Back in the Big Box
I have to say that while working what is going to be about 60 hours this week might be hard, I do find it pleasantly annoying in a way.
First, compared to jobs that I've had in the past, working the Special Service desk at a Home Depot is really not that hard. Yes, it can be stressful and pressing at times, simply because there are a lot of people that need my assistance all at one time. All at one time sometimes. But other times, I can spend time filing. Filing is not very hard. I've had jobs where a lot more of the company's success depended on me, and I was expected to answer phones, emails and live chats all at the same time. Now it's just phones and live people.
Side note: Live Chat blows. It's the worst thing that was ever thought of. I thought i was alone in my hatred of Live Chat when I was working from home for DesignerPlumbingOutlet. Five dumb fucks all at one time asking you about questions that they've not really thought out, or telling you they never got their tracking info, so you have to get on the phone and call someone for a tracking number all while four more people are sitting there asking you about what valve to use with what and what white sink should they buy and do I think that the Kohler Purist or Stillness (which look about 95% similar in my mind and are both outrageously expensive) looks better and can I please tell them what shower door they need to buy with this shower pan and how much will it cost to ship it in five days or less to some place like Red Lodge, Montana, and how come it can't be any faster? All the while Live Chat number one is saying, "are you there? do you have the tracking number yet? should I call?" And you can't really scream "GIVE ME JUST ONE GODDAMN MINUTE" to all of them. Instead you end up screaming it to yourself over and over and repeatedly slamming your hand against the desk and muttering "I can't do this" over and over and running to the bathroom to purge the bag of Doritos that you just inhaled while trying to eat away the stress of having to talk to five idiots at one time while the phone is ringing off the hook with five more people asking the same exact questions.
The other day I went to see Michael at his office, and he was in charge of the Live Chat that day, and he was in a TERRIBLE mood and talking to himself, so I guess what I am saying is that I'm NOT CRAZY, Live Chats just do that to a person.
Anyway, as I was saying in the first reason why my job isn't that bad - it's just not that hard, and there are 6 other people in my department doing my job, and they never get it all done before I get there, so why the hell should I have to get everything finished when I close at night, especially when they have two people at the desk during the day, and I'm all by myself. So, the pressure is off.
Second - when you work retail, and you're actually smart and educated, customers are like totally and completely amazed. Not that there aren't other good workers at my store. I'm actually pleasantly surprised with how great a few of them are, especially this guy Robby in the Electrical Department who is somehow everywhere in the store at all times, and manages to smell extremely pleasant while doing so (Givenchy for men of some sort). Point is, what I actually have to do is pretty easy too.
Third - when you work retail, and you're actually smart and educated, managers are like totally and completely amazed. It's like I could do no wrong, even when I do do wrong, cause I'm new, and they give me that excuse and tell me I did a great job, and boy don't they wish they could clone me. Stroke that ego a little more, cause you know, I'm working at Home Depot, and it was a crushing blow to my psyche when I realized I was going to have to apply to the Big Box.
Fourth - Since I have no real friends yet in Walla Walla, and it's a relatively easy and manageable job, it's kinda like social hour for me.
THE BEST thing about going to Home Depot AFTER I go to work at AmericanWinery.com, well lately that is, is that at the Winery job we've started making outbound calls to wineries to have them sign up on our site. Now, for those that know me, I am one heck of a salesgirl, and I do love making sales, but jeez, it is SO nerve wracking cold calling people and trying to make them think that you are the best thing since grapes and the bottom of my heel. So working all day calling out to these places gets me really hyped up and have all this extra nervous energy, which makes me eat less, and lose more weight, and kinda grind my teeth and have slightly shakey hands for just about an hour after I leave the office. It's like I've kept the nerves in all day while trying to balls my way through these calls and then it all has to come out. So for about an hour during the first part of my shift at Home Depot I kinda feel like I've done 3 or 4 lines of cocaine. Which, maybe, if you look at it, might not be the best thing to do, but still is a little fun in a way. Plus, I'm not actually snorting anything, just getting the side effects of it, and the super awesome I AM GOD feeling when I get a bunch of people to sign up on the site...so... yeah.
