Customer and Management Scum

December 16th 2017

Having a hard time with being at Walmart and I don’t know why it’s so bad. More than ever.

Actually, I know why. The usual: it’s Christmas season. The customers are assholes. The management are assholes. I’m not ‘managing’ my department the way I would like and I’m constantly fighting over creative control of how to put a fucking box on a shelf with the other management.

Really. I could set up a display or feature of items, and the next day, it’s taken down. Fuckers. If I can’t come to work with a desired purpose to get work done, without it being re-worked every time I turn, then it’s no wonder I feel the way I do. So, I come to work focusing on my own work (i.e, school, writing, etc) and Walmart just gets ‘enough’ during my shift.

It needs to be said, I never started into this position feeling this way. I wanted to give my all, but management is playing by a rule book that doesn’t allow me to be a leader. So fuck ‘em.

That said, for the past few days, I’ve been leaving early.

I’m on lunch now, but I already scheduled PTO (Paid Time Off) to leave at 1pm. It’s 11:28am. The goal is to go back to work after lunch, work an hour, and go home at 1pm. I’m off tomorrow. I was scheduled to 4pm. It’s not a cool environment to work on a Saturday at a Walmart during the holidays. They have no cashiers so their asking Department Managers to come up front. Bad enough I can’t stand customers as it is.

Speaking of customers, let me give a snapshot of the shit I commonly have to deal with:

* An associate buys an un-assembled bike. She brings it back because she wants the one that was pre-built. No problem. I bring her the exact same bike and she thinks its too small. Fine, she goes and gets another pre-built bike. It’s the same maker and name, but bigger. The original bike was 12 inches. The new one is 20 inches. She’s wanting the 20-inch bike for the same amount of money as the 12 inch. Myself and everyone else are like: “No.” But she, again another employee, is looking to speak to management to get the price changed.

* Customer is looking to buy her son a weight set. She wants the tilted platform with rack. I tell her the “Weights and the bar for the weights do not come with the rack, but we sell them separately.” She doesn’t want them separately and scoffs at the price of the weights and bar against the rack. Of course the rack will be cheaper than the weights. I told her to shop around for cheaper weights but this is how they sell them here. If the bitch wanted the weights included, she’d be paying three times as much.

What I’m finding is many adults really hate shopping for kids. And they do the worst thing possible: a slow inspection of a toy they’re going to buy and judging it based on whether or not THEY would like it. It’s ridiculous to see—watching people study a fucking Nerf gun and making decisions if they, themselves, would like it. It’s true. I hear them all the time: “Oh, I don’t like this toy, but it’s on their list.” or “It’s for my daughter. I wouldn’t play with it.”

Another issue is the customer that comes in asking me “Would I get this toy for a 5 year old kid?”

First of all, you got to be an asshole if you think every five year old kid is the same as your bratty fuck kid. The fucking kid down the block will want different toys than another kid. What does YOUR specific kid want?

Second, when I DO give a recommendation, why the fuck would you tell me “No, he wouldn’t like it.” Especially if your ass doesn’t know what a five year old wants in the first place?

To all fucked up customers that shop at ANY retail, I say this: Stop asking for recommendations for your kid. We don’t know your bastard ass sperm-result. We don’t want to know your fucking kid and if anyone dares to even suggest an item for your kid, stop acting as if you know if your kid would like it or not.

If you DID know what your kid likes, you’d just get the fucking toy and stop being cheap bastards. Cause you KNOW the kid asked for Xbox in the first place so you’re just trying to dumb down.

Sigh.

I’m off in an hour. Off tomorrow. Will finish the last of my school work for this term and focus on what’s important because Walmart and the customers suck ass.

On a brighter note, I’m fleshing out another novel concept. A story I have had for years (in addition to the hundreds of others locked up). But I feel this is the right time to work this particular story. I’ll try not to make the mistakes of the past novel by planning it better, get it done faster and with tighter edits the first time around.

Department Manager

Man, am I exhausted.

Today is September 26th 2017.

For the past two days, I’ve been getting to work earlier than my shift scheduled. Usually about 3:30am or 4am. My shift is scheduled 6:00am to 3pm.

Why? Because they finally allowed me to actually start working my department, this close to the forthcoming holiday season and a store-wide inventory approaching on October 11th. They originally gave me the position around September 20th, as mentioned earlier.

The department was without a manager for a month. So, I come in with inherited work undone. 500+ price changes. All sorts of other issues. Naturally, they wanted everything completed when they finally got around to getting me installed.

Slow, fucking Georgia. That’s all I gotta say.

