Job Stress / A Baby Boy / Sales Frustrations
Nicole's first few weeks at her new job have been very rough. Several times, she'd come home completely ravaged by the stress. It sounds to me like the place-a private practice counseling and psychological therapy clinic-needs more staff and desperately. Nicole was brought on board because another staffer is leaving for a few months on a maternity leave or something. Hopefully when that person returns Nicole will be allowed to keep the job since it's clear they could use all the help they can get. I've been a good little house-boyfriend by taking care of the apartment and doing all the cooking and shopping. I've tried very hard over the last month to make it as easy as possible for her to come home, relax, get a good meal, and sleep. I haven't been completely successful as she has had sleepless nights and fears of making mistakes. I've reassured her that this is only the beginning and that once she's learned the job, things will be smoother. I completely believe that, too, so it's not just some wishful thinking nonsense. It is destiny.
Speaking of maternity, my good college friends, Cassandra and Matt, have had their baby! A boy! He was two weeks early but his weight and measurements suggest he was surely ready for the world. Nicole and I will have our chance to meet the new crew member probably in July or August once the new parents have a chance to get used to things. When I think about it, I realize that I don't have too many peers or friends from college or high school who've had kids. Most of my buddies are still trying to work out their place in the world let alone find a partner let alone get married let alone have children. That goes for the vast majority of my online friends, too. I wonder if it's a generational thing or cultural in some way. One thing is for sure and that is that this generation (Or at least what I'm seeing from my peers) has no problem waiting until their 30s to start a family. And that's not a bad thing.
Last week, I sold a high-value electronics item online and when the buyer got it, he threw a tantrum and ruined my feedback score. Why? Well, you see, the guy thought he was purchasing something that was brand new but I was selling something that was used and factory-refurbished. I believe that he only saw my low price and he proceeded to assume that I was selling the same thing as others. Instead of looking to reason, he demanded a refund and blamed me while leaving some really grouchy feedback saying I'd improperly advertised the thing. Unfortunately, even though the proof was obvious and on my side, the auctioneering website I was using favors the buyers in all disputes so I didn't even get to keep the original shipping fee. I tried reasoning with the buyer by showing him his own receipt but to no avail. It really is impossible to reason with some people. Some customers refuse to be satisfied because their behavior is allowed and they get away with it so often that there's never a compelling reason to take ownership of an otherwise harmless mistake.
It all reminds me that I really do need to stop selling things on the Internet. Don't get me wrong, I'm not selling like I used to half a decade ago when it was my full time job and I sold half a dozen things a day on a good day. I'd be out at second hand stores looking for things to clean and sell and I had a hundred items lying around ready to ship. Fast forward to today and I get maybe one or two sales a week off super-low inventory. I would call myself a casual seller but the real problem I'm having now is the frustration of buyers making mistakes buying something from me and forcing a return. Every return hurts and it feels like these days half of my sales come back to me because the buyer made a mistake. Once I finish selling off all my old Jurassic Park collectables, I'll be done. It's just not worth it like it used to be.
Speaking of maternity, my good college friends, Cassandra and Matt, have had their baby! A boy! He was two weeks early but his weight and measurements suggest he was surely ready for the world. Nicole and I will have our chance to meet the new crew member probably in July or August once the new parents have a chance to get used to things. When I think about it, I realize that I don't have too many peers or friends from college or high school who've had kids. Most of my buddies are still trying to work out their place in the world let alone find a partner let alone get married let alone have children. That goes for the vast majority of my online friends, too. I wonder if it's a generational thing or cultural in some way. One thing is for sure and that is that this generation (Or at least what I'm seeing from my peers) has no problem waiting until their 30s to start a family. And that's not a bad thing.
Last week, I sold a high-value electronics item online and when the buyer got it, he threw a tantrum and ruined my feedback score. Why? Well, you see, the guy thought he was purchasing something that was brand new but I was selling something that was used and factory-refurbished. I believe that he only saw my low price and he proceeded to assume that I was selling the same thing as others. Instead of looking to reason, he demanded a refund and blamed me while leaving some really grouchy feedback saying I'd improperly advertised the thing. Unfortunately, even though the proof was obvious and on my side, the auctioneering website I was using favors the buyers in all disputes so I didn't even get to keep the original shipping fee. I tried reasoning with the buyer by showing him his own receipt but to no avail. It really is impossible to reason with some people. Some customers refuse to be satisfied because their behavior is allowed and they get away with it so often that there's never a compelling reason to take ownership of an otherwise harmless mistake.
It all reminds me that I really do need to stop selling things on the Internet. Don't get me wrong, I'm not selling like I used to half a decade ago when it was my full time job and I sold half a dozen things a day on a good day. I'd be out at second hand stores looking for things to clean and sell and I had a hundred items lying around ready to ship. Fast forward to today and I get maybe one or two sales a week off super-low inventory. I would call myself a casual seller but the real problem I'm having now is the frustration of buyers making mistakes buying something from me and forcing a return. Every return hurts and it feels like these days half of my sales come back to me because the buyer made a mistake. Once I finish selling off all my old Jurassic Park collectables, I'll be done. It's just not worth it like it used to be.