Vonnie's Voice

It's raining, not a lot, but it is also windy. We have kittens, all of whom disappeared the last few days. They returned today, curled up in a ball, avoiding the weather with each other.
My to do list today consists of small items, one of which I am dreading, a doctor's appointment. Today I will chat with the doctor regarding my neck issues. I have, since my last visit when I found out that my previous films were 'crap', realized there are many things I wrote off to other things, that are actually caused by the neck issues. My 'cotton sock' feet (feeling that I am walking around in cotton socks, even when barefoot), the occasional numbness in my legs, my hands of course, and possibly even my 'brain tremors' in which one side of my face goes a bit numb & my vision gets blurred. These a previous doctor told me were 'some neurological thing' and nothing to worry about. Hmm really? Daughter was with me on my last visit, listening to everything the doc told me. I wished that she had not been, the neck issues are somewhat extreme and having her hear all the details could only have upset her. I don't want her to worry about me. She needs to concentrate on being a child, not worrying about her Mother's medical issues. With her in the room, I was not comfortable asking too many questions about the severity. Today, I will ask all those questions I did not want her to hear answer for.
I also get to check on the 'clothing box' where people donate clothing, and volunteers handle the bags. I am the volunteer for today.
One other small errand is popping into work and giving my Boss her early Boss's Day/late Birthday present.
There is also a need for me to write a lot for the other blog that I started for the local Historical Society. I have been slacking on it, and I need to get some posts done ahead since the newspaper has asked permission to include it in their digital edition. Quite a cool thing I would say.
And so, until next time... Keep Smiling.

I see the many faces of humanity during my work day. Kind, caring, ignorant, angry, and humble Just to name a few. A smile for a customer normally receives a smile in return. Except for yesterday. A woman came in, declaring she hated the world. I chatted with her, she continued to grumble. As I finished her order, the customer behind her accidentally bumped her with the cart. I seriously thought the woman was going to turn around and strike the customer behind her. I was so happy when she went on her way.
An older gentleman, who had trouble with a credit card, and who had given me a major hard time about it, came in, smiling. I stopped over to talk to him, make sure things had been straightened out. Someone had gotten his credit card information and charged a huge amount on it. When he was yelling at me a month previous, his voice was strong and even, now as I spoke with him, he stuttered often, searching for the words. I realized he had always talked like that, and only when extremely emotional did his words flow like water, smooth & even. Gathering his groceries, he turned to leave, smiling at me and walking away. (this is why I love to be a cashier.. The personal time I can give the customer.)
A small child with his mother was being shy. Veggies and fruits filled her cart along with whole grains and lowfat milk. She talked with her young son, going over the errands they had left to do. He kept looking at me shyly. He whispered to his mother. She nodded. He quietly asked me if he could have a lollipop. I looked to his mother for approval. She nodded again so I held the container of free lollipops we hand out to the children for him to choose one. As he did, he quietly asked if he could have one for his sister, who was in school. I told him to take two extra, so that he could have his now, then later, he & his sister could both have one together. This brought a very loud thank you, from this small shy boy, and a smile, from the boy and his mother.
It is a wonderful experience, seeing all of the shades of humanity.

On vacation recently in Alexandria Bay, Thousand Islands, we have a lower level room near the pool. The pool was supposed to be heated, but the were almost ice crystals in it. In the upper room was a family with very loud and rambunctious children. Lots of them. At 10 pm when we tried to go to sleep, they were all running around their room. Husband complained the next day.
Today I went to the Laundrymat to get our clothes done. In walks a man with a child. I heard the child before I saw him. Screaming at the top of his lungs. I was lucky enough to be almost done. The screamer stayed and screamed the entire time I was there finishing.
Every day in the store someone brings in screaming misbehaving children. they run around like there is no one else around, smash into things, and scream & yell wi no regard to anyone.
I am glad school starts back up soon.

