Well now. This is gonna be fairly boring....
Been 3 years since I started writing this blog. And though things are far from ideal at the little gas station where I work, even though I still have my Moments, it's been quite awhile since I've yelled at anyone....
These days I get more hassles from my co-workers than I do from customers -- & even then it's mostly indirect, thoughtless passive-aggressive stuff -- them leaving all the work they don't want to be bothered with for me, etc. .... I'm sort of getting used to it.
Recently, being tired or sick at work has probably been a Good Thing. It's helped mellow me out a bit.
I don't actually have that much to complain about right now.
They are, at least, still paying me.
Gas prices didn't go through the roof for Memorial Day Weekend. Shocking. We're still holding at $3.99 for a gallon of Regular gas. Which is too much, of course, but still....
One of My Favorite Drunks was back in the store last week -- Sign Guy was in for the first time in at least a year. And he shorted me 35 cents on the price of his beer, too. Just like Old Times....
I don't really have anything surprising or shocking to say right now. Sorry to let you all down like this.
This must mean that I'm actually fairly happy these days. Or that at least I'm putting up with it all. And that's got to be Good News.
I'll try to do better next time....
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Bitching
Gas price -- $3.99 per gallon for Regular.
When I got to work Wednesday evening -- my Monday -- the store was trashed. As usual.
Clearly the sodas & energy drinks hadn't been seriously stocked since I went home Sunday night, the ice machine was empty, the floors were a freaking mess, the restroom was hideous, nobody had swept the grunge off the rugs (we STILL don't have a vacuum cleaner) ... and my Manager stood around like everything was great.
Though I'm sure she noticed my almost-immediate whirlwind/crazy-man act that followed for the next 2 hours.
I'll give this to my Manager: She IS a Good Person, & she DID stock the cooler for almost an hour before she went home, bringing out a TON of empty boxes for product she stocked on the shelves -- confirming for me that no one had seriously stocked the cooler since Sunday night. (I brought out a ton MORE empty boxes when I stocked the cooler again after I closed the store.)
...Also confirming that she KNOWS what's going on. & is basically OK with it. Because trying to fix it will cause more trouble for her than just Letting Things Go....
Awhile back she passed down that Everybody's supposed to stock the cooler before they go home, so that The Gas Nazi doesn't freak out every time he comes to work & discovers Nothing's Been Done.
But it hasn't happened.
Oh, everybody pays lip-service to what I'd like. But nobody does much.
I don't expect the store to be Immaculate when I come to work -- I'd just like to see some evidence that the person I take over from has actually Done Something.
I didn't see much evidence of that on Wednesday. & I don't see much of it most days.
Four years ago, when we had 2 guys working at the store, I'm told customers used to come in mornings & compliment the morning & afternoon workers on how clean & organized the store was.
& my women co-workers -- including my Manager -- said: "Oh, The Guys do all of it. We don't do anything."
I have heard this story repeatedly.
Now I'm the only guy working at the store. & all the women leave the stuff they don't want to be bothered with for me.
I've seen this clearly, everybody knows it's happening, & they all figure the lip-service they give me will be enough.
The morning worker hardly ever stocks the cooler. The weekend fill-in has stocked the cooler TWICE in the 4 months she's worked for us -- usually she's in a big hurry to get out the door to see her boyfriend.
& the other fill-in -- my Manager's daughter -- is never around much later than 6 p.m. no matter what, no matter how large a beer order is sitting in the cooler waiting to be priced.
They're all Good People, pleasant to work with and be around, but....
This has happened to me repeatedly over the years.
Men generally work harder than women, no matter what the business setting.
Men get the job done. Women leave most of the work for others.
I wonder why nobody ever talks about this?
In 35+ years of work, I've had exactly one woman supervisor who absolutely knew what she was doing, had worked her way up through the ranks, hadn't forgotten what it was like, & was an absolute model of intelligence and reasonableness.
Over the same period, by far the 2 worst supervisors I've ever had were women -- one who was so busy trying to beat men at their own game that she treated all the men who worked for her like shit, couldn't say a nice word about any of them ... and another who repeatedly dumped all her work on the men who worked for her -- especially when The Job interfered with her Weekend Plans.
Don't get me wrong -- I LOVE women. They're almost always a joy to work with, a pleasure to be around. While guys can often be angry and brutal and crude.
But in my experience, this kind of work-avoidance lip-service behavior by women is pretty much normal.
Does it make me a sexist, for pointing out this Reality?
Very well then, so be it.
Anybody want to argue about this?
When I got to work Wednesday evening -- my Monday -- the store was trashed. As usual.
Clearly the sodas & energy drinks hadn't been seriously stocked since I went home Sunday night, the ice machine was empty, the floors were a freaking mess, the restroom was hideous, nobody had swept the grunge off the rugs (we STILL don't have a vacuum cleaner) ... and my Manager stood around like everything was great.
Though I'm sure she noticed my almost-immediate whirlwind/crazy-man act that followed for the next 2 hours.
