If you squeeze me, I may give "whine"...

[ducky01]

A couple of very nice friends of mine kindly offered to take me to do my BIG grocery shopping today. Normally, this kind of shopping is one of my favorite things to do, because I have a fondness for giggling over the new items and buying lots of Cheez-Its. Today, however, was NOT a fun, ducky kind of shopping day.

Comments

[ducky01]

The sad part is that the Kroger where this happened used to be the most customer-friendly stores around. I even worked there for a short time before my leg problems took me off the job force. Their training program completely pushed the "customer and safety first" aspects of retail, and the people you worked with while you were still training took the time to show you how to do it well. I'm sure the training program itself hasn't changed that much, as it was a three day program of video instructions, accompanied by several hours of hands-on training with a veteran cashier. I think it's the quality of the people being hired and the people doing the training that seems to have changed. Once again, that reflects on the management - they are not bothering to hire people who really care about doing a job well, nor are they working with the employees to make sure they have learned the job. I have a feeling there aren't very many of us "old school" type cashiers and clerks left in the business, and it makes me sad. (LOL over "I apologize" as opposed to "I'm sorry." We were taught never to say either, as it did imply liability, but we WERE supposed to remain with the customer and keep checking on their welfare to make sure they were not injured and did not require medical help until the upper managers got there to do the incident reports. In a lot of cases, if you were the employee that witnessed the event, you went right along with the managerand customer to file the report as a witness to the incident. Now, they all scatter like frightened sheep, afraid they might have their pay docked for stopping to actually help a customer in need.

You'd better believe that I'll be following up with the manager on the incident report. My right hip is still so bruised and swollen that I can barely sit on that side of it, and had to sleep with an ice pack on my behind all night. I know it's not broken, but still, very painful.

[sailorhathor]

It all boils down to management. If management doesn't take people to task for their mistakes, they're going to slack off every time. Employees will become lazy in how they do things because no one is making them do a better job. This is especially true if you hire younger people who haven't worked much yet, and are still forming their work ethic. (I'm sorry younger people who may be reading this, I mean no disrespect, but come on, you know that most of you would rather party than work unless someone makes you. :P I'm a cynical older person! You smoochers get off my lawn!)

It's like, one time, I was buying lunch meat at Albertsons. (Which my mind still insists on calling Skaggs even though it hasn't been Skaggs for about 15-20 years. Ah, the first stages of dementia... 9_6) The signs in front of the meat were confusing. Something was Buy One Get One Free. It seemed like the Oscar Meyer lunch meat packs were BOGOF, but who could tell with the way they were labeled? Not me. So I took two packs up with me to check out and asked if the cashier could do a price check before I bought them. She called the meat dept on her phone. The meat people were taking a really long time to answer her back. A manager happened to be nearby and came over to ask why I had been waiting so long. The cashier said the meat people were taking a long time to answer on a price check. Manager asked how long it had been, cashier said nearly five minutes. Manager said well, that was too long for a measly price check, and asked me how much I thought the meat was supposed to be based on the sign. I said BOGOF. She said fine, that was my price, and apologized for the meat people being so slow. Now THAT'S a grocery store manager.

Not like Supertarget, where the clueless checkout girl laid her pricing gun on top of my bread, and the managers have a permanent put-upon sigh in their voices.

Are you sure you don't want to see a doctor and at least have them take pictures of your injuries just incase? Heaven forbid this cause anymore problems later, but if it does, you're going to need proof that you were injured. Maybe you could take pics with your new digital camera. I know that would be embarrassing given the location of the injuries, but you may need the pics.

[ducky01]

I'm still the sore and achy ducky today, and even blew off church because I don't know if i will be able to sit still for that long without moving around off the bruised spot. I can tell it is pretty badly bruised, but not broken, and I am always so slow to heal, I figure it will be a few days before it is not so painful. Still, if it is not feeling somewhat less ouchey by Tuesday, I will head off to the ER for pictures of it and send the bill to Kroger. I can't go tomorrow, because the new computer is coming tomorrow to be installed, and the building maintenance guy is also coming earlier in the day to remove some junk he has left in my apartment. My building maintenance guy is kind of an idiot, so I want to be here when he comes to make sure he doesn't miss anything this time. I also don't completely trust him, as he is kind of flaky, and don't want him to be alone in my apartment at any time.

ducky

[sailorhathor]

That's all very understandable. If you feel like practicing with your new digital camera, and can do so without falling on your face, take some pictures of the area yourself while it's still all narly-looking. I promise I won't steal them and start a website called duckbutt.com.

Feel better or I'll HURT you. *shakes fist*

[ducky01]

Is it okay if I take pictures of the neighbor's butt instead? He is a young college student, so his is much better-looking than mine! Plus, I can't get a clear shot of the bruise, which seems to be a lot smaller today. Still pretty sore, but I think it is receding summat. I'm still not able to sit flat on a chair without a cushion under the right side, but I'm actually able to sit for longer now without needing to stand up or lay down and take the pressure off.

[sailorhathor]

>>Is it okay if I take pictures of the neighbor's butt instead? He is a young college student<<

GASP! Cougar!

...... is he cute? ¬_¬

The best way to make this work is to recommend to the young college student that he get drunk, go joyriding on Kroger's riding carts, and wait until he too crashes and falls on his butt. Then take pictures and claim that you are taking pictures of your own injury by proxy. Yup. That's all. No, you have not recreated the accident exactly, but, close enough.

Yay for healing bruisey!