Blech... Work
Normally, I enjoy my job. But I had Tuesday and Wednesday off (although I had to take a conference call on Tuesday and went into work on Wednesday to handle an employee issue) and today I went to a meeting in Vermont. So I haven't been in my store for 3 days. I don't want to go back tomorrow.
The Object of My Affection tries to understand that I have a "real" job. He listens to me talk about my frustrations there as well as my successes and he's never bitched about the hours I work or the irregularity of those hours. But sometimes he doesn't get it. Like yesterday. It was my day off. They called me three times, once during Alias which is like sancrosanct time for me. I don't answer the phone during Alias for anyone, not Baby Sis, not Eva, not my parents, not even Rock Starr if he doesn't happen to be sitting next to me watching it (when you only watch one show a week, you get pretty possessive over that time). So last night when the phone rang during Alias, I answered the phone. One of the managers had locked her store keys in the management office and needed me to come unlock the door. I couldn't really be irritated because I had done the same thing two weeks before. And I live the closest to the store. So I popped in a tape, went to the store, came back a half an hour later, and tried to catch up on the show. And Omar gave me a little grief.
"I don't know why they call you all the time. Aren't they competent? That's the second time today you went into work and it's your day off."
"Look," I told him, "this time I had to go in because she needed her keys. I didn't have to go in earlier this afternoon, but I did because I needed to talk to the DM face to face about the Moron and I didn't know when I was going to get that chance again."
"You have a meeting with the DM tomorrow."
"To talk about other stuff. Not the moron. And all store managers will be at the meeting so there's no one on one time."
"Hmph."
When I first went into retail full-time, my parents didn't get that I did more than stand on a sales floor and hawk things to people (after two years and many conversations, they get it now). They figured I just sold products and that was it. I don't; I manage a staff that ranges between forty-five and one hundred people depending on the time of year, I keep track of my store's business results to figure out trends and traffic patterns, I'm accountable to people on a corporate level (and it's a major coroporation) when my store doesn't perform. I "own" a $7.5 million store and I have to keep it running. Granted, I do that with three other managers, but these last seven weeks I've done it mostly on my own because my store manager has taken a leave of absence for personal reasons. It's really taught me what I want to do for a living, which is have my own store. I'm good at running that business. Much better than I ever thought I was. And I thought to myself a couple days ago, that even though I'm really excited my boss is coming back, I'm kind of sad I have to give up some of my responsibility.
But not tonight. Tonight I want to be lazy and sleep in tomorrow and not have to deal with Moron or the BIG VISIT coming up on Wednesday or any of the petty, mundane shit that goes on amongst a staff of mostly college aged females (sometimes I hate girls. Talk about bitchy. It's like perpetual PMS in my store sometimes). Tonight I want to snuggle with Omar when he gets home from the library (did I mention my boy's wicked smart and getting and MBA??) and watch what he wants to watch (usually comedy central) and listen to that nasty little snicker he sometimes makes when he's laughing at something that he knows is mean. Work? I'll deal with it tomorrow.
The Object of My Affection tries to understand that I have a "real" job. He listens to me talk about my frustrations there as well as my successes and he's never bitched about the hours I work or the irregularity of those hours. But sometimes he doesn't get it. Like yesterday. It was my day off. They called me three times, once during Alias which is like sancrosanct time for me. I don't answer the phone during Alias for anyone, not Baby Sis, not Eva, not my parents, not even Rock Starr if he doesn't happen to be sitting next to me watching it (when you only watch one show a week, you get pretty possessive over that time). So last night when the phone rang during Alias, I answered the phone. One of the managers had locked her store keys in the management office and needed me to come unlock the door. I couldn't really be irritated because I had done the same thing two weeks before. And I live the closest to the store. So I popped in a tape, went to the store, came back a half an hour later, and tried to catch up on the show. And Omar gave me a little grief.
"I don't know why they call you all the time. Aren't they competent? That's the second time today you went into work and it's your day off."
"Look," I told him, "this time I had to go in because she needed her keys. I didn't have to go in earlier this afternoon, but I did because I needed to talk to the DM face to face about the Moron and I didn't know when I was going to get that chance again."
"You have a meeting with the DM tomorrow."
"To talk about other stuff. Not the moron. And all store managers will be at the meeting so there's no one on one time."
"Hmph."
When I first went into retail full-time, my parents didn't get that I did more than stand on a sales floor and hawk things to people (after two years and many conversations, they get it now). They figured I just sold products and that was it. I don't; I manage a staff that ranges between forty-five and one hundred people depending on the time of year, I keep track of my store's business results to figure out trends and traffic patterns, I'm accountable to people on a corporate level (and it's a major coroporation) when my store doesn't perform. I "own" a $7.5 million store and I have to keep it running. Granted, I do that with three other managers, but these last seven weeks I've done it mostly on my own because my store manager has taken a leave of absence for personal reasons. It's really taught me what I want to do for a living, which is have my own store. I'm good at running that business. Much better than I ever thought I was. And I thought to myself a couple days ago, that even though I'm really excited my boss is coming back, I'm kind of sad I have to give up some of my responsibility.
But not tonight. Tonight I want to be lazy and sleep in tomorrow and not have to deal with Moron or the BIG VISIT coming up on Wednesday or any of the petty, mundane shit that goes on amongst a staff of mostly college aged females (sometimes I hate girls. Talk about bitchy. It's like perpetual PMS in my store sometimes). Tonight I want to snuggle with Omar when he gets home from the library (did I mention my boy's wicked smart and getting and MBA??) and watch what he wants to watch (usually comedy central) and listen to that nasty little snicker he sometimes makes when he's laughing at something that he knows is mean. Work? I'll deal with it tomorrow.
posted by Lucy Starr @ 9:48 PM
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