I'll give this to my Manager: She IS a Good Person, & she DID stock the cooler for almost an hour before she went home, bringing out a TON of empty boxes for product she stocked on the shelves -- confirming for me that no one had seriously stocked the cooler since Sunday night. (I brought out a ton MORE empty boxes when I stocked the cooler again after I closed the store.)
...Also confirming that she KNOWS what's going on. & is basically OK with it. Because trying to fix it will cause more trouble for her than just Letting Things Go....
Awhile back she passed down that Everybody's supposed to stock the cooler before they go home, so that The Gas Nazi doesn't freak out every time he comes to work & discovers Nothing's Been Done.
But it hasn't happened.
Oh, everybody pays lip-service to what I'd like. But nobody does much.
I don't expect the store to be Immaculate when I come to work -- I'd just like to see some evidence that the person I take over from has actually Done Something.
I didn't see much evidence of that on Wednesday. & I don't see much of it most days.
Four years ago, when we had 2 guys working at the store, I'm told customers used to come in mornings & compliment the morning & afternoon workers on how clean & organized the store was.
& my women co-workers -- including my Manager -- said: "Oh, The Guys do all of it. We don't do anything."
I have heard this story repeatedly.
Now I'm the only guy working at the store. & all the women leave the stuff they don't want to be bothered with for me.
I've seen this clearly, everybody knows it's happening, & they all figure the lip-service they give me will be enough.
The morning worker hardly ever stocks the cooler. The weekend fill-in has stocked the cooler TWICE in the 4 months she's worked for us -- usually she's in a big hurry to get out the door to see her boyfriend.
& the other fill-in -- my Manager's daughter -- is never around much later than 6 p.m. no matter what, no matter how large a beer order is sitting in the cooler waiting to be priced.
They're all Good People, pleasant to work with and be around, but....
This has happened to me repeatedly over the years.
Men generally work harder than women, no matter what the business setting.
Men get the job done. Women leave most of the work for others.
I wonder why nobody ever talks about this?
In 35+ years of work, I've had exactly one woman supervisor who absolutely knew what she was doing, had worked her way up through the ranks, hadn't forgotten what it was like, & was an absolute model of intelligence and reasonableness.
Over the same period, by far the 2 worst supervisors I've ever had were women -- one who was so busy trying to beat men at their own game that she treated all the men who worked for her like shit, couldn't say a nice word about any of them ... and another who repeatedly dumped all her work on the men who worked for her -- especially when The Job interfered with her Weekend Plans.
Don't get me wrong -- I LOVE women. They're almost always a joy to work with, a pleasure to be around. While guys can often be angry and brutal and crude.
But in my experience, this kind of work-avoidance lip-service behavior by women is pretty much normal.
Does it make me a sexist, for pointing out this Reality?
Very well then, so be it.
Anybody want to argue about this?
Friday, May 10, 2013
Prices going up for Memorial Day
By the way, our little store's price for a gallon of Regular gas went up to $3.95 on Thursday night -- a jump of 20 cents in the last couple weeks.
This after the media'd been reporting that demand for gas was below-normal, supplies were huge, & "experts" expected prices to start dropping toward $3.20 per gallon sometime soon.
Instead, one station in town -- which is notorious for being overpriced & which is usually the first to break the $4/gallon barrier -- is already at $3.99 for a gallon of Regular. (Up to $4.14 as of Saturday afternoon!)
& we are 25 cents per gallon more expensive than the nationwide "cheapo" gas chain across the street.
& so much for all that. My opinion is the oil companies are lining us up for $4 per gallon in time for the Memorial Day Weekend & the Official Start Of Summer. Your opinions?
BTW, Memorial Day will mark 3 years since I started keeping this ranting, raving journal. & I have so much to show for it.... Passed 50 posts here with that "10 Commandments" list below. So, indications are I might just stick with this.
More soon -- I'll keep you posted as gas prices go up-up-up, just like last year....
What are gas prices like in your neck of the woods...?
This after the media'd been reporting that demand for gas was below-normal, supplies were huge, & "experts" expected prices to start dropping toward $3.20 per gallon sometime soon.
Instead, one station in town -- which is notorious for being overpriced & which is usually the first to break the $4/gallon barrier -- is already at $3.99 for a gallon of Regular. (Up to $4.14 as of Saturday afternoon!)
& we are 25 cents per gallon more expensive than the nationwide "cheapo" gas chain across the street.
& so much for all that. My opinion is the oil companies are lining us up for $4 per gallon in time for the Memorial Day Weekend & the Official Start Of Summer. Your opinions?
BTW, Memorial Day will mark 3 years since I started keeping this ranting, raving journal. & I have so much to show for it.... Passed 50 posts here with that "10 Commandments" list below. So, indications are I might just stick with this.
More soon -- I'll keep you posted as gas prices go up-up-up, just like last year....
What are gas prices like in your neck of the woods...?
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