My Graveyard

Sure, it took me a couple of weeks after I hit the 6 month mark to make this post- but here we are.
6 months is a fairly magic number at the company- it’s when everyone you work with stops asking you “So, how do you like it?”, when customers recognize you and mark you as a favorite helper (or an unfavorite helper) and when you start accruing paid leave time so you just might be able to get a vacation in at some point without starving to death (after all, who can afford an unpaid vacation?).

There’s been no more word on the Assistant Produce Manager training.  However, the Human Resources Director has named me “Third” of the department, so if the Produce Manager & the Full-Time guy (and assumed Assistant Produce Manager) aren’t around, I’m officially in charge and the person expected to deal with any problems that come up.  I even appear on the “cheat sheet” the office uses to quickly locate who’s working when so they can call up the “in-charge” person to handle those things.
I feel a little odd about that because there’s 2 other Part-Time folks in the department who’ve got seniority over me (well, 3, but one only works 1 day a week; sometimes; so it’s no wonder why he’s not appointed).  One used to be Full-Time and the Assistant Produce Manager; but she’s also pretty unreliable.  OK, really unreliable and getting worse all the time.  The other works a lot less than I do, but I think the fact she speaks ESL is what’s keeping them from making her Third.  If “Third” were a real job title I know she would have a legal recourse to push for it, but it’s really just an inflated way to say you’re the responsible person when no one else is available (though I should ask if I can get “Third Person” on my name badge somewhere).  She probably doesn’t mind all that much anyway, I know she finds the language barrier as daunting as anyone else- probably more so.  She has been trying to learn how to do more in the department though, so I know she’s got the will to do the work (but maybe not the memory retention, don’t ask me how many times she’s asked us how to show her again how to use some of the equipment).  But, honestly, she has been asking me since the second week I worked there “How to do this?” and “Where does that go?”, so she may not be a good candidate for Third, at this time.
In any case, I’m not hung-up on who gets to be the Assistant Produce Manager.  There’s actually a subtle joy to being Third, because you (and everybody else) knows you can do anything (and everything) the Assistant can do; just when the crap hits the fan they look at him to clean it up first.

When the Manager goes on vacation, the Full-Time guy and I basically split the job down the middle.  I do the early morning work, I make the sales program and I change over the signs in the wee hours before we open on the new sale day.  He is responsible for putting the order on and making most of the adjustments (that may not sound like a lot, but ordering to keep the shelves full is a big pain).  I make some of the adjustments, I’m in charge of 3 specific sections all week long and I get to handle them all on his day off (of course, I get the scary “last delivery for the week” day, which has to hold over the weekend).  By default he usually concedes the Organic section to me as well.  Outside of the Manager, I probably have more working knowledge of the Organic & Vegetarian section anyway and it’s a proved fact I eat more of it than anyone else in the department.  I find that sad, really.

Most things at work have been going fine.  Though our sales have been slagging, we’re starting to pick up again.  The seasons are changing and products are changing and people’s wants are changing.  Being the default “Watermelon Cutter” of the department, I’ve noticed the demand for watermelon going through the roof.
You  may ask why I’m the default watermelon cutter.  The easiest answer is because no one else likes cutting the watermelon.  Some people hate it, one or two others just feel they do a really bad job of it.  I admit, I’m pretty proud of my watermelon cutting & wrapping skills (getting plastic wrap to look neat on a chunk of melon isn’t the easiest thing to do, especially when you’re one of those people who always has to fight with the static of the wrap) but I’ve got a years of experience and untold numbers of cut watermelon under my belt that speak for why I do a good job of it.  I don’t actually enjoy cutting the watermelon, but I don’t dislike it either and I don’t feel awkward about the job I do of it- so pretty much everyone leaves the watermelon to me.  When my co-workers see me cutting the watermelon and utter “Oh, thank God!” I worry a little bit.  Joke’s on them though- come summertime there will be plenty of instances for everyone to cut & wrap melons of all sorts, so they’d better enjoy slacking off on it while they can!

