Gimme a W

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Where’s my coffee?

When my daughter was still living at home she used to go into the kitched first thing and scream at me," WHERE’S MY COFFEE?" I would pour us a cup and that was the start of my day.  I have had my coffee and bowl of shredded wheat and I emailed Colleen and fed the dogs….and cat…..and fish. I am ready for work, pumped up by the encouraging words from friends in bloggerville. Thanks a bunch! I will stop by the stationary department and pick up a small note pad.   I can feel the motivation bubbling through my body. I think today they will anounce it at the morning meeting. I will probably turn red and have a goofy smile on my face. I’m excited….Have a great day everyone!
  Pam
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I Got It!!!!

  I am now the Merchandise Supervisor in charge of Dry Grocery. It’s an area that requires organization and focus. There are things that Wal-Mart does at the home office level that just doesn’t make any sense, so picking me for that position is no surprise. Yesterday I was very busy trying to get 10 things done at the same time when Ronnie, one of my venders, asked to have a picture taken of both of us in front of my VPI. I chose Scott 12 roll TP. It will be featured on a large endcap for three months. Well we took the picture and it was 3:30 when I looked at my watch. I have no idea what happened but when I saw what time it was I must have had a brain synapses because I went into early shift mode. I said good bye and ran off to finish the reset that I had started. I went full speed thinking I only had a half hour left before I had to punch out. I ended up working till 4:27 and I was mad at myself for working past my scheduled time. I stopped at the grocery store to get something for dinner and when I got home Jeff met me at the door and asked me why I was home so early. I said, "Early?"…….Hmmmm……..wheels were turning in my head………"Aaaah crap!"  I punched out 4 hours too early. I Jumped back into the car and called my assistant manager to tell her what a moron I was. She just started laughing. Well I went back to work feeling like my brain was only half there. It was an awful feeling.
  My brain does not seem to be working quite right and the lousy thing about it is that I can tell there is something wrong. It is quite scary at times. Jeff has to constantly repeat himself, I have to right everything down, which does me little good because I forget where I put my note pad.  And those funny little emails about getting older are oh so true!  Hee Hee!  Yeah I laugh about it……..most of the time, but there are times when I just want to cry.
  Well the point I am trying to make it that I am not very organized and I find it hard to stay focused, and multi-tasking is something I am just stuck with doing because I get sidetracked so easily that I end up with about 5 things going at once.  EEEEEEEeeeeeeeeekkkkk!!!!!!!
  My brain will one day self implode, I am sure of it. So please, if you are in Colorado and come to the Broomfield store and see some maniac employee with her hair frazzled and dark circles under her eyes, with a puzzled look on her face…..That’s me!   LOL   HEE HEE   LOL  Wish me luck I will need it.  I was thinking that I could use Black Berry to take notes. But those cost a small fortune. Well, I have got to figure out something quick because tomorrow is my first day over that department. 
  I have to enter phone numbers of all the reps that stock their own product and make sure that they have enough ordered for features on certain dates. I have to keep the night crew posted on what is going to change and when and where and I might as well throw in WHY!  I will have to maintain paper and chemicals till they hire a new mgr, and that could take weeks even months. To top things off this is the time of the year that the whole store is doing a reset of all categories. New product in old product clearanced out.  I am so used to NOT communicating that this will be the hardest for me to get used to.
  Well enough of that, I am happy about the change but I am second guessing my abilities.
   Pam  
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Bending Over………Backwards for Wal-Mart

  Yesterday I had my interview for grocery receiving, Dept. 92, and I can’t believe what they plan on doing if I get the position. That position is….HMMMM…bend over….Well you know the rest of that. The store manager wants me to run depts. 92, 95(beverage and snacks), and 96(alcohol). I am in charge of paper and chemicals and 95 & 96.  This is the kicker, if they give it to someone else I am still stuck with 95 & 96.  Managment wants to make Paper and Chems a starter dept. for new merchandise supervisors.  I Actually think that is a great idea. I want to transfer to that new store and if I can show that I can handle the three depts., that will get my foot in the door.
  I tried to put George Harrison’s ‘Here Comes The Sun’ on my site but thare is something wrong with the recording I have. It keeps on stoping every ten seconds while it plays.  Guess that means we are stuck with the cold weather and the snow.  I decided to play one of my favorite Earth Wind & Fire songs. I am going to send it to Sharon. A good theme song for the soldiers when they are coming home from Iraq!  I can just see them all singing along..LOL.
  I have been trying to think of something to put on  my next video clip. Any suggestions? I am afraid to ask Jeff. I know exactly what he would say. "Why are you doing that? Don’t you care what people think?"  Yeah, Jeff is not the kind of person that can enjoy being or looking silly. One of the reasons he will not go out dancing, unless he is drunk enough not to care. LOL  Haven’t done that in a long time.
  I hope everyone has a great weekend. No Seahawks and no Patriots in the superbowl so I don’t care who wins.  And no party this year. I am kinda sad about that. On the upside, we will be saving enough money to make a house payment!!!!  WOW   *I want more sunshine and warm weather*
  Pam  
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The fish are going bye bye…..

