Is it Deadly Raccoon Monday again? Where does the time go?
TeX --
Very sorry to read you’re having a rough time of it and wish we could do way more than sympathize / show solidarity from afar. Dayum.
================================
J.J.Sefton has a good -- if sobering -- collection of links this morning at AoSHQ…particularly re the possibility of some form of CivWarII. (Sure wish we had better leadership across our nation. And that there were more ammo readily available. We’re okay at CasaK re various 12 gauge shells but would like if we had a lot more .38 special.)
Happy Monday, Gerbil Nation!
Good morning , Fatwa, and Sven!
Fatwa -- in re ammo: thanks to Gov. Nuisance, all the lower-cost internet sources are cut off for Californians. I know I really should get the reloading press going again.
My department supposedly has this week off, but I’ve got all-day meetings on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
There was no formal announcement, it happened fairly quickly. It’s either the stupidest smart mistake I’ve ever made, or the smartest stupid mistake I’ve made.
I took a job for swing shift stocker. You know, ALL those aisles from rice and beans on back to sodas?
First big change was apparel. Current temp right now is “feels like 107°”. I dress accordingly: shorts and a tank.
The dress code for my position was pants and a sleeved shirt topped by Wal-Mart’s signature vest made from six recycled plastic bottles.
The air in the store may be conditioned, but once you go through those black doors? (And the cold storage was ALL passcode protected)
From the time you clock in, it’s a full-court press to get however many cases unloaded from the trucks, then loaded on to pallets and shrink-wrapped, then moved on to carts and then pushed to their respective aisles and the items put away.
Depending on the manager for the evening, expediency trumps rotation. Which goes against anything I was ever taught. I was quoted you have a minute fifteen to complete a case. Fast, cheap or good. Pick two.
And they are watching.
The good? I’m proud to say that I kept up with the kids half my age and younger. Lifting, pulling, pushing, dragging, shoving, climbing up and down. Structurally I made it through. My muscles were sore, but not worse than I expected. That I’m proud of. Especially since it’s a bee-yotch to breathe through those masks.
The bad: no personal drink containers on the floor. Period. And the only water in the store is either by checkout or in the lunchroom refrigerator (if you brought your own and I don’t leave the house without a bottle of water).
I’m of the Pink Nation, this is fvcking Texas in August and at *minimum* I drink 96oz of water/Gatorade a day.
The lunchroom is the length of a football field away from where I was working at any time. I was so thirsty I was eyeballing the Pedialyte like it was the Holy Grail by the end of my shifts. I didn’t know the toll until …
I woke up Saturday morning (my day off) impaired. I felt like the top half of my brain had been removed. And that pretty much sealed it -- I’m not sacrificing my health.
But I understand the the why of the Wal-Mart shuffle a whole lot better.
And Fatwa will LURVE this: there are per. shift. four floor “Support Managers” *just* to moderate squabbles, tiffs and pissing contests between associates.
:: facepalm ::
And oh yeah, teh stupid is prolific. I had one conversation with a kid who bore a striking likeness to one of Kaaaaaaaaaaate-y’s lovely sons and the ensuing cognitive dissonance left me reeling.
Good on you for giving it a good shot, Tex. It had to be a helluva transition. Dehydration is nothing to mess with.
Odd and I’d say unbelievable except you are saying it’s so: 4 managers to keep the peace amongst the workers?
I used to tell myself that when I got tired of the corporate life, I could always get a job driving a forklift and working the loading docks. Yeah, no.
I thought so too.
I think in a smaller environment, I’d probably do OK.
Wal-Mart wants doers not thinkers. That should have hit home when I used the word “dubious” in a sentence during orientation and got universal :: head tilt ::s as a result.
And then there’s the “and ‘den!”.
Talking to Mr. TeX, one of his clients is a mechanic/inspection place and it’s growing. He says, “Lenny keeps bitching that he’s spending half his time looking for car parts online … and he needs help and … he fired his other guy for stealing and …”
“WTF exactly do you think I’ve been working with the last 25 years?! Tiddly-winks? Ask him if he’d consider help!”
Jeebus wept.
Ho-lee Fuk! As Sven said, dehydration is nothing to mess with. It’s not something you come back quickly from, either. I guess the concept of taking care of your employees is something Wal-Mart has forgotten. I’m glad you made it out of there alive.
Me too.
And it’s going to be a couple more days ’til I’m right again. Hats, water, shade … early or late mowing or gardening.
I’ve been tempted to try one of those long-sleeved shirts that all the TxDoT and fishing guys wear, but since “microfiber” is just another word for polyester, I can’t imagine it’s helpful.
No way to carry water with you I guess? At our age, by golly…..
Hello Gerbils!
Keeping the late sleeping schedule still. I feel like life is passing me by, kinda. Too much going back to sleep for a few more hours. It’s not so good for the psyche.
I did one piano stream a couple of days ago. Said on there that I would also do more casual streams soon. Evidently… I was lying… so far.
But right now, it seems to be all about keeping a night schedule going so I don’t fall asleep at the wheel and drive off a cliff during the Big Route.
Is it Deadly Raccoon Monday again? Where does the time go?
TeX --
Very sorry to read you’re having a rough time of it and wish we could do way more than sympathize / show solidarity from afar. Dayum.
================================
J.J.Sefton has a good -- if sobering -- collection of links this morning at AoSHQ…particularly re the possibility of some form of CivWarII. (Sure wish we had better leadership across our nation. And that there were more ammo readily available. We’re okay at CasaK re various 12 gauge shells but would like if we had a lot more .38 special.)
