A Second Chance for George…

My old supervisor arrived about as I was getting ready to leave. She was dressed very prettily this morning before putting on her Wal-Mart smock. The first shift had taken over and I caught her in customer service. We walked outside in the cool dawn air to talk for a moment as I told her I had something I wanted to discuss.

“How was your first night?” she asked me first very excitedly.

“It went fine,” I told her in reply. “I didn’t have any problems. Things went smoothly.  I was just extremely sleepy and nervous, though, all night.”

“You will adjust,” she said as she put her arm around me and gave me a strong hug – waves of her perfume wafting over me. “You were way too overqualified for the job you worked for me. It has been bananas trying to fill your position.  Nobody wants the hours or the pay.”

“I have a good worker in mind to fill my old shift,” I told her. “He is my best friend, but has a few marks on his record, though. He will be an ex-con.”

“What kind of marks?” my old supervisor asked apprehensively.

“He just got a DUI and lost his job working at the distribution center in LaGrange when he went to jail.”

“Do you think he will be on time and reliable?” she asked. “I have the hardest time filling your position with someone who will do the job well.”

“He will be like me,” I replied very optimistically and honestly. “He is a good worker with a strong work ethic.  He just made a stupid mistake. Please give him a second chance.  I am sure he won’t let you down.”

“I will talk to my big boss about it and let you know tomorrow morning.  It is ultimately up to me, but I want my big boss to know as well to cover my bases,” my supervisor said. “If you vouch for him, then I will vouch for him as well. Everybody deserves a second chance. You know I would do anything for you with all you did for me.”

I told her his parole hearing was this Thursday and it is extremely likely he will get parole with a 40 hour per week job lined up. I was so pleased with our talk.  I have high hopes for any news tomorrow morning.  It is not the perfect job for George with it being minimum wage and no benefits, but I have no doubts that he will work hard – just excited to have a job after sitting in a jail cell for so long with nothing to do.

My First Night in Electronics…

Things went very well with no problems and I didn’t experience much anxiety. I didn’t even have to take any Klonopin.  Just a little bit of nervousness as the shift started.  I was so sleepy all night, though.  I usually don’t drink caffeine laden sodas and drank many last night just to stay awake heavily leaning on my Mountain Dew. I sold two big ticket items for which my supervisor was pleased when he arrived around 6:30 – a 52” Sony LCD television and an eMachines computer.  Most of the night was spent stocking shelves and fronting them – getting them ready for the start of another day. I already know where everything is in the department so stocking was easy.  I can be a perfectionist at heart and the shelves looked pristine by the time 7am rolled around.  Most of the night was very quiet, though, with few customers.  I tried to stay off the Internet with it being my first night.  I didn’t want to get caught goofing off.

I am going to have to get used to being a salesman, though.  We are heavily encouraged to push certain high profit items and all the cables and accruements involved.  I tend to be shy and will have to learn to be more aggressive.  I lost a few sales to not being more assertive and enthusiastic about the product. Cellphones and their service plans are another big ticket item we are pushed to sell. I sold one cellphone, but didn’t push the customer to buy a more expensive and full featured model.  I will have to work on this.  I am going to feel like a used car salesman it seems.    

It was so strange walking out of work this morning and it still being almost dark – dawn just on the horizon.  The days are certainly getting shorter with Fall on the way.  It was also very chilly this morning and I was kind of relieved I hadn’t had to spend my usual early hours between 5am to 7am gathering carts when it is the coldest before dawn.  I am so cold natured. There are going to be perks with working this new position.  Especially with winter on the way.  I went from a very physical job to a very non taxing job.  It is going to take some getting used to.

Getting Work Done…

I awoke after several naps yesterday afternoon, and got busy mowing a few lawns.  I called first and my customers were home and eager for me to mow their lawns saying they needed it.  It doesn’t take me but about 30 minutes to mow each lawn with my riding lawn mower.  It was dark when I finished, though, and I was just famished. I headed home to eat “breakfast” and get ready for work.

A Visit From Charlie…

“I have my other son and his crazy wife staying with me this weekend,” Charlie told me laughing goodheartedly yesterday evening.  “I love them, but they can make things interesting.  They always bring their six dogs.”

“Six dogs?!” I asked and exclaimed.

“Let’s not even go there,” Charlie replied.

“I will have a surprise for you tomorrow night,” Charlie then told me.

“Steaks?” I asked.

Charlie laughed.

“How did you know?” he said. “I also want to pay you to trim the shrubbery back some more at my new house.  Just chop it all down.”

I said I would when I got time.  Charlie always pays me well so I couldn’t pass up that opportunity.  Charlie also checked Horsefly’s old television he gave me to see if the sound was working.  Luckily, it still wasn’t.  Charlie would be so pissed at me if I told him the TV was broken and it was not – forcing him to buy a new TV for Horsefly. 

As usual, Charlie left in a hurry to carry Horsefly around on his rounds.  I look forward to one of his steak dinners for breakfast and will anxiously wait all day.  He grills a mean steak to perfection – old style on a charcoal grill.