Hide and Seek or The Tricks Department Managers Will Play

Along with my full-time job, I work part-time at a national discount store. We're often shorthanded because the national big wigs don't think we bring in enough money to hire more people. Makes sense, right? Hire more people, provide worse customer service, lose money. Somehow that equation doesn't add up. I think I learned something from my Public Affairs graduate course work but whatever.

So, even though there were only two associates, including me, in the clothing areas last night, putting back returns, zoning and answering the main store line, the department managers decided to play a little game with us. It's called "Hide-and-Seek" in the purse section. I'll be honest, purses and billfolds are the last section I worry about at night. With the shortage in staff and some less than motivated workers, we're lucky to put our clothing areas in decent shape before leaving. Last night, I found a toddler clothing set, a book and some other miscellaneous things among the purses. On another night, I found a tire inflater.

These are too obvious to be placed there by accident. Most of the time, we find tags from items that people steal, not the items themselves.

I love playing hide-and-go-seek but don't waste my time with this. The department managers, one in particular, claim that we don't zone the purse section. Well, messing up your own section on purpose, seems kind of stupid, don't you think? I should be putting away returns and zoning sections, not finding junk from different areas in the store and then having to put those away. It's not effective management and it's a waste of my time.

Anyway, had to vent. Life is ironic and sometimes just plain stupid.

The things kids say

My puppy, Molly, loves my three-year-old niece. I've asked Meaghan to take care of Molly when my husband and I are in China. Today, she told her maternal grandparents that she was traveling to China with us so she could take care of Molly. When her grandparents asked if she knew how far China was, Meaghan replied "no." When she was told that the country was far, far way, Meaghan replied, "I'll just take care of Molly here." If you knew my niece and could hear her voice and picture her mannerism, you would crack up at her insistance that she was going to China and then her eventual decision to stay put. Considering her love for Disney princesses and their "far, far away stories," I'm surprised Meaghan changed her mind.

We're out of the review room!

We've passed through another gate in this adoption process. Our dossier is out of the review room! This means that someone in China's CCAA office looked through our paperwork and everything is fine! We're not missing any documents. It feels wonderful to be through this part of the wait although it could take another year-and-a-half before we receive Maggie's referral. Too bad it's so late as I post. I feel like celebrating!