Probably the biggest bit of news is that we’re getting our remodeling done this May.  Now, mind we’re not getting a full-remodel.  We were slated to get something like $5m in renovations originally (we were going to get lots of new stuff), that got shelved.  We were shelved altogether until fall, but our roof is having issues so they decided they probably ought to do something while they gotta have guys fix that anyway.  We’re now down to something like $1m (maybe less at this point), and it’s probably going to be almost entirely cosmetic.  As an example, the other night they had a guy come in and replace a few tiles on the sales floor.  Obviously, we’re not getting a new floor.  My department is supposed to be getting a lot of renovation though- the Store Director keeps telling me how envious he is we’re supposed to get all new display cases and stuff.  I honestly don’t see why- the last store he worked at had the same equipment we’re supposed to be getting- and he was the Produce Manager of that store at that time.  Silly man.
As far as I know the Meat Department is getting new cases, 4 shelves high instead of the current 2.  That’s a lot more room for product.
We’re supposed to get new displays, and our department is supposed to expand out towards the check out and pull up away from the rear of the store (I totally can’t envision this, but I’ll see it when it’s done).  We’re also supposed to get a more formal Floral Department (right now we just have 2 cases that hold bouquets and plants).  My worry there is we don’t have a real Floral Associate right now and I’m not sure how we’re going to handle staffing a bigger Floral Department without one.  If it’s just cases, we’ll manage, but if they expect us to be making custom arrangements and stuff- we’re going to need more than just someone taking a half-hour to stock & water the section a couple times a week.
The Deli is supposed to branch out to fill where our department moves from, pulling their pre-packaged meats closer to home instead of down by the Meat Department.  Hell if I know what they’re planing to do with those then-empty cases.  Maybe they’ll expand the Seafood Department.  I’m hoping the Deli gets a center for Hot Soup though.  Lots of customers came in during the winter and yelled about how they wanted soup.
I don’t know if the Bakery is getting a makeover, but I hope so.  If you could see the Bakery department at the next closest store and then looked at ours, you’d pray too.  They have real display cases (not folding tables) and they make pastries, real pastries!  Éclairs, tarts, tortes…  Our store would definitely benefit from these services, they look just as nice as the stuff from the fancy Cafe down the street but cost half the price (maybe less).  I make a point to go to the other store once in a while and look at all the little cakes and tarts and treats as they’re beautiful.

OK, so there we are.  That’s all the news after 6 months of work  I’m Third Person, I’m accruing paid leave time (slowly) and we’re getting a face lift in the near future.

I am really fussy when it comes to what I will spend my time watching.  Seriously.  (If you don’t believe me, as Grav and I’m sure she will give you an earful about it.)  This leads to me avoiding most American TV altogether, there are a few shows I will watch, though most of them are animated (and we’re talking like Batman: the Brave & the Bold, not the Simpsons).  I skip a lot of domestic films (unless there’s some reason why I can’t- such as being a fanboy I am obligated to watch any movie based on a comic or as a fan of Hugh Laurie I was obligated to try House M.D.).  I watch a lot of foreign TV (like Life on Mars- and yes, it was a BBC show first and pointlessly re-made over here in America second) and films.  And I enjoy older American flicks (apparently, 30+ years ago [usually older] they knew how to make quality film).  I don’t think I’m totally stuck up about TV (Grav may have a different opinion), I just want to get down to the basics: it either entertains me (like Two and a Half Men) or it stimulates thought in my brain (like Hell’s Kitchen).