I am sure you have all noticed that I haven't put anything original on my blog in months. I got tired of complaining/writing about the same thing.
I didn't write about Blonde Boss being moved into a new position, traveling store to store to work with people in different stores. She loves it. She got a company car. And she is going to continue doing it. We will be getting a replacement for her. We just aren't sure when.
Our Mr Assistant Manager has been informed he is moving to a local bought out store, temporary, until the end of the year. But he won't be back. This is how it starts. He is supposed to be just helping out, getting the store on the right track. But this is how change begins.
We will end up wig a new Assistant Manager. And it sucks because I like this one. He is a good Assistant Manager. Easy to work with and even fun at times. Lady Boss will be replaced also. Only I am sure I won't like her replacement as much as I like her. But she has a great opportunity and cannot come back into our store knowing she passed it up.
One day a customer dropped a drink bottle... Smashed it on the floor covering it in red fluid and glass. I turned off my light immediately, called for our favorite Lot Lizard, and finished her order so we could get the mess cleaned up. Boss got on register to keep the lines down. A customer walked into my line, he only had two items. I told him I was closed. He told me he could step around the mess. I apologized and told him again I was closed. He looked at me, raised his eyebrow, and asked me if I was sure. I told him more sternly that I was closed, so we could get the mess cleaned up. Idiot!!! He was not happy I would not let him in, I did not care.
Another day we were having a busy day. A wonderful friend of mine bought a deeply discounted set of wicker furniture. Another customer wanted to buy a set also. He would not be able to come get it until the next day. My friend would be back in a couple hours. We told second customer we could not store it for him. He was not happy. We do not have storage space for customer purchases. An older woman came in and wanted to purchase a wicker set a little while later. She would be back in an hour and a half. I helped her check out. Gave her the receipt. Told her when she got back to speak with the person on the Robot Duty or come look for me in register 5. I moved the furniture down with the other set my friend bought. Boss was not happy with me. I told her to chill and that the woman had to pick up her grandson and would be back. When she came back, she did not look for me but I saw her. I closed my register, walked over to her and asked her if she needed help getting her items in her vehicle. I called our Lot Lizard. Everything was handled smoothly and quickly. She came back in 5 minutes later with a bag.. In it was apple butter & homemade syrup. She thanked me for taking care of everything and told me I had been so nice she just wanted to do something for me. She hoped I enjoyed. I thanked her, told her she didn't need to do this. But I accepted it because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. She walked out with a smile and I knew I had done a good thing.
Making customers happy is pretty easy most of the time. Others though can be trying. One woman starts complaining before she even gets in the store. I have heard her many mornings in the parking lot, complaining to no one but herself. She has broken our freezer doors twice from slamming them so hard. She is a truly miserable woman. Nothing makes her happy and with this one, I have given up trying. I let her stand in line, she will complain anyways. I don't do small talk or chit chat with her. She will complain even if I talk to her or not. I am thinking she needs her medicine adjusted.
Others, they just make my day. Customers who come in and smile when I say hello, or tell me the latest going on in their lives. These are the ones I enjoy most. The children who play shy but yell out good bye to me as their parent pushes the cart away or the older person who puts a hand on my arm as they start to walk away and tell me not to work too hard.
One elderly man was having trouble with his credit card at the Robot Machines. Denied three times, he then insisted I punch it into the keyboard. I did. Denied. I explained if he did not have another way to pay for it, we could return everything for him. He was furious. He is one of our regular customers. He pulled out cash complaining the entire time telling me he may or may not be back to shop here. He was extremely upset, threatening me and the store. I suggested he go home and call his bank. An hour later, in the middle of a huge downpour, this man walked in with tears in his eyes. Someone had gotten his card info and charged a grand at stores in another state. He was sorry he had given me such a hard time. I apologized again to him, telling him how sorry I was, but I also told him I felt he now needed to contact all of the other credit card companies and also his bank to let them know what had happened. Just to protect himself and his identity. He looked at me a bit confused. I explained that if they had gotten one card, they could have more cards sent to them and he could end up being in a huge mess. It was like a light when on in his head! He all but ran out of the store after taking my hand and thanking me again. I really need to see that man again and ask him how things are going.
I don't hate my job, a lot of times I don't enjoy it, but there are times, many times, when I enjoy it very much.
I will try to share more of those times here in the future. Check back.....

Handle every stressful situation like a dog... If you can't eat it or play with it.... Pee on it & walk away.... ~ ♥ ~

