that the grocery store has been a consistent paycheck at a time when there are some people who don't have a paycheck at all. So, for now I'll just keep plugging away and say thanks grocery store!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Here's a tip

I go out to eat often (actually in all honesty I go out to eat way, way, way too often--but I am trying to cut back on that)  Since I eat out often I got to thinking about the servers in the food service industry.  I have lots of respect for servers--they are on their feet for long hours, running around all over the place, juggling the demands of lots of different tables all at once and 99% of them are really hard-working and friendly.  That is why when I do out to eat I try to be friendly, considerate and very conscience of leaving a good tip.  Since I don't want to unintentionally stiff someone on a tip these are a few questions I have about tip etiquette--I hope someone out there reading this will be able to provide me with some answers or else just tune in tomorrow for the answers I found online.  Any other tipping questions I missed? 

1. When you get food from a curb-side takeaway service are you supposed to tip the person who brings the food to your car?
    As some of you might already know, a prime example of this is going to Outback Steakhouse.  There are a few other places that have started doing this as well (because heaven forbid someone have to get out of their car and walk the 15 to 20 steps from the parking lot to the restaurant--but I digress)  They have a curb-side takeaway service where you pull your car up to the side of the restaurant and someone brings your bag of food out to the car.  I am more then willing to tip for services that are provided but in this case I'm not sure if I should tip.  And to be honest I'm not sure that I should have to tip especially if there's not another option for picking up take-out.  This is how you have to pick up your food.

2.  What do you tip when you have a coupons for a free meal?
      The other day I went out to lunch because I had a coupons for a free lunch.  So I got my free lunch (yaa hoo!) and ordered an iced tea.  When I got my bill I was only charged for the iced tea.  A tip is supposed to be a percentage of the bill but when you have a coupon or discount for a free meal the server is (obviously) bringing the same amount of food but the bill is much cheaper.  How do you tip? 

3.  What do you tip when the server is the owner of the restaurant?
      I often go to a small Chinese restaurant.  They don't have a wait staff--there are a few cooks in the back and the owners serve the food.  The standard tip for a server is 15%-20%.  It's pretty common knowledge that servers gets paid below minimum wage and the tips they make during a shift are the primary portion of their income.  And of course, the owners work very hard and I always tip them but if you look at the purpose of tipping servers it doesn't seem like the logic of supplementing servers income applies in the same way when an owner is the one bringing your food.  But I tip because regardless of whether they're owners or not they still serve the food, pour the water and clear the dishes.  Maybe you tip them but not the full 20%?  What do you think?

4. What do you tip at a buffet?

What I love about buffets is that there's lots of food and you get to try a little of everything.  It seems to me that the servers who work at buffets work very hard.  They are constantly running around filling water glasses, bringing bread baskets and clearing numerous plates from the table.  Even though they run around like crazy I was always under the impression that servers at a buffet get tipped less then servers at other restaurants.  I figured this was because the customers were serving their own food.  I heard somewhere that servers at buffet get tipped 10%.  Is that right?

I hope these questions don't make be sound cheap or like I'm trying to avoid tipping...just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.


Thursday, June 9, 2011

If you give a mouse a cookie...

As I've mentioned on previous occasions 95% of the time I work nights as the closing cashier. The other 5% of the time I work weekends and lately I have been working until 10:00 on Friday nights. The closing cashier is supposed to clean all the registers, collect the loose hand baskets, empty the trash cans at the front end and pretty much just make sure that the front end is cleaned up and organized for the morning. Normally there's a bit of a rush around 10:00 or 10:30 but for the most part it's pretty slow for the last 2 hours so there's plenty of time to get all that stuff done (with time to spare to read People and Us Weekly).

There are a few other people who are closing cashiers but the guy who does it most nights of the week is Ben. Ben is a nice guy ( alitttle creppy, but nice) but more then that he is extremely hardworking. He never stands still for a minute--if he's not with customers he's cleaning or stocking shelves or making sure that each register has a stock of plastic bags. There's a part or me that really admires this work ethic and the fact that he takes his job so seriously--there's another part of me that's like calm down, dude! This isn't working at NASA! Most of the time Ben and I don't work together because the nights I work until 12:00 are his nights off but I do work with him when I'm there until 10:00 on Friday night. One night a while ago it was Friday night and I was getting ready to leave pretty soon when Ben asked if I would mind cleaning my register before I left. Well (as I mentioned) Ben is a nice guy and he had really been busting his ass most of the night, cleaning all of the other registers and emptying the trash so I didn't mind helping him out a little by cleaning my register before I left--plus I'm normally there until midnight so I'm used to cleaning the registers anyway. So for the next few weeks every time I worked with him he would ask if I would clean my register before I left and I would say sure. Then recently he started asking if I would clean some of the other registers. He would say something like, "I didn't get register 5 yet would you do that one after you get yours?"

Now, I'm happy to help out a co-worker and I do get paid to work--but there's a small part of me that thinks, 'Hey when you are the closing cashier part of the gig is cleaning the registers. It's what I have to do every time I am the closing cashier. If he was the one leaving at 10:00 I would definitely appreciate it if cleaned his register before he left but I certainly wouldn't expect it.  In fact, Ben used to work in the morning but he specifically asked to be moved to the night shift--he says he prefers the night shift. Well, buddy part of night shift is doing the work that goes along with being there until close. Plus (and he has acknowledged this) there's plenty of time for him to get all of his work done from the time the 10:00 cashier leaves until the store closes at midnight.

And what started out as doing this kid a small favor by cleaning gradually becomes more and more. It's a bit like if you give a mouse a cookie, he'll ask for a glass of milk to wash it down. If you give him the glass of milk to wash down the cookie he'll ask for a straw to drink the milk and it just goes on and on...

I don't mind helping Ben out but he also needs to recognize that some of that stuff is just part of the job when you work at night.  So I'm trying to balance helping him out and doing my job with not getting stuck with all of his responsibilities.  Am I just being petty?  Should I just shut help and help this kid by cleaning some of the registers before I leave?