Over the past couple of months, Grav and I have discovered some interesting reality television that I think other people might want to lend consideration to as I have found they provide both entertainment and thought stimulation.  These reality shows take modern people and put them into an older-time situation.  Not a jungle, no puzzle challenges to get immunity and there’s no getting kicked out of the competition.  You making it to the timed end (often 3 or so months) is the goal, your puzzles are simply making through everyday occurrences of the time (whether it’s planting crops or cooking for a dinner party); you can quit if you don’t like it.
The 1900 House (1999)- A modern English family volunteers to spend three months in a restored Victorian house, living as a middle class family of 1900. They must wear period clothes (even to work & school) and not use anything that was not available to a family of their class at the time period.
The 1940s House (2001)- A modern English family volunteers to spend several weeks living under 6 years of wartime conditions. They must wear period clothing (even to work & school), live with rationing, plant a victory garden and build an air-raid shelter.
Manor House (aka “The Edwardian Country House”, 2002)- 21 modern people are selected to live in a recreated Edwardian England.  There’s a nouveau riche family, upper servants and the lower servants.  Although this one plays out much like you would expect, it was still enjoyable.  There was a lot of speculation about how everyone would have continued on as such, with the first World War fast approaching.  At the end of each episode Manor House presented the simple notion of “Go to our website and figure out who you would have been”.  Makes for a fun night of thought.
Frontier House (2002)- Place 3 families in early 1800s Montana to live as American frontiersmen.  (I’d tell you  more, but I haven’t gotten to watch this one yet, but I will by the end of the week).
Colonial House (2004)- Take a few families and some extra people, put them in a pre-built village set in the early 1600s.  Expect them to live as colonists would.  While I would  not say this one went according to plan (seriously, 95% or better of those people would have died if they had to make it through a winter), it still gave room for thought and some entertainment.  I’m not saying they didn’t all try to make it work, just the majority of them got hung up on things that really weren’t important to a successful end of the project.
Regency House Party (2004)- Singles mix during a several week long stay in a recreated Regency atmosphere with the hopes of going home engaged.  You have bachelors, ladies, chaperons, servants and more.  (I’ve watched most of this one to date, while I don’t find it as enjoyable as the others, it still has more entertainment value for me than 24 does).

Hope you find something worth your time!

I suppose it’s fairly obvious the job must be going well (assuming well equates to I am still employed) because it’s kept me away from my blog for a while now. 
Things are going largely well.  I am still employed.  I get more hours than I thought I would (no complaints there).  I’ve been proven reliable and hard-working (my resume tells them that, but they don’t believe it until they see it).  I’m “the weekend guy”, the only person in the department who works both weekend days each week and I’m also the closer several nights per week.  I’m sure that’s a sign of trusted with responsibility (the kid who’s more or less the Assistant Produce Manager used to be the primary person working closings, but no longer).
The Assistant Produce Manager title is technically still available and as I told some of you I was hoping to grab it up, sure that my quality of work would prove me a good candidate.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to work out now. The kid who was hired full-time and expected to take the role of Assistant Manager is getting groomed for the position (even as we speak).  The Manager of the store (well, he’s actually the “Store Director”; in the same way I’m not an employee, I’m an “Associate”) has been pushing on the Produce Manager to get the kid trained up in all the Assistant’s duties and slap the label on him.  As of last week his insistence has finally taken hold and the kid’s been receiving the training for the job.  The kid will probably never know how on-the-fence the Produce Manager was about handing it to him because I have more experience than he does (both in the area of work and management experience overall) and I get the work done.  But, c’est la vie.  I don’t need a fancy job title (and hell, sometime being able to duck behind someone else who has one is a good thing) to know I’m doing a good job.  I’m a little disappointed, but not in myself.  =)
There’s not too much to the job most of you can’t imagine, I stack fruits and vegetables all day.  Also, cider, nuts, bagged salad, dried fruits and flowers.  You might not know I get to use a mega-industrial bouquet cutter.  It’s basically a horizontal guillotine, able to snap stems off two or three bouquets at a time, depending on the thickness of the stems and your own personal strength.  You might not know I have to sweep and mop the sales floor several times a day (you’d be surprised how dirty that thing gets, grapes are the number one floor grubber-upper).  Seasonally I get to shuck corn (how fun) so people can buy it without husks.  I cut up watermelon, fruits and sometimes even make fruit & veggie platters or fruit baskets (we’re actually moving into that season now.  If any of you want to know what you can get me as an awesome Christmas present this year- don’t order a platter or basket.  Thanks!).  I don’t get to paint the faces on the pre-decorated pumpkins though, they come in like that.  I get to mark down reduced produce, or send things to compost (much better than into the trash) and I pack things up for donation to the local food shelves.  Mostly I shelve things and answer people’s questions (which aren’t even usually about my department.  You’d be surprised how often somebody asks me “Hey, where’s the beer?”, but it’s usually “Where’s the bathroom?”).
The job isn’t so bad, there are bad days (but there are in every job).  There’s a couple of really annoying customers (also at every job), like Flower Lady; who always comes shopping for flowers about an hour before they’re up on the shelves.  You know, if I always went shopping on my lunch break (before noon) and the item I wanted consistently wasn’t out yet, I’d change what time I came in to shop instead of being grouchy at the employees every week because the display wasn’t stocked yet.
Probably the most surprising thing so far has been that somehow the use of courtesy  has dwindled far further than I thought it had.  I’ve ranted about people refusing to use the phrase “Excuse me.” before and I’ve come to expect that I will not hear it anymore.  It’s sad, but I also no longer expect to hear “Please” or “Thank you”.  However, what I’m finding is people are managing to be rude even beyond that.  I often get “GRR! So, are you out of eggplant or what?!” instead of “Where is the eggplant?”.  “Is this all the lettuce you’ve got?!” instead of “Do you have any other lettuce?”.
So there you go, work is work. Largely I’m having a good time, thanks for asking.  =)

