The Squirmy Puppy Pub

[Tassifox 418]

Honestly I've gotten semi-used to waking up early. I've been doing the Scan team for roughly 2 1/2 years now and there's a few pros to it
- More productivity than being in a checkstand
- Pretty much all shifts begin either 3-1 hour before we officially open the store so I don't have to interact with customers as much and when we do open it's what early birds there are that come in but pretty much don't tend to bother you unless they need to.
- I get out earlier in the day with gives me the rest of the time to either run errands, somewhat have a social life/plans afterwards
- I get to have my music on me until we open the doors.
- Having Scan shifts in between cashier shifts helps my sanity of the stupidity of the checkstands with either people or coworkers drama.

Cons:
- Dealing with weirdo/druggies/shoplifters when we open the store
- Getting up early
- Occasionally knees or thighs aching from constant squats.
- Still waking up early on days off or if I'm scheduled later in the day shifts. (My internal "sleep in time" is roughly 5:30-6 am)

[Anelle 792]

Oh man, I used to do truck shifts for Ulta and that meant going and unloading boxes and putting out product at like 3am on Fridays and for a while it was pretty good, lots of the pros you mentioned... no customers, I had earbuds in..... but then they banned us from listening to music and the deliveries started getting STUPID ridiculous for what was mostly a crew of petite women (and then me with the bad back, but that was a whole other weird issue) and then they'd make us stay later and later and it was just...... no good. Sometimes I think fondly of listening to an audiobook while lining up eyeliner though haha

[Tassifox 418]

Well considering I'm part of union I really can't stay late unless something happens and even then there's a lot of other conditions that have to be there for me to be able to stay late unless they wanna pay me overtime.

[Anelle 792]

Yeah, that sounds much better. It started being threatening ultimatums of "no one can leave until the entire truck is unloaded" which would mean there were 3 or 4 of us desperately trying to stock around active customers because we were a busy location and it'd really piss the customers off and we'd still not get everything done because we'd have to drop shit to help if asked. I do not understand management choices there

[Galeigh 308]

Sounds like a typical case of mismanagement. A common thing these days. 

[Anelle 792]

That whole place was a management disaster, yeah. The GM that hired me quit fairly shortly after she hired me on beyond seasonal and things just kinda snowballed worse and worse. When I left there was finally a new GM so maybe she whipped things into gear?

[Galeigh 308]

Maybe but probably not. The security I used to work for would go through management on yearly, sometimes monthly, basis. It was super bad. A new GM might fix it, unless the problems stem from HIS/HER boss

[Eizan 126]

On 4/10/2019 at 4:25 PM, Tassifox said:

Ad change day

Has it always been Wednesday for you? I feel like when Kroger changed to a Wednesday ad years ago it was a bad decision. It just makes thing weird when it comes to setting up displays and stuff. 

[webhead 519]

All the grocery stores here and Wednesday as far as I know.

[Tassifox 418]

I believe it's a all grocery store thing since most of the ads I get in the mail the Tues before cover Fred Meyer/QFC which is Kroger, Safeway/Albertsons (not kroger), Rite Aids and Bartells.

With Safeways/Albertsons we've done the Wed ad changes for years. Only time it sucks is when we have Thanksgiving and/or Xmas falling on a Thurs so then we go 5 days without a new ad until the following Wed. In general we have about 4 ad promos to switch prices and the like (even if one isn't specifically a physical ad)
-1/mo Big Book
-1/mo GM (General Merchandise aka most non-food items and is the not physical ad but it's something we do every month)
-Every Wed weekly ads
-$5 Fridays (Then I change the sale prices on Sat mornings)

[Eizan 126]

Well yea it's been like 5-6 years since it changed, just wondering. 

 

Price changes are about the same for us, but between having 3/4 day sales. 2 Day Digital Coupon sales and free Friday downloads they've added a lot more changes outside of Wednesday. 

[Tassifox 418]

No I mean in the 18 years I've worked for Albertsons-turned into-Safeway it's always been Weds for ad changes.

We rarely do 2 day sales anymore. Once and awhile they'll pop up but hardly ever anymore.

Whoever created the first coupon though I hope their soul burns in hell.

