A new regime. Day 1

First on my agenda, was to bawl out a distributor rep. for their company NOT HAVING PRODUCT THAT WE DESPERATELY NEED TO SELL!!

We have NO Jim Beam Honey 50 mls....NO Jim Beam Apple 50mls......NO Jim Beam Red Stag 50 mls.......AND WE CAN'T GET THEM!

Last week, they were totally OUT of the Ole Smoky Moonshine products I ordered!  Yeah.  Ole Smokey.  It's an hour away and they couldn't send a truck to pick some up?  But I digress....

Back to the Jim Beam minis.....

Last week, the rep. told me they had 1/2 case of Jim Beam Apple 50 mls in stock so I said "SEND THEM!"

When the truck arrived, they were back-ordered.

Now, this rep., a couple of weeks ago, was bragging about their new inventory/ordering system....how it updates in REAL time, blah, blah, blah.

So today, I confronted him about WHY we didn't receive our Beam Apple minis when he told me they had a 1/2 case in stock.  His reply was "It all depends on who keys their order in first."  Mine: "So, Knoxville got them."  Him:  "It all depends on who keys their order in first."  Mine - AGAIN - "So Knoxville got them!"

He then admitted....Knoxville got them.

THIS IS UTTER BULLSHIT!!!

You see, the stores here in Greeneville are very LOW on the level of priority.  This particular distributor caters ONLY to high volume stores - giving us little guys no chance.

And this practice repulses me to no end.

Sometimes, all you have to do.....is ask!

Approached the bossman with the idea of making me salaried and giving me a pay increase.  To my delight, he had NO problem with it!!

He asked my price and agreed to it!!

I AM ECSTATIC!!!

Things Are FINALLY Coming Together!!

After months of suspicion, doubt, insecurity, etc., I now can say I'm WHOLE-HEARTEDLY into my job!  Inventory is coming in-line, things are getting DONE, the store looks GREAT, the stockroom is immaculate and organized, and my co-workers actually seem to "care" about the direction the business is going!!

I am so proud of them - taking direction and getting things taken care of.

The owner comes back on Monday, after a 2-week vacation, and I'm hoping he'll be impressed with the changes and throw a bit more $$ my way.  After all, I AM looking out for his best interests.  When HE makes money, I do, too!

As for this weekend....I'm very tired.  But, there's still the homestead to take care of.

I swear.....it's always something!

Feb. 24th and I Did the UNTHINKABLE!!

Yes, I MOWED my yard.....well, MOST of it.  Mainly to get up loose debris from the winter and to trim up some vibrant-green patches that were getting gnarly.

I think that I one-upped the neighbor this year!!

Overall, the yard looks pretty good.....going to need to put some environmentally-friendly weed & feed on it, though.  And some re-seeding is in order.

...............................................

As for work?  GLORIOUSLY busy day!!  Evidently, people have their income tax refunds in-hand...ready to spend!  And I'll be more than happy to take it!!  The store looks GREAT, we're well-stocked and I'm DYING for people to come give us a try!

...............................................

Tonight's dinner?

Thawed out some NY Strips that I bought in bulk and cut up.....these are a good 2 INCHES thick!!  Some baked Idaho Russets and some grilled asparagus accompany these delicious looking pieces of meat.

And I like meat that's pretty.

VERY Productive Day!

Since Christmas, I've been saving my loose change for....well......who-knows-what.....so today, I took it all to the Cash Cow machine at Food City.  I ended up walking out with $79.34!  And, guess what?

I USED THAT MONEY TO RENEW MY TAGS!!!

I've got to remember that trick!

Merle and I took off the household trash and then, it was BACK in to town.  First, I needed to go ahead and get change for work AND I needed to go to the car wash.

I LOVE the car wash we have here that you pull into, put your car in neutral, and it pulls your car through while lovingly sudsing, wiping, rinsing, and drying it.  PLUS, you vacuum for free and they have those machines you run your floor mats through that cleans them!  My poor car was FILTHY, but now, it looks SOOOO much better.

Made it to work by 11:00 and talked to the coworker about things that are going on.  Knowing that money is tight, I let him go home at 12 - no use in having us BOTH there and besides, I needed to know that he could open the store by himself.  He ACED it!