Seriously, don't make a comment to me if you don't want the answer. This has happened so many times lately. One customer told me how her cashier would not let her use the savings card of the man in front of her, they were together, but the cashier was not told this until after the order. She got in my face and complained loudly and repeatedly about it. I explained our policy, and that the cashier could be fired if she did not follow the rules. This customer went so far as to go out to her vehicle, get her savings card, and that of the man she was with, to show me they were the same numbers. I again explained the policy to her, apologized, and waited for her to blow herself out so I could go about my job.
Another customer gave me a hard time because or coupon machine printed coupons for items we don't carry in our store. I explained that we may not carry it in our location, but that other locations would carry it. She went on about how we should only give Coupons out for items we sell I our store. I again explained that other locations sold different things than we did, and that would be why the machine printed those coupons. I gave her the same speech I have heard our managers give other customers many times. She told me it was a valid statement on her part. I agreed with her, started to explain yet again, only for her to walk away.
Today's customer wanted a certain kind of chocolate yogurt made by a certain company. We paged for the dairy frozen people who did not answer. I walked back to check the shelf. I looked in the correct area, at the containers and the shelf labels. There was no label for the frozen yogurt she was looking for. I went back and let her know that it looked like we were not going to be caring it any more. She started going on about how every time she found something she liked, we stopped carrying it. And how it happens all the time. Minutes she went on, with me apologizing each time she took a breath. She finally left.
How much more can I do for people? They make comments, or ask questions. I give them the answer, and they don't like it so they go on and on about it. Seriously! Don't ask me something if you don't want the answer. I am so tired of tying to make people happy! Gimme a break already!!


from Me

Luv this... Just had to share!

Still here... 6:10pm!

Older customer is at the register with a bag of meatballs. Tells the cashier that she wants a raincheck for them. She brought the bag to the register so that the raincheck was written for the right thing. I went over to talk to her, find out what it was she wanted, and to write the raincheck. She told me she wanted to buy nine and get nine free.. it was a buy one get one free sale. She had already talked to the Red Warrier and he said they were out but she could get a raincheck. I wrote it, handed it to her and explained that I wrote it for her to buy nine and get nine free. She asked me if I would put the price on it? I told her the price was free, and that I filled it out that way. She wanted it written so the bags would cost her the price they were today, which was $9.99 a bag, guaranteeing her the price of the bags she would be paying for. I explained that we could not do that, but that I doubted the price would go up in the next few days. She still insisted I write the $9.99 price on it. I explained again that it was a buy one get one free sale, that no matter what the price for one bag was, she would get the second bag for free with her raincheck. She was not the least bit impressed and made sure I knew it, by the tone of her voice & the attitude she was giving me. I expect to see her back within a few days to buy her meatballs. I told her they would store quite well in her freezer, as she doesn't need them until graduation time. I know times are tough, but what more does she want? She's getting nine bags of meatballs for free when she buys nine! I think that's a pretty darn good deal! Enjoy your meatballs Dear!

My first customer walks up with the black plastic container that we use to display our daffodils in our floral department. He sets the entire thing down on my register belt. I told him I would get some flower bags and would be right back. He says.. Don't they come in that vase? I told him that black plastic container was just used to display them. He said.. That sucks! I answered with Oh? Then I started to pull out a bunch of daffodils so I could right them up. He told me to wait, wasn't it a plant? No, it was sets of daffodils. Well then I don't want them he says. And walks out. See ya!
I swear, the 1st of the month brings out all kinds of stupid people!

I have asked to no longer be a Key Keeper. I didn't go about this without a lot of thought. It has just become difficult to be at work and not be totally stressed out. Our hours have been cut. People call off constantly and the shifts are not filled. We have one Digit Runner in the morning until 9am sometimes. The Robots do not open until 8am and are closed at 10pm. Everyone is worried about the small things, yet ignores the big things.. Such as customers 5 deep in line, or Digit Runners doing scratch off tickets on the clock, at the Robot podium. Worrying about whether or not someone has water at the register, when we have irate customers waiting 20 minutes or more to get their groceries checked out. I have asked to go back to being a Digit Runner. I enjoy it, talking with the customers, and sometimes just zoning out while I get customers through as fast as I can so the lines go away. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully, well enough.

Really? I mean really? At a pancake breakfast this morning I was serving coffee, juice & milk along with clearing tables and resetting them as needed. At one point a family came in, got their breakfast and made their way to a table. The grandmother asked the 3 yr old girl what she wanted to drink. Little girl said coffee. I looked at grandmother. She nodded and said she'd like coffee too. Really? Apparently yes. What kind of family let's their 3 year old drink coffee????!!!!!! This family would also be the ones who come in, get a motorized cart for the mother, then proceeds to buy cart loads of junk food and pays with food stamps.
Another family came in, mother dressed in scrubs, father & daughter. After they ate their breakfast, I was looking around to see what tables I could clear when I looked over at them and saw that the woman was itching her crotch, and everyone could see her if they just looked her way!!!
Really people? Really?!

