This is not a way of life.........

Now that things are calming down a bit, I can blog a bit. You see, I've been working inside a Big Box Store. You know the ones: all the staff dress like Smerfs and behave like Stepford wives. The management is manic depressive, or maybe just depressive, and the cashiers used to be row bosses in women's prison. So, you get over these stereotypes, and try to enjoy something in the character of the staff you're compelled to work with. I use the term "work" loosely, as the cliche says. One works, one (two, or three) watches. Surreptitiously. Suspiciously. Which brings me to the crux of this blog. (crux: A tormenting or baffling problem. Hmm. Guess I should've said the crux of the job within the BBS!)

Where is the pride in work? Where is the self respect in doing well at a job? Where is the integrity in customer service? (Where is the customer service??)

Who teaches the kids to do well on the job, to be honest, to work a full day, to take fair and restful breaks? Who teaches respect for the co-worker in a higher position, and respect for the newbie in a lower position?

Who tells the staff member that customers are important? Not because of the wallets, but because they're human beings who took the time to shop here? That those purchases pay your wages?

Who cares about quality of or caring for the products?

The managers I worked with were pretty concerned and spent significant time working on creating a buddy relationship with junior staff. The junior staff spent even more significant work hours flirting and chatting and slouching along corridors, avoiding eye contact with customers but definitely making eye contact with the girl/guy staff she/he wanted to.......talk business with at the next staff meeting. Yeah right.

I'm burned about the entire situation. It makes me sick to see no positive teaching, no respect, no pride, no honesty coming down from management, trickling down the food chain to the lowliest position on staff. When you have the opportunity to teach a junior worker a correct procedure, they don't want to learn it. They just want to slouch around, get paid, go home. Don't miss the staff Xmas party.

It was literally making me ill to work within this atmosphere. I had to leave. I said thank you God, but for the grace of, there go I. May the God of the cattle on a thousand hills protect me from ever having to feed my needs by working in such a place. And I wasn't even on the staff!

The creepy thing is the way they all talk Big Box Speak. You know, the comfortable terminology that A. makes the staff feel important because they know a secret language that customers do not and B. a spade isn't called a spade. There are "tasks", not "work" or "duties". Everyone is an "associate", not a "worker" or "staff". Nearly everyone from the dog up has a title, which means nothing because not only does this titled person have no authority at all, he is seemingly too stupid or dishonest to acquire or deserve the responsibility attached to authority.

Yeah, I'm gonna stop now before my blood pressure goes any higher or my spirits any lower. It's redoubled my efforts to encourage, teach, listen, show respect, and call a spade a spade.

Vive l' small business!!

What is it about patience? I seem to have a good amount of patience with elderly folks... I don't seem to have enough patience with average age folks. Or bratty little kids. Why is that now? I have greater levels of patience with handicapped persons of any age. Unless the handicapped person is a jerk. To my way of thinking, just because you're handicapped doesn't give you jerk privileges. Or just because you're old doesn't entitle you to be a jerk. Or if you're hung-over... Yeah, I have zero patience for hung-over persons of any age! Seems like it's all about attitude. Not mine, theirs. For instance, if a person is on say, painkillers, for legitimate pain relief, then I have a greater degree of patience, because I know they're having unusual symptoms from A. the pain and B. the meds. But if the person in pain is just a whiner who doesn't do the exercises which move him toward recovery, well, I say, suck it up Suzy. Don't whine to me! I have no patience for a non-trier. The specific example that got me online about this is persons who are NOT elderly behaving as if they WERE and expecting something extra from me, because they've chosen to adopt elderly behaviorisms in a non-elderly body and mind. Can't cope with that! Minimal patience in action there. See? Attitude. I still perceive my dad as a younger man, although he perceives himself as elderly-ish, and he IS over 70. So I have to remind myself that he's legitimately old. Er. Old-er. Not OLD. (Good thing Dad doesn't read this!) Attitude. Perceptions. His, and mine. When do we begin with patience? What about persons who don't take care of their health, consequently experience ill health, and then expect increased levels of patience on my part? "Care for me, now I'm ill." Well gee. You brought it on yourself, now I have to bear the consequences? My patience falters. What about Tough Love? Is it best applied before or after? Actually, I don't know if I have the patience to discuss that at this moment. Wow. What an attitude!