Dealt with 2 distributor reps and checked-in 2 deliveries and got those put away and then FINALLY, it was time for me to leave.  BUT - I still had chores to do.

So, it was off to Sam's Club!!  Got snacks and Red Bull for the store (they say you can't drink Jager without Red Bull) and bought a few things for the reception I'm catering in June.

Now at home, defrosting some chicken tenders to fix. . . . . side dishes of mac & cheese and fresh (albeit FROZEN) from the garden lima beans!


All in all, a REALLY good day!  I've felt more "on-top-of-things" this week than I have in AGES.

And it feels GREAT!!

Bossman back next week.

We WILL talk! 

MORE Changes At Work!

First, I re-merchandised the shelves, cleaning them AND the bottles.
Then, I marked down a BUNCH of stuff that was just not selling.
I then honed-in on the loss of money and merchandise.

Now?

I've TOTALLY reworked our stockroom!  We used to have back-stock wines in various unused display racks, but now, they're all gone!  We had some unused - LARGE - wine display cases that we will NEVER be able to use on the sales floor (thanks to the wine in grocery stores stuff), so I utilized them to group and store all our back-stock!  These shelving units are a good 12 feet long, 4 feet wide, and weigh A TON, but I was able to move them myself - 2 of them! I then grouped all the miscellaneous racks in a back corner and lined them up....leaving enough room to get in there to get one, if I choose.

THEN, I reworked the liquor back-stock.  We've always kept liquor back-stock sorted by distributor - which I kept - but NOW, I have each product "striped" on the shelving units.....200 mls on the top shelf, 375 mls on the second, 750's on the 3rd, liters on the 4th, and 1.75's on the bottom shelf.

Freed up TONS of floor space and actually, it's easier to find things, especially for a new person.

The bossman is still out of town until the first of the week, so I HOPE AND PRAY he will like what I've done and HOPEFULLY, give me a pay increase.

'Cause I'm asking for one!

*sigh*

Some people can't help but grasp at straws to save their own face.  Trying to deflect their own actions on another is simple cowardice.  If a person can't come to terms with the wrongs they have done, those wrongs will eat at them the rest of their life......IF they have a conscience.

Time to grow up.

GREAT day today!

I had a VERY productive day at work because I was able to organize the back-stock area!  Until today, we had back-stock wines placed haphazardly on old, unused display racks.  Today, I ended that!

Everything is neat and organized and the area looks so much more spacious!

THEN......

Asked the hubby what he wanted for supper and he suggested a local fast-food eatery.  Which is fine - FOR HIM - but I wasn't going to eat that crap.  So, I pull up to the speaker, place the order, and drive around to the pick-up window.  There....I saw a very attractive young man...tall, blond, had a little muscle on him....and then.....

He opened his mouth.

The dude had really horrible teeth.  Well, the ones left in his head looked rancid.

Folks, "Mountain Dew Mouth" IS A REAL THING!!  STOP DRINKING THAT!!!

After a rocky start.....

....I - WE - have had a GREAT week at work!

The owner is out of town (skip-to-my-lou-my-darrrlin'!) so I've had to make some difficult decisions, and some that will benefit his business and make us all some more $!  I, now, feel more comfortable going in to work.....not worrying that money is missing - and trying to find it - and not worrying that product is missing!

And because I've felt more comfortable, I haven't minded having to work 6 days!  At least, things are getting taken care of, and business is actually getting better!

Maybe $'s are up because bogus discounts aren't being given out willy-nilly.....
It's amazing to me how many customers "tattle" on a former employee.....AFTER THE EMPLOYEE IS GONE! Thanks for the heads up, guys! SMH

Anyway.....I feel better about my job, and I DON'T want to go anywhere else!

Now, when the bossman gets back from Fla, I'M ASKING FOR A RAISE!  A HEALTHY ONE!!

I didn't make myself sick over thievery and deceit for nothing!

Crisis averted.

Sometimes, things just work out on their own.  I'm deeply saddened and feel betrayed by the events over the past 3 days, but I'm feeling a lot more comfortable about coming in to work every day.

Thanks to everyone for their support.

Now, let's move forward!

I hate this.

Tomorrow, I have to do something I never thought I would have to do. Something I'm not looking forward to doing. Something that breaks my heart.