  Well I am happy to say that I got a phone call from the home office in Arkansas. Scotty called and told me that because most Wal-Marts have a wall behind the tanks the team that draws up the modular for the store probably took it for granted that we had one too. He told me I was absolutely right about the fish and he also said that his main concern was how our management responded to my concerns. He asked me to send an email to the regional manager and let him know about my concerns. We talked for about an hour and I felt much better about the whole situation. At the very least I know I have Scotty’s respect and approval. I means a lot when you really feel that there is a lack of sincerity where you work and then to be validated.

  Another thing that Scotty told me is that the company has decided to pull the tanks out of the majority of there stores and just leave the ones that are rocking out in sales. He also mentioned that there is a team of people that are researching how to care for fish and will be making a manual that can be printed out at each store. I was blown away that I actually made a difference. So my spirits are up and I can already feel my passion returning. For a while there I was letting myself fall into that, "I DON’T GIVE A SH#*%&#" attitude. I am a little ashamed to say that I just didn’t see the point of trying anymore. Well, I have made it my goal to try to promote a more positive way of thinking at work, and not just with me but everyone. Sounds a bit corny and cliché but it worked for me when I got all that positive input from Scotty, so I hope it will work for others in the store. I am off on Sunday and it is much too cold to go out anywhere so I will hang out here and….and do nothing! LOL, that sounds good to me.

  Pam   

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But the lighter fluid will kill the fish…..

We all have flaws in our character that we wish we could change or get rid of altogether. You have probably noticed from reading my blogs that I can be quite the drama queen. I’m a little eccentric and excitable. Everything has priority and everything is important. As a result of my lack of control over my emotions when I have something that really is very important to say, it is taken with a grain of salt and blown off.

  In our store the fish tanks are next to the garden center and as you can see from the pictures there is a large steel shelf fixture behind the tanks. The back of our tanks are exposed to this fixture and the only thing that separates it from the tanks is peg board. The only way to get to the tanks is to go through the section of peg board that has been cut out for that purpose. That means the technition would have to touch the shelving to get to the tanks. The residue would be transfered to the tanks. Last week I explained that there cannot be any fertilizer, insecticide, charcoal merchandised on that fixture.  Tuesday, when I saw that they had put the charcoal on that fixture I was furious. I expressed my concern and then management said they thought it would be alright. I tried to explain that when we first opened the store I was told by the fish suppliers and the tank suppliers that we cannot put these certain items on this fixture because it could harm the fish and the tanks. They said the fumes alone could kill the fish. The co manager said that we do not have much of a choice and I said, "Your right, Hmmm…Kill the fish or let them live?…..Yes your right you will have to move the charcoal AND LIGHTER FLUID some where else. He refused and blew me off like I didn’t know what I was talking about. I was livid. I just could not believe my ears. They had put a pallet of Match Light charcoal right behind the tanks where the sump and bio-filter are located. Every time they stock the shelves with this charcoal that is infused with lighter fluid the dust from the bags will go "poof" right into the sump and onto the bio-filter. This will kill the bio-filter which costs about $1000.  The lighter fluid if it got into the system would destroy the tanks. I am not sure how much the tanks cost but I am sure that that it is a 6 digit figure. Oh yes, it is a given that the fish would all die.

  So now what do I do? I work the 11 to 8 shift today and the first thing I will do is email every home office person to try to get a response.  I will also make a few phone calls to the district and the regional mgrs. I thought about emailing Channel 9 News but that would be a little too extreme and may save that as a last resort to satisfy my own need to get revenge.

  Wish me luck. There is a part of me that wants the worst to happen, but not at the sacrafice of the fish. I have already said, "But the lighter fluid will kill the fish!!!" I hope my next words will not be, "I told you so."

  Pam  

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I don’t want to but …

  I don’t want to go to work but I have to. I have been fighting this off for about a month and my body finnally succumbed. I now have a head cold and the last thing I want to do is get someone else sick. Wal-Mart’s policy is no pay on the first sick day so if I was to take a day off I would not be coming back in till I was well. I have called in sick about 1 time in the last 5 years and was only out for one day. Well I got to get to work, I’ll continue when I get home and I’ll be changing my song to Joe Fabulous……..
 