Poor Husband had to listen to me for fifteen minutes when I got home from work today. We had a call off, covered by someone who didn't know how to run the Robots, no one to run the front end if I did gas station break and managers saying everything would be just fine. By the time my break came around I was more than ready. Returning from my break I find all the managers surrounding a nice old lady who had collapsed at the register and barely had a pulse. Come to find out, we had a customer collapse at that register on Saturday also. When I was leaving after work, one of my favorite customers was in with his wife. He was short of breath, having a hard time getting through the store. I tried to get him a chair, a motorized cart even. No help was accepted. I even tried talking him into calling his doctor when he gets home. He has an appointment on Friday and can wait till then. I hope he doesn't wait that long, told him so, and watched him for a bit. I then told Boss about him and asked one of our Red Warriors to keep an eye on him while he was in their department. I hope and pray he calls the dr, and gets the medical attention he so obviously needs.

A customer who has previously scared the crap out of me by opening my van door and popping her head in the passenger side to compliment me on my bumper stickers stopped at my van again the other day. I was on break and she starting telling me about how hard it must be to deal with the public all day. Between dealing with the customers who complain about everything to the ones who smell, or even just having to be nice to people all the time. She told me she just doesn't know how I do it.

So then she goes on to tell me about how someone put a box of lice remedy, you know the stuff that kills lice and gets all the nits outta your hair, yeah well, someone put a box of it in the freezer with the small size lasagnas. Gross!

It never surprises me any more when I find things that are in the wrong spots. Not even lice remedy in the lasagna freezer. I did go in and handle the situation, but nothing surprises me after 6 years of this.

Some times I wonder why I even try, then I get comments like the one I got today. Boss's Boss walks up the aisle in front of me & I smiled at her. She comes closer and says thank you. I said thank you? She says yes, thank you, she always feels better when she sees me smiling. Awwwww

Last week, Boss's Boss's Boss.. kept asking me questions. I was a Digit Runner and had very few answers for her. She asked a lot of questions regarding how the front end was running.. I told her I really didn't know. She would need to ask the Key Keeper, who happened to be the young man who really needed some more training before becoming Key Keeper. I tried to help him out as much as I could, but drew the line at some point, and finished my shift as Digit Runner. When I went to break, B's B's Boss asked me if I was okay? I said sure, why? She told me I was acting a bit off? So how come it is that I go to work, am pleasant most of the day, and my Boss asks me what is wrong with me? Something in that just isn't right.

I am still dealing with dizziness, lightheadedness and having a hard time breathing at points.. still can't hear very well and the cough I have sounds terrible. I have taken two sets of antibiodics, and no time off from work. Maybe I should have gotten that note from the doctor after all. We'll see how the next few days go....

Bakery Person pages for Asst Manager Man.. then proceeds to yell at him from register 7's phone, with customers & employees alike staring at her like she has gone bonkers! On she goes about how customer care has gone way down, employee satisfaction is low, then about how her baked goods are handled by others. I am not sure if she was just having a bad day or not. Yes, employee moral is low. Not much will be done about this. Customer care, at least from the front end standpoint is going fairly well. Very few customer complaints regarding the cashiers, other than there not being enough cashiers.

Which brings me to the rudest customer of my day. We had lines at the registers, of course. First part of the month, food stampers all rolling in, we have three cashiers. This guy stands at the back and starts complaining about lines, prices and how cashiers don't know how to do anything without the computer's help. Really Mister? He says loudly enough for everyone to hear, does any cashier know how to ring groceries without a computer's help any more? I leaned down my register belt a bit so he would know I was talking to him and said Yes Sir, I do! He looked at me a bit shocked, and was not too surprised when I gave him the Ice Cold Polite when it was his turn. He leaned back to tell the next customer that he thinks he offended me. I looked him right in the eye when I gave him back his change and told him to Have a Very Nice Day Sir. Then not sparing him one second more, made polite small talk with the next customer while I waited for DumbFounded to move his arse.  Yeah, he offended me. And yes, I made sure he knew it before he moved on.

The highlight of my day is always the little ones. Little girls with heads full of curls, boys with skinned knees and bruised foreheads, all asking for a lollipop, cause they were all such good children in the store. A nod from the adult is all I need and I get to see those wonderful little faces light up!

Some days I really do love my job!

No Lover's Lane at register 7 today, thankfully. Crazy busy with Valentines Day. After leaving work I popped into a discount store in town looking for a certain item for Husband. One of the regular customers from our store walked past me, stopped and all serious, looked at me and asked what I thought I was doing in that store? I looked right back at her and told her I was shopping. She informed me I should go back to my store. Was she trying to tick me off? I don't know but it worked!
Had a customer come through my line one day last week, asking if I could give her extra tickets for the game our store is doing with the customers. I informed her I could only give her what her receipt told me to. She gave me a dirty look, took her tickets, and left. Sorry! But really?

