Yesterday we were supposed to have a pumpkin class for adults but it turned into another free-for-all for little kids. The Martha Stewart kit got put on the high shelf in the classroom and we brought out the paint, chenille stems, puff balls and CRAP for kid's pumpkins. I was a little smarter this time. When I saw that people were looking at the more elaborate pumpkins I told them they'd have to purchase more supplies. They all meekly said, "Ok" and followed me around the store while I loaded them up. I'd say this time the kids were better behaved and some of the parents were more pushy. We were supposed to do pumpkins from 1 to 3 but the last person was there until 4:30. The manager was getting all pissy about how much time it was taking. I guess he somehow missed the twenty kids sitting around the table with wet pumpkins and wet glue and only two instructors to handle everything. I guess he just didn't see all that SHIT happening right before his eyes.
When I'm doing demos I don't wear the red Mickey's apron. So when I walk around the store I look like any other customer. If I see someone with a lost look I ask them if they need help and we go from there. Well! When I was doing the pumpkin thing was was wearing the red apron. It's like a big, shining beacon that says DEMAND THINGS OF ME. Actually, the customers were very nice, just needy and there were a lot of them. If I ever strayed from the pumpkin table to help someone get their supplies or to unlock the bathroom I'd end up helping four or five people at once. I LIKED that. I'd love to just hang out on the sales floor and be that person who zooms around helping many people at once. Really, they should just let me do that. They NEED me to do that. But they don't have the budget for that. That's why the manager was getting pissy about the time. They budget this much payroll for associates and this much for instructors and that's it, no matter what is actually happening IN the store.
And that's that wonderful corporate bullshit I love so much. Is it any surprise that they're based in Texas?
Last night I walked the Rube with Jeff. Good walk, good talk. This morning my ankles HURT. Being on my feet all day and then going for a long walk has made them grouchy. Suck it up, ankles!
Today, packing!
4 comments:
I think the main advantage of your Michael's gig is going to be to have something recent to put on your resume. They're not going to offer you a real opportunity, even though it would profit themselves. Nobody you're going to meet at that level of the corporation will have the authority to rearrange policy to make what they have you doing work well.
--dean
Maybe you ought to make a blog on livejournal and give ideas to corporate about how to better serve their customers based on their bad service?
It's sort of working for me with that one company I've been writing about.
Dean- I think you're right on all points.
Virginia- I think I'll probably write a long letter to them once I've left the job.
I love the title of this post.
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