But something that HAS to be done.

Please send me your support.

AAARRRGGGHHHHHHHH!!!

Work gave me a migraine today.  SERIOUSLY!

Go in this morning, saw yesterdays paperwork on the desk ($11 short) and I proceed to count the till and the change fund.  Nope.  It's all correct.

Called the dayshift girl and she stated she left early and the owner was going to count the till down at shift change. He didn't.

DAMNIT!

Then, he goes to the bank to get change.  Night shift comes in at 3:00 and we count the change fund.....$5 SHORT!!

I am LIVID!!!  I didn't get in the change fund AT ALL but because the shortage is on MY shift, I'M responsible!!!

I'm over this bullshit.  Losing $, whether it be in hard cash or product, does NOTHING to increase my odds to getting a raise.

Wassup, Verizon In Greeneville, TN?

Lord, how I despise this cell provider.....

I went in to pay my bill, which is due tomorrow ($81 and some change because I overpay every month) and went straight to their payment kiosk.  It's Out of Order. *sigh*

So, I go back to the front door where their "greeter" molests you as soon as you walk in, and the skinny, young, blonde-headed girl says "I'll be right with you".  She finishes dealing with the young couple and walks to "the back".  You know....that FORBIDDEN ZONE in which we have NO IDEA what is going on!

So, I'm standing there.....$100 in my hand......and this young guy walks in.  An associate behind the counter says "Hey man! What can I do for you?"  The customer then explains something about phone not taking passwords, blah, blah, blah.

Then, ANOTHER young gentleman comes in and ANOTHER associate from behind the counter yells a greeting to HIM and proceeds to assist him.

Meanwhile, I'm standing there with a $100 bill in my hand, waiting to pay my bill, and no one seems to want to take my $!

Does this mean my next month is free?

Maybe if I was a steroid-crazed asshat or a blonde slut trying to score a free upgrade........

The Bossman Is Coming Around!

Over the weekend, he saw "Hidden Figures", thinking he would hate it.

He actually LIKED it.  He even pointed out to me the disparity that went on during that time frame and how it was wrong.

*check-mark sound*

Then, he said he finally got to sit down and watch the Super Bowl halftime show with no interruptions.......

.....and......

HE LOVED LADY GAGA AND HER PERFORMANCE!!

He complimented her talent, her looks, and the overall staging of the show!!   This, after yesterday, bemoaning the ill-conceived notion that her performance was going to be anti-trump (not capitalized for a reason).

Can this 70-year-old be having a change of heart regarding minorities and a move in the right direction for more inclusiveness??

I can only hope.

The Super Bowl, Lady Gaga, and Politics

First off, I'm not a big sports fan.  Big surprise, right?  But I DID want to watch the game last night.  No, NOT just for the ads, but for the game. . . . . which was GREAT!!

Both teams played HARD, but I really think Atlanta was tired in the second half and that's what lost it for them.

Anyway......

Half-time!!  Lady Gaga ROCKED the house!  Did she do something "political"?  Well, if you consider singing parts of "God Bless America", "This Land Is Your Land", and reciting a part of the Pledge of Allegiance as "political", then yeah, I guess she did.  But she didn't do it in a mocking way, Nor was she slamming the Trump administration.  I felt her ENTIRE show was built on UNITY, which I think she was trying to accomplish.

Then, I read on FARTBOOK that people are shaming her appearance!!  And these people are the SAME people that would've JUMPED on her had she performed something politically negative.

I don't get it.

I guess the old saying "Damned if you do, damned if you don't" certainly applies here.

I APPLAUD her and her performance.  If you can't see the diversity in this country and ACCEPT it, maybe YOU should "get the hell out".

Looks like I've got the job!!

Yeppers!  June 9, 2017, I will be providing food for 100 guests at the wedding reception of Christy Justice and Jamie Cutshall!

I'm sure you've seen the menu, and I look forward to providing them with this service.

My partners, Whitney and Jackie, are looking to make this a legitimate service!!  But it's going to take time and money.  Our name?  2 Queens And A Jack Catering! I'm looking for someone who can design business cards...and I have the "look" in my mind.  I'm just no good at that kind of stuff.

And then there are licenses, inspections, insurance, etc.  A LOT to think about.

Maybe I should start playing the lottery.