[Eizan 126]

9 minutes ago, Tassifox said:

No I mean in the 18 years I've worked for Albertsons-turned into-Safeway it's always been Weds for ad changes.

That's what I was wanting to know. Kroger was Sunday for ad changes up until 2014, at least for the Atlanta division. 

[Tassifox 418]

I have no idea if it was a similar change here. I just know it's always been that way before the merger. The company that owns Safeway/Albertsons now tho is Cerberus so idk if they gave any shit about things like that.

[webhead 519]

You know what I'm fucking sick of for the sales at Frys/Kroger and I know all the checkout people hate it too...that bullshit where you have to spend 25 dollars in addition to say a bunch of soda.  That shit is super annoying.  Everyone hates it that works there and all the customers hate it.  I really fucking wish they would stop.

 

Those millions of different digital 2 day sales and shit sound like a nightmare for you guys to setup too.

[Tassifox 418]

There's a lot of promotions that I agree are BS. the "Have to buy 4 to get it at this sale" or the "DIGITAL ONLY COUPON" which of course drives my older customers nuts and our higher ups just go back n forth on "do it for the customer" and "uphold policies" shit. Just make it the fucking sale price, one and done, keep your people coming regardless of competitors. But I know that's not how it works.

[Anelle 792]

Grimy update--- He's gone to live with my mentor now that his tail's on the mend because she has 2 others his size and I'm better with the tube feeder babies than she is so she swapped me another small one for him. NGL, I'm low key devastated I got SUPER attached to that idiot XD 

[Tassifox 418]

I definitely got too used to doing morning and Scan shifts at work. Today was the first time in forever I got a shift started at 1:30. And of course dealing with the closing team that is usually the worst because they don't want to do anything in closing duties. Work wasn't horrible at least. But after all that and getting ready to watch new GoT on my friends HBO Now account. I click on the ep and even though I made sure they resubscribed their account it keeps telling me that they have to renew. T_T so no new GoT right now. At least I have tomorrow off.

[Galeigh 308]

9 hours ago, Anelle said:

Grimy update--- He's gone to live with my mentor now that his tail's on the mend because she has 2 others his size and I'm better with the tube feeder babies than she is so she swapped me another small one for him. NGL, I'm low key devastated I got SUPER attached to that idiot XD 

Aw, I was enjoying the Saga of Grimy

[Tassifox 418]

Indeed but I'm sure she'll have plenty other sagas of the Opossums

[Anelle 792]

Yup! Right now the one that I "swapped" for Grimy is in some dire straights so I've got my hands full making sure she pulls through. She's cute as a button though! I love her. The others I have have reached the stage where all their eyes are open and they're cranky about everything because they're not quuuuite big enough to leave the "pouch box" still so the moment they see me they start chitting and swarm my hand like "MOOOOOOOOOOOM WE'RE BORED"

[Tassifox 418]

What's the newbie's name?

[Anelle 792]

No name yet!

 

Generally I don't name them until I feel like they've earned a name. Maybe earned is the wrong word, but until they just... HAVE a name to me I guess. Lee named Grimy! Only 2 out of the 5 littles (well, 6 including new girl) have names so far--- Honeybun and Pickles

[Tassifox 418]

No I can totally see it. Sometimes the names come easily. Sometimes you have to wait to see what the name appears to you.

[Anelle 792]

POSSUM WATCH 2019---

the new lil baby has a name. We've been talking about how "feathery" light she is because she came to me starving but I didn't want to give her a name that reflected that featherweight because we want a nicely fat lil poss! So her name.... is Steel. Because "Steel is heavier than feathers!"

 

 

[Tassifox 418]

So even though work was crazy and we had Corp doing a walk through. One nice thing did happen to give the feels.