We have a bank inside our store. They are not our employees. They are not a part of our company. And so, when bank customers come in and get upset because the bank isn't open, it is not our responsibility to make them feel better. The bank opens later in the morning, so that they can stay open later in the evening. Yet the phone starts ringing at 7am and does not stop until someone answers it around 11am. Hello? Do you bank with this bank? Do you not know what time YOUR bank opens? Please do not come in, give me a dirty look, ask me what time the bank opens, then be surprised when I tell you that the hours are on the door, they are not our employees, we do not set their hours. You do not like that they are not open first thing in the morning? I do not like that the phone rings for three hours before anyone answers it! Get a new bank already and get off my back!

An older woman came into one of the cashier lines and proceeded to tell her about rolls that she couldn't find. The cashier did not understand her, so she flashed her light for me to help her. I went over and had the woman tell me what she was looking for. Rolls. In a bag. Frozen rolls. I asked her what brand they were? She told me she didn't know. She just opens the bag and puts one in the oven. Okay... So I go over and grab two different kinds of frozen dinner rolls in a bag and take them back to the customer. She thinks the ones in the blue bag are the ones she wants. Wow. That's it. Just Wow.

Little old man walks up to me, with two boxes of raisin bran cereal in his hands, tells me, he has been having terrible trouble going to the bathroom, and do I think this cereal would help? It was all I could do not to laugh. I told him I did not know. (If I said yes & it didn't help, he'd blame me!) He walked away shaking his head. So did I!

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave bereft
I am not there. I have not left.

I'm not sure what I wrote about last, or how long I have been away from my blog.. except that it has been a while.. so here are a few tidbits.

The Digit Runner I have had so much trouble with in the past is no longer at our store. She made a choice and failed to realize she was not invincible. There are consequences to every action. The stress over all of that is done for me now. I happy danced a lot that day it was final! Most others happy danced with me.

I had a customer all but toss a 30 pack of beer up on the belt at my register the other day. He says "I suppose you want to see my id now right?" I said "If you want to drink that beer, yes Sir, I will need to see your id." It came at the end of a very long day. He just laughed and dug his wallet out.

A customer today informed me that the gluten free pancake mix is not with the other gluten free foods, and that it does not belong on the shelf with the other pancake mixes & the syrup. I listened to her explain why she thought this, as she went on & on about it. I nodded, told her many things in the store were not where you would think they should be. She looked at me like I had not understood a word she had said, then asked me if I was going to move it? I wanted to tell her I would get right on it, but I bit my tongue and told her I would let the Grocery Go To Guy know of her concerns. 

Young woman came in with coupons, lots of coupons. She was purchasing items that were BOGO.. buy one get one free.. and had coupons. When I scanned her groceries, then started on the coupons, I was not surprised when the register told me that there were too many coupons per item. She was buying six boxes of cereal. With the sale, BOGO.. she was getting three of them for free. She handed me six coupons for a dollar off each box. I snickered as I tried to explain to her that since she was already getting the three boxes for free, I could not accept coupons for a dollar off each. That would leave the store paying HER a dollar a box to take it out of the store. It does not work that way. She took back her extra coupons, told me they would do it that way at WalMart, and left in a huff with her groceries. I wanted to tell her that Walmart may very well accept her extra coupons, but we are not Walmart. but I didn't.

The last couple of days have been freaky quiet at the store.. for a few hours.. then we get our butts handed to us as the entire county decides to shop at the same time. It is nice to have enough Digit Runners on hand for the mornings, but an extra one around 11am would be wonderful. The Managers just come out now around 11am & start bagging, they don't even wait to be called anymore.

I am hoping that I have managed to hit on the right web address for this blog, as I deleted it, and restarted it. I can't tell you how long I will be around this time, or how often, but I will try to pop on once in a while with some funnies for you.

I knew I couldn't get away with it forever. Last night, after taking Daughter to the store to pick up a present for a Friend, I got a ticket for having an expired inspection. For years I have not gotten it done when it needs to be. The first year was five months, the second year was three months. This time it is three months again. Figures that my luck wouldn't hold out! I know. It is the law. But it is a dumb one. So now I get to call around and find out where I can get it done, and how quickly. The tie rods might be a problem but I will cross my fingers that it goes through. And since I have the day off, I guess I have nothing better to do? Sure I do, cept I will slip this one in. Not the best way to start out the new year!!

There are times in life when everything just seems right. Is this one of those times for you?