Christmas Stress

So, I finally have a few minutes to post! Work is getting better. We finally have a good crew. With the bad seeds gone, we are finally catching up.

The day I started, there was a truck full of merchandise and we had to move 15-20 pallets of more merchandise to get to it. Now there are only four and these are mostly the early shipments for Valentines day.

I did have a problem with one of the new guys. I had asked him to do something and he kept talking to a co-worker about a football game. So, I asked him again thinking he didn't hear me. He flew off the handle. I realized immediately that we had been there for eleven hours and we were both tired, so I probably came across wrong and he, being tired also, took it wrong and over reacted.

I turned around to apologize and correct the situation. That is when it turned bad. He told me to get out of his face, yet I was about four feet away. I kept trying to get him to calm down and listen, but he just kept yelling. In fact, we were at the very back wall of the building and they heard him all the way at the front (good thing we had not opened yet).

The store manager called us both into the office the next evening to talk. On the way, all I could think was how much trouble we both were in. As it turned out, she had gotten a statement from the only witness. The witness stated that I had not yell at the employee and that I acted more than fairly. She began to talk to this poor guy about insubordination and obeying the supervisor. I felt bad for him, she scolding him like a dog that had wet the rug.

I interjected, I felt that long hours and hard work were more to blame than a disregard for authority. She eased up a bit and let us get back to work. Later she came and asked me why I had stood up for him. I said that all in all he is a good worker. He had been with us only a few days, but that I had already seen that a reaction like this was not like him.

Later in the evening the employee came up to me and apologized. He said what I had done for him in the office took guts. He went on to say that next time he is in trouble that he would like me to be the one to talk to him in the office.

When I asked him why, he said that I had corrected the manager in such a way that she didn't even notice. To him, I had seemed firm but gentle and he felt that deserved and showed respect on my part.

The manager came up to us later and apologized for her attitude. It seems that she had been tired and stressed lately. She did not realize how tired she was until I had broke into the conversation earlier.

New Job

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. The new job has got me EXTREMELY busy. Who would of thought a toy store was busy at Christmas..lol!

I have been working about twelve hours a day. Add to that a forty minute commute and most of my day is gone. I have been assured that it will get better by the 26th of this month.

The crew that I have been in charge of is the overnight stockers. They are all seasonal workers and they don't really care about their job. I have lost five people this week. Two of them just stopped showing up, one got into an argument with someone so we asked him to leave. The other two, well, we caught them stealing.

I have always hated letting people go, but the two that were stealing just upset me so much that I was relieved to watch them leave. I saw the video, they waited until I was walking one of the ladies out to their car then took a very expensive item.

All told though, the job is not bad. I have had problems adjusting to the overnight shift. That is only temporary, I should be back to days after the holidays. Right now I am getting plenty of hours, I put in nearly sixty hours in five days. Just knowing that I will be able to get Annette and the kids a little something for Christmas has kept me going.

It Keeps Getting Better

I have never been one that tithes much. I suppose it was a lack of faith. Last week, Annette and I discussed it and decided that we needed to start. Sunday morning, we basically had gas money to get to church. As we got dressed, Annette found money in her pocket that we had forgot about. We took a leap of faith and gave it to the church.

Monday morning came, she was expecting a check that would carry us through the week. I checked the mail looking for it. It wasn't there! But wait, what is this other letter addressed to me? It was from a former employer. It seems that they had mis-figured a paycheck and had sent a check for the difference. Amazingly, it was for almost the same amount as the other one we were expecting.

Wait,save your praise for a minute, I'm not done yet. While in shock, the phone rings. My new employer wanted to know if I could go ahead and start work in two hours. All they wanted was for me to go through orientation and do some paper work.

When I arrived, I asked for the Human Resources person. They led me to her and she said, "The manager needs to speak with you for a moment."

The manager informed me that they need a manager for the overnight shift. I don't like this shift but, she said that it would only be for a month or so. If I would take this position, she would pay me more money and give me a shift differential. All told, with the raises, I will make per hour almost the same amount that we put in the offering Sunday. An amount that I had not dreamed about.