Now for those of you who aren't completely bored, I googled Home Depot today to see what sort of crap I could find, and I ran across a really funny blog about a guy who journaled his morning at Home Depot. I found it amusing.
http://www.typicalcrap.net/home_depot/hdlog2.html
First, compared to jobs that I've had in the past, working the Special Service desk at a Home Depot is really not that hard. Yes, it can be stressful and pressing at times, simply because there are a lot of people that need my assistance all at one time. All at one time sometimes. But other times, I can spend time filing. Filing is not very hard. I've had jobs where a lot more of the company's success depended on me, and I was expected to answer phones, emails and live chats all at the same time. Now it's just phones and live people.
Side note: Live Chat blows. It's the worst thing that was ever thought of. I thought i was alone in my hatred of Live Chat when I was working from home for DesignerPlumbingOutlet. Five dumb fucks all at one time asking you about questions that they've not really thought out, or telling you they never got their tracking info, so you have to get on the phone and call someone for a tracking number all while four more people are sitting there asking you about what valve to use with what and what white sink should they buy and do I think that the Kohler Purist or Stillness (which look about 95% similar in my mind and are both outrageously expensive) looks better and can I please tell them what shower door they need to buy with this shower pan and how much will it cost to ship it in five days or less to some place like Red Lodge, Montana, and how come it can't be any faster? All the while Live Chat number one is saying, "are you there? do you have the tracking number yet? should I call?" And you can't really scream "GIVE ME JUST ONE GODDAMN MINUTE" to all of them. Instead you end up screaming it to yourself over and over and repeatedly slamming your hand against the desk and muttering "I can't do this" over and over and running to the bathroom to purge the bag of Doritos that you just inhaled while trying to eat away the stress of having to talk to five idiots at one time while the phone is ringing off the hook with five more people asking the same exact questions.
The other day I went to see Michael at his office, and he was in charge of the Live Chat that day, and he was in a TERRIBLE mood and talking to himself, so I guess what I am saying is that I'm NOT CRAZY, Live Chats just do that to a person.
Anyway, as I was saying in the first reason why my job isn't that bad - it's just not that hard, and there are 6 other people in my department doing my job, and they never get it all done before I get there, so why the hell should I have to get everything finished when I close at night, especially when they have two people at the desk during the day, and I'm all by myself. So, the pressure is off.
Second - when you work retail, and you're actually smart and educated, customers are like totally and completely amazed. Not that there aren't other good workers at my store. I'm actually pleasantly surprised with how great a few of them are, especially this guy Robby in the Electrical Department who is somehow everywhere in the store at all times, and manages to smell extremely pleasant while doing so (Givenchy for men of some sort). Point is, what I actually have to do is pretty easy too.
Third - when you work retail, and you're actually smart and educated, managers are like totally and completely amazed. It's like I could do no wrong, even when I do do wrong, cause I'm new, and they give me that excuse and tell me I did a great job, and boy don't they wish they could clone me. Stroke that ego a little more, cause you know, I'm working at Home Depot, and it was a crushing blow to my psyche when I realized I was going to have to apply to the Big Box.
Fourth - Since I have no real friends yet in Walla Walla, and it's a relatively easy and manageable job, it's kinda like social hour for me.
THE BEST thing about going to Home Depot AFTER I go to work at AmericanWinery.com, well lately that is, is that at the Winery job we've started making outbound calls to wineries to have them sign up on our site. Now, for those that know me, I am one heck of a salesgirl, and I do love making sales, but jeez, it is SO nerve wracking cold calling people and trying to make them think that you are the best thing since grapes and the bottom of my heel. So working all day calling out to these places gets me really hyped up and have all this extra nervous energy, which makes me eat less, and lose more weight, and kinda grind my teeth and have slightly shakey hands for just about an hour after I leave the office. It's like I've kept the nerves in all day while trying to balls my way through these calls and then it all has to come out. So for about an hour during the first part of my shift at Home Depot I kinda feel like I've done 3 or 4 lines of cocaine. Which, maybe, if you look at it, might not be the best thing to do, but still is a little fun in a way. Plus, I'm not actually snorting anything, just getting the side effects of it, and the super awesome I AM GOD feeling when I get a bunch of people to sign up on the site...so... yeah.
Now for those of you who aren't completely bored, I googled Home Depot today to see what sort of crap I could find, and I ran across a really funny blog about a guy who journaled his morning at Home Depot. I found it amusing.
http://www.typicalcrap.net/home_depot/hdlog2.html