Yesterday my mom called about the party planning (I’d sent her an email poking about the pig negotiations) and told me she & my Uncle decided that would be “too much food for us” and the plan was now “everyone bring a dish”.
I was pretty much stunned speechless.
She made a small inquiry, afraid she’d pissed me off (far more than I let on, but it’s not just about the pig) and reminded me I’d still be making the cake.  Well, I took the opportunity to clear cupcakes with her as an alternative (easier to cart around, easy to portion control for those who need it/want it and just over all easier to deal with), which did get approval.

If I’m to understand my mom’s plan now, my Grandmother’s “special” and “surprise” party has now become not a surprise and is a potluck.  I wouldn’t be surprised if now the party’s not going to be held on my Grandmother’s birthday either.  ><

I hate that we’re back to “train wreck” status.  Since my mom’s mind has changed, she will (intentionally or not) be working against any alterations to her current vision.  I could probably work past that (while incurring some bitchiness, but it’d be worth it) but my Uncle, the one hosting the party, is the one who talked her down to this potluck idea.  It’s difficult to work against the will of the guy where the party is, it’s his place- he has final say over what we do to it.

I think it’s foolish to trust by everyone attending the party and them having been told to bring eats that there will be enough food.  There won’t be.  To the best of my knowledge, most people will be traveling in from out of state- some of those will be “camping out” on my Uncle’s lawn, others will stay in a hotel and some will be staying with other relatives.  How are most of them going to cook a dish and bring it along?
The party currently looks like we’ll have cake (in some form), a fruit platter and a several bags of chips to eat. ><

I don’t know what I’m going to do to counter this yet, I don’t want to shake my head and stand aside and let the train wreck happen.  Since the party is no longer a surprise, I suspect my Grandmother will have certain expectations of the party (I figure those expectations are “This party will suck.“, she knows who’s planning it after all), and I would rather not meet those expectations (or come in underneath them!).

No, I’m not ready to quit yet (sorry Gravity, I know me wracking my brain on this will drive you crazy).  I’m sure I’ll think up something.  If I don’t well… I’ll deal with that then.

Yay, got my call back to go in for job orientation tomorrow.  This should mean I will start working next week
Usually grocery stores schedule their help Sunday through Saturday, so Sunday is reasonably the first day I would start working.  Although, this was an immediate job opening so I may be asked to start right in on Saturday, who knows?  It’s more likely I will start on Sunday though.
In my past experience with grocery store scheduling, Thursday is typically the day various managers set the next week’s schedule forth.  I expect to be handed my schedule for next week during or after orientation tomorrow.

OK, no more waiting for that.  =)