Earlier one of my regular customers came in with a stack of lost dog posters. My boss had to tell her that sadly we couldn't post it in our windows but we could take one for our break room if she wanted. She didn't end up leaving a poster with us but right about an hour before my shift ended today, One of my girls from bakery came over and told me these customers were trying to wrangle in a lost dog away from the parking lot and it had no collar. The dog followed behind her and surely enough it was THAT dog from the posters earlier. So I'm trying to wrangle the tiny thing, succeed (after it piddled from being terrified) And I'm trying to wrack my brain to see how we could contact the lady from earlier since she didn't leave a poster with us. Luckily one of the customers who were trying to help wrangled it offered to go to one of the posters she saw on a nearby street behind my store and called the number. Within minutes the owner comes to collect the dog and was in tears. Saying that he just moved here recently and that the dog saved his life once. Definitely made my day worth it when we get a lot of times where people will try to look for lost dogs but usually no one finds it that fast.

[Galeigh 308]

Today is my first day working at a new building. I get a full 40 hour work week here.  (still a part time employee, but that will change soon) 

 

Sounds good yeah? Well, I am the only custodian for the whole building. A building I will probably get the lead position at (basically just means you are the full time custodian). Oh and the heating/ac is buggy af. Some rooms are ice cold and others are a furnace. 

[webhead 519]

But yay money though right?

[Galeigh 308]

meh. It's better but still waaaay less than what I should be paid

[Tassifox 418]

Money is money and take what you can grab I say.

[Galeigh 308]

Finally got the application for the lead position through my works broke as shit application site. 

 

Now, I wait. 

[Tassifox 418]

Yay!  I'm sure you totally got this

[Galeigh 308]

As long as the broke as fuck system doesn't boot the application for some dumbass reason (a legit concern as it notorious drops apps for lacking or containing even a single word) then 100% I got the position. 

 

They are super desperate.

[Tassifox 418]

I believe in the 'Verse!

[Galeigh 308]

The "'Verse" likes to fuck me over. It gets nothing from me. 

[webhead 519]

Did you talk to the hiring manager so they're looking for your app?  They can make exceptions if they're looking for you.

 

Buddy up bro!  NETWORKING TIME!

[Galeigh 308]

Talked to the director before I applied, and immediately called and left a message when it was done and talked to her about it during the meeting last week.

 

She knows. She's Happy. I'm in.

[Tassifox 418]

Told ya!

 

[Galeigh 308]

Nothing is official. It all depends on that broken as fuck system first. The Director cannot give me the position unless it shows up. 

[Tassifox 418]

I still say you're in in .

[Anelle 792]

I've had a doozy of a day. 

 

Had to go in for an MRI, had an anxiety attack during, so that was cool. Lived through that.

 

Little Steel still isn't eating on her own and I'm having to face the fact that it's looking like she has MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) which is a huge blow, because I was given her and told she was just undernourished but MBD is pretty serious and potentially devastating to the opossum. I'm such an anxious wreck today that I've lost it over this lil baby so gotta get some sleep and come at this potential development with more courage tomorrow.

[webhead 519]

Was the MRI for the possum?  I'm not entirely sure after reading that post.  Seems like it is since it has a bone disease?

[Anelle 792]

lol nah the MRI was for me and my fucked up spine sorry for the confusion

[webhead 519]

Oh okay, yeah that makes sense then.  Lol.  Good news, bad news, same news?  Still waiting?

[Anelle 792]

Still waiting on that, they said doc should have results within 24 hours but the way the pain clinic runs i might not hear back until next week. I suppose "best" case scenario would be them deeming whatever's going on in there a candidate for surgery (in the past they've flat out said no, they don't want to do surgery on me for a myriad of reasons that boil down to it not really being worth it at that stage) but then again if that's the case I'm fucking terrified of having that done so whatever guess I'll fuckin' die I dunno

 

I won't go too sad sack on here, but I'm stressed lol

[Jane 100]

Big but not too squeezing hugs to you, Anelle. That all sounds really scary. Hope the outcome of all that is as good as it can be (and that wee Steel ends up  being ok, too).

[Galeigh 308]

Hope it turns out ok. Possums arent exactly an animal I would call cute or lovable. But they still deserve a chance (also, baby possums are still cute though)

[Tassifox 418]

That totally sucks. Hope you year results soon and that they're favorable. *gentle hugs*

[Deszae 88]

Aww....I hope everthing will be okay.

[Anelle 792]

Thanks y'all ?? Support like this means a whole lot. Gives me courage.