The Evils of Targatraz continued.....
Dec. 1st, 2005 11:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ash_blackwellThis is going to get a bit long....
Well, while I have survived Thanksgiving week and the schedule from hell, the remaining Christmas schedule has been revealed to a select few of the team (The ones that the boss /knows/ won't call out on us) and it is ugly. While my days off will remain the same for the rest of the year (leaving me free to do the Maiolica class on Wednesdays and Sunday Games) I have been told quote "expect a double /every/ work shift between now and Christmas, and praise god when we don't get one." The rest of the crew he's playing a bit of a game with saying things like "Well, when I checked this morning there was only one truck.... that's what I get for believing the DC..." (Distribution Center)
The boss has told us how two of the three other stores on this side of town are fairing through Christmas and the lack of seasonal help, while it's hurting us some, is killing the other stores. The Old Spanish Trail store had to work until pretty late Thanksgiving morning and then had to come back Thanksgiving night (we were the /only/ store on our side of town that had Thanksgiving night off) at 7pm and they are still two trucks behind). The El Con Mall store is five trailers behind (you can see them in the parking lot when you pull in to the store) and is working with no days off.
The one store my boss didn't have info for on this side of town was the one I worked at before I transferred to my current store. The Team Lead there isn't asking for help like the other two stores are (not that we have the man power to give it this year, unlike last year). But when I was shopping at the Broadway store I ran into a friend of mine that I helped train when he was a new hire. He told me that they are working seven days a week 16 1/2 hours a day to do seven trucks with 14 people. That's two more than they had last year, but the hours sound just as bad....
I am /sooooo/ glad I transferred stores, even if the problem boss that I was trying to get a way from has eventually shown up here in my current store. Though Charles said he was "making bank" (over $3000 a paycheque AFTER taxes) and I could use that money, I'm not as young as I used to be and I don't think I can handle the 113 1/2 hour weeks anymore. I've gotten soft and the hours I'm currently working are hard enough.
I have been telling my co-workers about what Broadway is going through so they can hopefully see that we are damn lucky to be at near normal staffing, even if we aren't at Christmas staffing levels. Hopefully they will behave themselves and not call out like my ex did the day after Thanksgiving. The moron went up to Flagstaff (a five hour drive away) in a 36 hour gap between shifts and then "couldn't get back in town." Claimed his battery died. It /might/ have actually done so, but I /know/ AutoZone was open the day after Thanksgiving (I needed more stopleak for the Van) so that should have delayed him an hour, /maybe/ two. he had more than enough time to get back if he had tried.
His calling out pissed me off more than the rest of them because it left me trying to push 165 carts to the various departments by myself. Two people if they know what they are doing can do it in half an hour. I haven't found a replacement partner for him that can do it in under 50 minutes and I usually get to try pushing a line of 60 carts down the front by myself before I get help.
Still all in all I gotta grant the biggest annoyance about the current work schedule is I don't really have the energy to write after working the hours I am. I can feel the difference in Sunday Games (Isaac is sounding flat and "lifeless" to me and I know I'm not catching everything that's going on because I don't have the energy to watch everyone's lips to make certain I'm hearing them right.) and what little time I do have during the day on the computer is usually scatter-shot a few minutes here and there.
I will grant I have three hours after Nico gets off shift, but that is the one place I'm greedy. I want time with my boyfriend: with us working opposite shifts (he starts at 10 am, I start at 10:45 pm) I only get a few hours a weekday, if something else isn't going on. It will be better after Christmas (well, /time/ wise it will be better) when my hours get cut back to 32 if I'm lucky or 20 if the sales bottom out, but for the moment, the few minutes I get at work are spent stuffing my face so I have the energy for the long haul (the gap between the 4am break and store opening at 8am).
Have a happy holiday all! I may not get another chance to come on-line to say so!
Well, while I have survived Thanksgiving week and the schedule from hell, the remaining Christmas schedule has been revealed to a select few of the team (The ones that the boss /knows/ won't call out on us) and it is ugly. While my days off will remain the same for the rest of the year (leaving me free to do the Maiolica class on Wednesdays and Sunday Games) I have been told quote "expect a double /every/ work shift between now and Christmas, and praise god when we don't get one." The rest of the crew he's playing a bit of a game with saying things like "Well, when I checked this morning there was only one truck.... that's what I get for believing the DC..." (Distribution Center)
The boss has told us how two of the three other stores on this side of town are fairing through Christmas and the lack of seasonal help, while it's hurting us some, is killing the other stores. The Old Spanish Trail store had to work until pretty late Thanksgiving morning and then had to come back Thanksgiving night (we were the /only/ store on our side of town that had Thanksgiving night off) at 7pm and they are still two trucks behind). The El Con Mall store is five trailers behind (you can see them in the parking lot when you pull in to the store) and is working with no days off.
The one store my boss didn't have info for on this side of town was the one I worked at before I transferred to my current store. The Team Lead there isn't asking for help like the other two stores are (not that we have the man power to give it this year, unlike last year). But when I was shopping at the Broadway store I ran into a friend of mine that I helped train when he was a new hire. He told me that they are working seven days a week 16 1/2 hours a day to do seven trucks with 14 people. That's two more than they had last year, but the hours sound just as bad....
I am /sooooo/ glad I transferred stores, even if the problem boss that I was trying to get a way from has eventually shown up here in my current store. Though Charles said he was "making bank" (over $3000 a paycheque AFTER taxes) and I could use that money, I'm not as young as I used to be and I don't think I can handle the 113 1/2 hour weeks anymore. I've gotten soft and the hours I'm currently working are hard enough.
I have been telling my co-workers about what Broadway is going through so they can hopefully see that we are damn lucky to be at near normal staffing, even if we aren't at Christmas staffing levels. Hopefully they will behave themselves and not call out like my ex did the day after Thanksgiving. The moron went up to Flagstaff (a five hour drive away) in a 36 hour gap between shifts and then "couldn't get back in town." Claimed his battery died. It /might/ have actually done so, but I /know/ AutoZone was open the day after Thanksgiving (I needed more stopleak for the Van) so that should have delayed him an hour, /maybe/ two. he had more than enough time to get back if he had tried.
His calling out pissed me off more than the rest of them because it left me trying to push 165 carts to the various departments by myself. Two people if they know what they are doing can do it in half an hour. I haven't found a replacement partner for him that can do it in under 50 minutes and I usually get to try pushing a line of 60 carts down the front by myself before I get help.
Still all in all I gotta grant the biggest annoyance about the current work schedule is I don't really have the energy to write after working the hours I am. I can feel the difference in Sunday Games (Isaac is sounding flat and "lifeless" to me and I know I'm not catching everything that's going on because I don't have the energy to watch everyone's lips to make certain I'm hearing them right.) and what little time I do have during the day on the computer is usually scatter-shot a few minutes here and there.
I will grant I have three hours after Nico gets off shift, but that is the one place I'm greedy. I want time with my boyfriend: with us working opposite shifts (he starts at 10 am, I start at 10:45 pm) I only get a few hours a weekday, if something else isn't going on. It will be better after Christmas (well, /time/ wise it will be better) when my hours get cut back to 32 if I'm lucky or 20 if the sales bottom out, but for the moment, the few minutes I get at work are spent stuffing my face so I have the energy for the long haul (the gap between the 4am break and store opening at 8am).
Have a happy holiday all! I may not get another chance to come on-line to say so!