I’ve had to gone in early to get work done without being disturbed by customers and endless extra requests by other managers. Oh, and don’t forget late CBL’s (Computer based training).

Again, through all of this: I’ve been here before. I know what I need to do to cover my ass and get the work done. Yes, it means a few days of going in early to play catch-up. The difference is, I am remembering that this is all temporary. What I’m doing toward a law degree is more important.

My grades are still sharp though, I admit, with these early days at work, I’ve almost let a few assignments slip. Nothing terrible. Whereas I do my homework a few days in advance, I almost got caught with two assignments due the next day. Cut it too close.

I’m not planning to do early days for long. I have Tiffany here with me for the week so it’s not fair to her that I’m tired all the time. Still, things need to get done. I foresee another week of this and I’ll be right on time for Christmas prep/Inventory.

I took Donna and Tiffany to dinner at Legal Seafood the previous night. Kind of a celebration of both their birthdays. I usually can’t afford to treat anybody anything. I felt good to be able to do so and still have some money in my pocket.

If working like this is providing me the means to do something for my wife, I’m okay with being this tired. Just as long as I stay on track with the prime directive: Walmart is only about making money, gain leadership credibility. Pay for law school. Get the fuck out after the LSAT.

What’s that? Around the year 2020? Shit. I better be a goddamn Store Manager by that point if it’s going to be like this.

How much do Store Manager’s make? Six figures, from what I understand.

Fuck it. Go for it. Jump to law and do that and more.

If only I can keep my eyes open.

Rise

This is a study about ‘ambition’

As much as I complained earlier about how much I do not like people, I worked ‘people’ to my advantage to get into the next level of my employment journey.

Essentially, glad-handing, introducing myself to the other assistant managers around the building (the more receptive ones, anyway), meeting with the known influential associates that knew how things worked in the building. I kept hammering that I wanted more. And so I got it.

Department manager of Sporting Goods and Toys is going to be troublesome as we move into Christmas season. The thing is, well, let me give you an example of the way people think around here down south:

Yesterday, I was in whats called a ‘Claims’ area. It’s a cage in the backroom where one or two people scan and ship major things out from the store that may have broke. They also print reports for all the departments. I say it’s a cage because it’s literally a steel lock up that is locked when they go home. Management has access if people need to get in.

So, I was there to get some reports on my forthcoming departments; to study up on what needs to be fixed. I noticed there was a big cart of ammo (i.e., bullets) sitting in the cage with her. She said it belongs to my department and they need to get out of there.

I offered to make sure they get where they need to be later today. I don’t officially get into my department until Saturday but, my thinking was to take care of the issue now before my work REALLY begins.

The woman that ran claims was like, “Just leave it. You’ll have a lot to worry about when you start. Somebody will take care of it.”

Considering that there is no department manager in there until Saturday, aren’t ‘I’ the only one whose going to take care of it?

You see, much of the associates/managers in the store are a bunch of Georgia Sweet Tea motherfuckers that like to take it easy and get things done ‘eventually’…later … in due time. While they chatter on about the Falcons or some shit.

What I’m going to do is talk to security and see what they’re process is for the ammo to be moved later today. I won’t let it sit in that cage another day.

My point of bringing up the cage and the ammo is, what others here think is going to be hard, if I don’t let anything slip and bullshit like these guys do, I’ll do wonders at an easy pace as long as I tend to situations immediately, if I can.

I already came up with an action plan to give to my immediate manager later this week.

Regarding AIU, I was given a grade for an assignment (an ‘A’ but at a 94%) and I contested it and got it raised to a 98% (I had some other error that couldn’t deny). Still 4.0

This is a study about ‘ambition’.

Promotion

It seems, regardless of my previous mood, the plan of action at Walmart was a success. Today, I was offered the job of Department Manager of Toys and Sporting Goods and I accepted.

Everything is moving according to the proposed strategy I laid out at the top of this journal. What I need to remember, constantly, is to “stick to the plan”.

This with an ongoing 4.0 GPA.

This is a good day. This is a great series of events toward my reinvention.

The money is better than being a regular associate plus I already know the job from previous experience. It’s just $15.00/hr but I know the overtime will kick it up a bunch.

Now, I’m back in command and can own a department(s). All the while, maintaining a solid grade average at AIU. Walmart may even offset some of the university bill.

And don’t forget full benefits! I can get my kids enrolled immediately. I’m doing my job for them as I always wanted. These back to back successes; staying on track, make me feel happy.

Not bad for two months. I started July 20th. It’s September 16th.

Next stop: Assistant Manager. With the kind of money I can get Donna and I out of this apartment.