  Ok sorry I didn’t finish but I was very upset when I got home and I also didn’t want to miss American Idol!!!!!  LOL  So I will write a new blog and tell you all about what’s happening at the store to make me so upset
  Pam
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Knitting My Stress Away

  I hope everyone had a better day at work than I did! Although one nice thing is that I was asked if I wanted to be Merchandise Supervisor over the Toy department.  I immediately answered "No thanks!" I haven’t been around kids too much and am pretty intollerant of parents that let theirs run amuck in a department store!  I would probably, without thinking, say something that I would be sorry for, LOL.   I got to admit that I am tempted. But I would be jumping from the frying pan into the fire! However that saying goes. 
  Our Co-Manager Kim is leaving our store. She was promoted to Store Manager and will be taking over one of the stores in Longmont, CO.  I’m going to miss her.  She was a good boss and a really nice gal. 
  If I win the lottery I won’t have to be a Wally Girl!  I could get my own Coffee House where people can come and use the internet to blog, etc.  Philosophy, politics, cooking, crafts and other random subjects for conversation, and maybe some live music in the evening.  That would be the life for me. My hubby could start his Socrates Cafe Group.  He could write a weekly newsletter. He was always interested in journalism, and he is very talented and has a gift with words.
  I would be able to see my grandkids grow up. I would be able to visit my family in Los angeles, in Reno, NV, in Washington State, and in Hawaii. 
  I could help out at the homeless shelter, and serve hot coffee and danish. I could give them a job at my coffee house. Or if they had any musical talent I could have them come and play, sing or whatever at the coffee house. Give them a chance to be appreciated, or even discovered!  Can I dream or what? Well yes I do have an imagination, and reality usually is not a part of it, LOL.  Russ, to answer your question, yes it would change my life and for the better.  Even if I end up spending it all on making other people happier, wow wouldn’t that be a hoot! Anyhow, sounds lot’s better than my job at Wal-Mart. I better not burn any bridges in case I need a job after I spend my millions, LOL
    I took up a new hobby to ease my stress. Here is a picture of the scarf I made. I really enjoyed making it and it is great therapy on my lunch break so be creating something other than negative conversation about work!  Here is a picture of me wearing the first scarf I made.  I look so goofy.  I already started making my second one. I should be done in about a week. And the other picture is my new project and the gadget I use to make the scarfs. Tootaloo till next time.
  Pam
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It’s a Snow Blizzard

  Wow, I wanted it to snow for Christmas but this is a little more than I expected! I left for work this morning at 6:30am, and the wind was really blowing hard and the ice crystals burned as they hit my face. I thought to myself "This is going to be bad" 
  By the time I got to work it was snowing sideways, and I wanted to go back home. Lucky for me my hubby called and told me he was closing the shop and coming home and wanted me to come home too. He came to pick me up, but I wanted the car at home in the garage. It was a white out driving home. It took me 45 minutes to get home. I was driving like a half blind old lady! 
  I wasn’t the only one that left work. 24 inches was predicted by 3:00 and I didn’t get off work till 4:00pm.  I don’t think Wal-Mart pays me enough to risk my life for a sale.  LOL  So I’m at home warm and cozy. It’s 12:16 and still blowing sideways with about 8 inches on the ground. I don’t think I will be showing up at work tomarrow either. I usually feel guilty about not being at work, even on my days off,but not today. I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Here are a few pictures. I will add some more later today.
  Pam  
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The Big W…Big Family

  Things keep changing and not all is for the better.  That pet department has been a big struggle but our new store manager went to bat for a few of us merchandise supervisors whose work load was unreasonably impossible to manage. So now I am in charge of paper, chemicals, beverage and snacks and beer.  Which is isle 10 through 14 plus cookie and crackers. The great part about it is that it is all on the same side of the store. The bad part is that I no longer have any associates under me that I can delagate…boss around..LOL. Soda and beer and cookies crackers and chiips are all vender managed so I should be fine.
  I got to admit that I will still worry about the fish. Oh yes did I mention that I have to train the new manager how to care for the fish, order, clean, feed, etc. What is strange is that no one told me that the restructuring had even taken place! This happened on last Saturday, my day off. Sunday I came into work and decided to spend the day in Pets and Anna came up to me and said that she was picked for the new position in Pets and Stationary. I congratulated her and ended up working for 11 hours to try to get the backstock out and make it a little easier for her. Oh yes and so it didn’t look like I completely neglected the department LOL.
  I worked 48 hours this week and overtime is a no no!  Yesterday I thought for sure I was getting written up but the store manager just congratulated me on getting everything cleaned up. Said it looked great and that was that. My motivation has slowly been returning.
  Every month I pick a VPI, and I can’t for the life of me remember what that stands for. Anyhow I pick a product to feature with the hopes of increasing the sales. The employee’s VPI that has the highest increase wins and is recognised with a $25 certificate. This contest can go as high as nation wide. Well that put some more motivation in me.  Thank goodness. I know that my attitude has been poor to he point where people were asking me if I were alright.  But I am better now and look forward to making more changes. Our bakery and deli really needs a lot of work to make it competitive with the grocery stores. And our store manager has been very interested in my suggestions. Well I am rambling now and will stop here.
   Pam