BBL.
=============
That thread pic is a keeper -- thanks, Mac.
Good morning, Fatwa, and happy Monday, GN! Glad you got out yesterday, Paddy, and had a good time.
I must have missed something, Tex: WalMart?
Happy Monday, Gerbil Nation!
Good morning , Fatwa, and Sven!
Fatwa -- in re ammo: thanks to Gov. Nuisance, all the lower-cost internet sources are cut off for Californians. I know I really should get the reloading press going again.
My department supposedly has this week off, but I’ve got all-day meetings on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Good Afternoon, GN!
There was no formal announcement, it happened fairly quickly. It’s either the stupidest smart mistake I’ve ever made, or the smartest stupid mistake I’ve made.
I took a job for swing shift stocker. You know, ALL those aisles from rice and beans on back to sodas?
First big change was apparel. Current temp right now is “feels like 107°”. I dress accordingly: shorts and a tank.
The dress code for my position was pants and a sleeved shirt topped by Wal-Mart’s signature vest made from six recycled plastic bottles.
The air in the store may be conditioned, but once you go through those black doors? (And the cold storage was ALL passcode protected)
From the time you clock in, it’s a full-court press to get however many cases unloaded from the trucks, then loaded on to pallets and shrink-wrapped, then moved on to carts and then pushed to their respective aisles and the items put away.
Depending on the manager for the evening, expediency trumps rotation. Which goes against anything I was ever taught. I was quoted you have a minute fifteen to complete a case. Fast, cheap or good. Pick two.
And they are watching.
The good? I’m proud to say that I kept up with the kids half my age and younger. Lifting, pulling, pushing, dragging, shoving, climbing up and down. Structurally I made it through. My muscles were sore, but not worse than I expected. That I’m proud of. Especially since it’s a bee-yotch to breathe through those masks.
The bad: no personal drink containers on the floor. Period. And the only water in the store is either by checkout or in the lunchroom refrigerator (if you brought your own and I don’t leave the house without a bottle of water).
I’m of the Pink Nation, this is fvcking Texas in August and at *minimum* I drink 96oz of water/Gatorade a day.
The lunchroom is the length of a football field away from where I was working at any time. I was so thirsty I was eyeballing the Pedialyte like it was the Holy Grail by the end of my shifts. I didn’t know the toll until …
I woke up Saturday morning (my day off) impaired. I felt like the top half of my brain had been removed. And that pretty much sealed it -- I’m not sacrificing my health.
But I understand the the why of the Wal-Mart shuffle a whole lot better.
And Fatwa will LURVE this: there are per. shift. four floor “Support Managers” *just* to moderate squabbles, tiffs and pissing contests between associates.
:: facepalm ::
And oh yeah, teh stupid is prolific. I had one conversation with a kid who bore a striking likeness to one of Kaaaaaaaaaaate-y’s lovely sons and the ensuing cognitive dissonance left me reeling.
I always have to learn the hard way. Buh.
*mwah!*
Good on you for giving it a good shot, Tex. It had to be a helluva transition. Dehydration is nothing to mess with.
Odd and I’d say unbelievable except you are saying it’s so: 4 managers to keep the peace amongst the workers?
I used to tell myself that when I got tired of the corporate life, I could always get a job driving a forklift and working the loading docks. Yeah, no.
I thought so too.
I think in a smaller environment, I’d probably do OK.
Wal-Mart wants doers not thinkers. That should have hit home when I used the word “dubious” in a sentence during orientation and got universal :: head tilt ::s as a result.
And then there’s the “and ‘den!”.
Talking to Mr. TeX, one of his clients is a mechanic/inspection place and it’s growing. He says, “Lenny keeps bitching that he’s spending half his time looking for car parts online … and he needs help and … he fired his other guy for stealing and …”
“WTF exactly do you think I’ve been working with the last 25 years?! Tiddly-winks? Ask him if he’d consider help!”
Jeebus wept.
:facepalm:
Have the doctors said whether they think Mr. TeX will be able to walk soon?
After that I was just so completely baffled I walked away. Which was a goodness.
He probably just didn’t want you to think that he thought that you couldn’t find a job on your own.
Ho-lee Fuk! As Sven said, dehydration is nothing to mess with. It’s not something you come back quickly from, either. I guess the concept of taking care of your employees is something Wal-Mart has forgotten. I’m glad you made it out of there alive.
Me too.
And it’s going to be a couple more days ’til I’m right again. Hats, water, shade … early or late mowing or gardening.
I’ve been tempted to try one of those long-sleeved shirts that all the TxDoT and fishing guys wear, but since “microfiber” is just another word for polyester, I can’t imagine it’s helpful.
Meanwhile, the dogs keep checking to see if I’m still home so I better assume my crocheting position on the couch and calm them.
’til Mornin’ y’all!
*MWAH*!
(And seriously, thank you for the support)
See you on the flip side!
wOw! TeX!!!
That walmart story doe….
No way to carry water with you I guess? At our age, by golly…..
Hello Gerbils!
Keeping the late sleeping schedule still. I feel like life is passing me by, kinda. Too much going back to sleep for a few more hours. It’s not so good for the psyche.
I did one piano stream a couple of days ago. Said on there that I would also do more casual streams soon. Evidently… I was lying… so far.
But right now, it seems to be all about keeping a night schedule going so I don’t fall asleep at the wheel and drive off a cliff during the Big Route.
Which, BTW, it looks like we’ll never fill.
Harper says: “But it was a perfectly good raccoon.”
I say: Looks perfectly good to me also.